Wanna hear some shocking news? Okay, here's one: in light of recent events, it seems that Boeing is following in Starbucks' footsteps.

But wait, before you start thinking that Boeing is shifting into the coffee industry, let us clear things up. Remember when we told you guys about the incident at Starbucks Corp. where they lost four laptops which had employees' info? Well, Boeing has suffered the same fate.

Apparently, one Boeing employee has lost his laptop which contained personal information about nearly 400,000 retired and current company employees.

The files stored on the laptop included salary information, Social Security numbers, home addresses, phone numbers and birth dates. Might seem like harmless stuff to be leaked out, but when placed in the hands of the wrong person, this could yield very alarming results. Unfortunately for the employee, this was a breach of company policy which requires that data should be encrypted once it has been downloaded.

Jim McNerney, Boeing's chairman, president, and chief executive, reportedly sent out an email to all employees saying that:

"We have very strict and clear policies and procedures about how employee information is handled. An employee, despite proper training, failed to comply with those requirements and as a result is being dismissed from the company."

Needless to say, the major bummer news for the employee with the lost laptop is that not only has he suffered a laptop loss, now he's also lost his job. McNerney also said that this breach of company policy is of serious gravity that some Boeing managers will also be disciplined. There have been a lot of similar reported laptop theft which have endangered tons of people (remember the one with the YWCA program administrators?) Perhaps more companies should be looking into having company-owned computers and laptops installed with data theft recovery programs, don't you think?

ASiQ is gearing up to launch their own in-flight Wi-Fi service in the wake of the Boeing Company's announcement that they will be bowing out of the high-speed broadband communications connectivity markets.

Boeing Internet Service's Connexion is now being phased out mostly due to lackluster returns and high maintenance costs. What ASiQ is offering this time is a low-cost alternative to the aforementioned service.

Ron Chapman, ASiQ's President, stated, "Connexion were too far ahead of their time. There is no comparison with the technology available today to what they launched with back in 2000. Today's aircraft satellite systems weigh less than 60Kg compared to Connexion's reported 350Kg and are a fraction of the cost. Under the Connexion scheme, airlines were reportedly paying $500,000 as an activation fee."

ASiQ is currently offering airlines a new Internet platform over a 5 year lease for as little as $15 per flight. For narrow body aircraft the lease is even lower, reaching fees as low as $5 per flight. ASiQ is banking on this along with its low access fees and Freemailconnection to draw customers in.

The hardware platform is scheduled to be available in 2007 to coincide with the launch of the broadband service and will be on display at the upcoming World Airlines Entertainment Association conference and exhibition to be held in Miami from September 12 to 15.

Do you love to check your mail and do some video conferencing while on flight? Well, if your answer is yes then this is a piece of bad news for you. Aerospace and defense conglomerate, Boeing, is said to have been seriously considering a major change for its in-flight Internet service.

A recent Wall Street Journal report reveal that Boeing may dump Connexion, which has failed to turn a profit in six years. According to Boeing spokesman John Dern, "the company is evaluating Connexion to assess what's best for both the business and our customers."

It seems that Boeing has entertained a number of commercial-satellite operators and other potential suitors who might be interested in buying the business or becoming a major partner.

Now, if Boeing and Connexion does not reach a suitable deal, Boeing would be prepared to shut Connexion down, even though the service works as advertised and is used by a handful of international airlines on long-haul flights. Whatever happens in the future, we will surely keep you posted.