Play iPods on in-flight entertainment systems
Coming soon to an iPod friendly airline near you!

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Airline passengers will be able to connect their iPods to in-flight entertainment systems and watch their favorite videos without fear of running out of battery power while traveling on any of at least four major carriers, iPod maker Apple Computer Inc. said on Tuesday.

Continental Airlines , Delta Air Lines , Dubai's Emirates , and UAL Corp.'s United Airlines will begin offering their passengers iPod seat connections, which power and charge iPods during flight and allow the video content on the devices to be viewed on seat-back displays.

Apple has sought to expand the possible uses for its market-dominating iPod, including deals to build iPod ports into new-model cars. The announcement came as rival Microsoft Corp. launched its Zune digital music player on Tuesday in a bid to challenge the iPod.

Apple said in its statement that Air France and KLM were also part of the agreement. However, those two airlines said it was premature to be definitive.

"It's way too early to confirm any such details," said an Air France spokeswoman, referring to the iPod seat connectivity and a mid-2007 availability date.

Read all about it here, courtesy of washingtonpost.com.

-Eric