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- Singapore Airlines launches in-flight Wi-Fi, mobile phone services
- Netizens: New China building is 'pants'
- Panda-monium hits Singapore
- Quanzhou: China’s forgotten historic port
- The Peninsula Hong Kong launches US$58 million guestroom makeover
- 11 wild travel predictions and whether they'll come true
| Singapore Airlines launches in-flight Wi-Fi, mobile phone services Posted: 07 Sep 2012 02:24 AM PDT Singapore Airlines (SIA) passengers can now use their mobile phones and the Internet -- even on long-haul flights between Singapore and Newark and Los Angeles. Following a recent soft launch on a limited number of aircraft, In-Flight Connectivity is now available on 14 aircraft, including the Airbus A340-500s used on its United States' flights. This means -- for a fee, of course -- travelers can use the Internet on their computers or iPads, send and receive e-mails on smartphones and other electronic devices, and send and receive SMS text messages with GSM-compatible mobile phones. More on CNN: Big changes at Singapore's Changi Airport Through a partnership with OnAir, the technology will be rolled out across all of SIA's long-haul Airbus A380-800, A340-500 and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft over the next two years. read more     |
| Netizens: New China building is 'pants' Posted: 07 Sep 2012 01:22 AM PDT by CNNGo staff From now until 2014, a new skyscraper will be built in China every five days, according to Chinese media. One in particular has received a lot of attention this week. Gate to the East (东方之门, also called by some Gate of the Orient), is a 300-meter, 69-story skyscraper under construction in Suzhou, a city of 10 million residents about 100 kilometers west of Shanghai. "This [building] will work nicely as a jeans center," posted one anonymous netizen, as reported by China Youth. "But does it look more like a pair of thermal pants or jeans? And it's low-waist," the same netizen continued. read more    |
| Posted: 06 Sep 2012 10:04 PM PDT As Singapore quickly moves from panda fever to panda fatigue, the city's most adorable new residents, Kai Kai and Jia Jia, are finally settled into their new home at Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS). The giant panda pair arrived at Changi International Airport from China this week via chartered plane to a VIP welcome from 100 dignitaries before being sent in a temperature-controlled truck to WRS, where they were greeted by 1,000 excited locals. Media coverage of the arrival has been full-on, with Singapore news outlets reporting on every detail of the pandas' journey. And then there's the panda merchandise. In celebration of the giant pandas' arrival, SingPost is planning to issue specially-designed commemorative stamps illustrated by famed Singapore artist Edmund Chen showing the panda pair in "various playful and relaxed poses." Hot stuff. Singapore Airlines is set to start hawking limited-edition plush toys for S$20 (US$16). Jia Jia (the female) rocks one of the signature SIA batik motif dresses worn by the airline's female flight attendants. read more    |
| Quanzhou: China’s forgotten historic port Posted: 06 Sep 2012 06:35 PM PDT Quanzhou was the Shanghai of China ... 1,000 years ago. The city in southeast Fujian was known as the largest port in Asia during the Song (960-1279) and Yuan dynasties (1271-1368). According to legend, Marco Polo bid farewell to the nation from this town in late 13th century and described it as "the Alexandria of the East." Today, Quanzhou is a regular seaside city of 8 million. It's off the radar even for Chinese travelers -- most head to Fujian's tourism magnet Xiamen, 90 kilometers to the southwest. But with an amiable age-old charms and a tangible Maritime Silk Road legacy, this is the place to see coastal China at its most local. read more    |
| The Peninsula Hong Kong launches US$58 million guestroom makeover Posted: 06 Sep 2012 03:19 PM PDT by CNNGo staff To celebrate its 85th anniversary next year, The Peninsula Hong Kong has begun a HK$450 million (US$58 million) refurbishment of its 300 guest rooms with new digital enhancements. The first completed phase was unveiled yesterday. The iconic hotel -- which first opened in 1928 -- aims to finish its renovations by April 2013, in time for celebrating its milestone birthday. For the first phase, the rooms in the Peninsula Tower -- an extension of the hotel built in 1994 -- have been completely transformed. Gone are the brocade and the gilt chandeliers. The new rooms have a pared-down Oriental chic feel, with plain cream upholstery, drawer handles derived from vintage luggage and Chinese ink painting-inspired ornaments. The facelift is focused on guestrooms, while The Peninsula Hong Kong's well-known lobby and its restaurants and bars will remain unchanged. read more    |
| 11 wild travel predictions and whether they'll come true Posted: 06 Sep 2012 11:50 AM PDT When Karl Friedrich Benz -- the father of the automobile -- watched the first of his cars being put together in the late 19th century, he probably could not have begun to envisage the Bugatti Veyron. Likewise today, many forecasts of the future of travel can be mocked, or at least ignored. But fictional as they may sound now, here are some predictions that have been made, by tech nerds, fortune-tellers and futurologists, about the future of travel. We wanted to see just how likely each of them is, and so recruited David Feng, a Beijing-based tech watcher and blogger to offer his predictions on various events unfolding. The percentage marks below are his. We also spoke to Roger Thomas, an airport and aviation specialist at CAP Strategic Research, to consider and rate the likelihood of these outlandish predictions actually becoming reality. read more    |
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