January 26, 2016 – At this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Bluebox Avionics will be introducing a new addition to its range of portable and wireless IFE solutions. According to Bluebox, the Walk-on wiFE system (Wow for short) is a simple and inexpensive first step to introducing wireless streamed content to passengers in any aircraft cabin.
Before we talk about the positives Bluebox Wow delivers, let’s start with the ‘negatives’: no long lead time is required, there are no cabin installation costs, and there no passenger app required.
The system is billed to deliver a flexible wireless capability supporting streamed video and audio content, games, digital publications and a new Seat2Seat networked messaging application. All that in a lightweight and discreet unit about the size of the average lunchbox.
Wow can be taken onboard fully loaded, fully charged and ready to go, with the battery typically lasting up to 15 hours and able to support up to 50 devices simultaneously. For greater flexibility, the rechargeable battery is easy to replace during a flight turnaround, ensuring service continuity for even the longest sectors. It is easy to switch units between aircraft as needed, and scalable from the smallest business or regional aircraft to the largest cabin deployments by simply using multiple Bluebox Wow units.
Bluebox Wow supports free-to-seat and pay-for-access commercial models, and it is simple to switch between them. The system can also interface with the Bluebox Hybrid (iPad) units, which are approved by Hollywood studios to host pre-loaded EWC movies and enable access to streamed content; thus while Bluebox Wow reaches all personal devices, airlines can offer a superior service proposition to premium passengers or generate ancillary revenue from onboard iPad rental.
