AI America Review 2008 10/7/08 10:21 Page 16
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THE CASE FOR PORTABLES,
DIGECOR EXPLAINS
A recent article on USAToday.com outlined airlines’ efforts to upgrade inflight
entertainment in economy class
Noticeably absent from this article was the rising each year. Now imagine reducing the weight of President Brad Heckel noted, “Despite new
interest in portable solutions among airlines worldwide. an IFE system to 150-200 lbs, producing large entrants and old colleagues, digEcor has sold and
One might ask; “Why pay attention to the fuel savings all while offering increased currently has more players on airplanes today
handheld guys anyway?” However, the right functionality and customer satisfaction. No, it’s than any of its competitors. Understanding the
question to ask is, “How sustainable are not an IFE manager’s vision of an alternate world market and meeting the needs of airlines and
portables in a world of legacy IFE systems, but reality with a portable solution. passengers alike are the key elements in all of
mounting gas prices, and rapidly increasing If current consumer electronic trends teach digEcor’s decisions. The current economic strain
consumer technology?” Then ask; “And is this anything, the lesson is that consumers are challenges many airlines worldwide and we
solution right for my airline?” accustomed to personal media devices address each concern so that our products and
Despite strong competition from traditional (emphasis on personal). For example, try telling services are not only of the highest calibre, but
suppliers, portables offer remarkable value for a nine year old that she has to watch “Meet the are at the right price, weight, and customer
airlines and the end user. For example, Spartans” while flying across the nation. experience.” Meeting with a variety of airline
embedded systems cost an airline not only Guaranteed, neither she nor her parents are representatives at the show, two European airlines
millions of dollars but days to install. Portables going to be happy. At an economical price, realized the value offered by digEcor, resulting in a
sell at a fraction of the cost and require merely portables offer a wide array of content options on new sale and large repeat order.
carrying, or rolling them in a lightweight cart, onto each device so that each traveller has a While some airlines wait to see the outcome
any plane. Furthermore, whenever an embedded personalised entertainment experience. Whether with portables, other early adopters have
system fails, the entire plane is taken out of selecting from movies, TV shows, music, pioneered the way and reaped the rewards of
service for days while possibly only a few seats professional book summaries, music videos, or successful IFE programs. Devoted to the future
are being repaired. If any given portable unit browsing other features, any demographic can of portables, Heckel remarked, “Through
malfunctions, the unit is replaced within minutes have suitable content in the palm of the hand. packaging original personal media platforms with
with a spare unit requiring no down time. And after years of experience, digEcor customizable low cost content, digEcor drives
Just as SUVs are becoming too expensive to demonstrates that the personal value for cost savings to airlines, creates an exciting
drive, managing a fleet of gas guzzling airplanes passengers results in successful rental programs. personal entertainment experience for
with rising fuel prices is a migraine in waiting. Leading the handheld market, digEcor passengers, and leads the portable market as
Typically weighing thousands of pounds, attended the Aircraft Interiors Expo yet again. handhelds rapidly gain acceptance in a
embedded IFE systems consume millions in fuel With several years of double digit growth, competitive industry.”
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