There’s been a lot of debate in the US over whether mobile telecommunications should be allowed on aeroplanes—the biggest opposition comes from people who object to the idea of several hours beside an obnoxious chatterbox. This of course ignores the fact that mobiles now do far more than allow voice calls, which a new survey has underlined. “Only 11% of 50,000 respondents indicated that they are in favor of cell phone use for voice calls on planes, whether in unlimited or designated calling areas. However, 64% of respondents approved of passengers using their mobile phones in-flight for activities other than voice calls.” Assuming any technological issues can be sorted out, this could be a real boon for travellers who use their mobiles for business (checking e-mail or other web apps for example) or those who use their phone as an entertainment device (listening to music or watching videos, for example). (via Textually.org)