A spokesperson at the Federal Aviation Administration said they are reconsidering the requirement to turn off your gadgets on the plane while landing and taking off.  The F.A.A.'s deputy assistant administrator for public affairs said:

“With the advent of new and evolving electronic technology, and because the airlines have not conducted the testing necessary to approve the use of new devices, the FAA is taking a fresh look at the use of personal electronic devices, other than cellphones, on aircraft.”

The problem is, every individual tablet model has to be tested on an empty plane in flight, and repeated for each different model of aircraft that it wants to be certified for. As you can imagine, this can quickly become an expensive affair for airlines. It's worth noting that the F.A.A. isn't showing any interest in updating their policy for smartphone usage While it certainly makes sense for Apple to be getting friendly with investors by dishing out dividends, maybe they could spend some of that money to get iPads approved at least on U.S. flights.

Not that it needs any help, but it would be a huge selling point if the iPad was one of the few tablets you could use through the entire duration of a flight. It's too bad that the reconsideration isn't including smartphones, since the only real difference between them and tablets at this point is size.

Source: NY Times

The TSA (Transportation Safety Administration) have deemed Apple's new iPad magical enough to pass through airport security scanners mostly without your having to remove it from your travel bags. Mostly.

The Transportation Security Administration said Tuesday that in general you should not need to remove your iPad from your bag. That's because it's relatively small and people who carry the device often don't have bulky accessories like plugs and external drives that clutter the image when computer bags are screened.

Screeners may still ask you to remove your iPad if they can't get a clear image of the device.

You might also find a few screeners not yet familiar enough with the policy or the iPad, so again, leave your iPad in your bag unless and until you're asked by the men and women in uniform to take it out. Then take it out.

We haven't heard about other countries yet, but if you have let us know in comments!

[Cheap plug/question avoider - that's the Marware Eco-Envi for iPad pictured above.]

In the wake of the latest act of terrorism attempted on a US airplane, the TSA has enacted what appear to be deliberately unpredictable new security measures that seem to include a complete ban on the use of electronics like the iPhone or iPod touch, and even the use of the bathroom for the last hour of any plane trip in-bound to the US.

"Seem" is the operative word, as there looks to still be a lot of confusion as to how, when, and where the new policies are being implemented. We could joke about the come back of non-tablet paper books, or the train and automobile industries in the face of skies being so friendly, but missed flights and connections, mass confusion and sustained minor panic aren't too terribly funny. Likewise we'll side step the whole "eternal vigilance" vs. "deserve neither" debate.

The current policies seem to be effective until Jan. 1, 2010, and then we'll see what happens next. With gadget-lovers coming into the US for CES in just over a week, and with no doubt plenty of Americans with return flights planned from the Vancouver Olympics (and countless other places) thereafter, let's hope everything stays safe and and secure while returning as quickly as possible to functionality.

Meanwhile, Gizmodo has the TSA memo which basically lays out that if you don't run your own country, get in line way early and be prepared for anything. You'll likely get patted down once or twice. Your carry-on baggage may be restricted to one item and will be visually inspected. You'll likely not be able to use any electronics or go to the bathroom for the last hour of the flight. The in-flight entertainment system may be completely shut down, or may just not show live location information or news. Everyone is going to be tired, frustrated, and on edge.

[Much of this via PCMag's @saschasegan who's doing a great job passing along information via Twitter]

iPhone vs. Palm Pre combat and comparison is nothing new, but is the latest rivalry in smartphones ready to take to the skies? Ars Technica certainly thinks so:

Ultimately, traveling with the Pre made me want my iPhone back

Though user-changeable, battery life on the Palm Pre was cited as one of the biggest disadvantages, draining rapidly under the onslaught of the famed Synergy and Card systems, and an estimated death in just 30 min. of Sprint TV viewing(?!). Lack of Apps was another.

Far from negative, however, the article gives Palm lots of suggestions to help the troubled Pre traveller out. (Ours, of course, would be actually getting that iPhone back...)

If you have any travel tips of your own to share, drop them in the comments!

[Thanks to Icebike for the tip!]