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  1. #1

    Default send facebook/tweets from satellite

    http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/06/d...-can-beam-you/

    Thought this looked useful for a thru hiker, however it is more than I would personally carry. If you normally carry a GPS anyways, then this might be just the thing to blog with.
    "I always told you I was more of a Westerner than an Easterner"
    -Theodore Roosevelt

    Appalachian Trail 2008

    Colorado Trail 2010

  2. #2

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    Or get Verizon and text them. Text messages get out with little to no signal most of the time. The logic of the article is also the opposite why most of us go to the woods - to get away.
    Cabin Fever
    You need God—to hope, to care, to love, to live.

  3. #3

    Default

    Well keep in mind that Engadget is not exactly a hiker's blog. So if the article is not written from a hiker's perspective, then don't be surprised. Perhaps this article on it is more insightful.

    Like you I would just carry a phone and use email or text. But I think this thing is interesting, mostly because of its implications for the future. Right now, globalstar's satellites only allow a one way message, which means you can send messages but not receive. Supposedly they are upgrading within the next couple of years to allow two way communications. Is that something everyone wants? Maybe not, but there will be a time in the future where Spot is a single, small device the size of a cell phone that could allow journal entries, texting and social networking from anywhere on earth. The fact that this is currently two devices is kind of a pain, so I'm not sure this will gain a lot of traction right away. But if this were combined into a single device that weighed 6 ounces and ran on AAs, I can't imagine that it wouldn't be popular. Especially if you consider that a lot of people already carry a cell phone for safety. Substitute this in your pack for your cell phone and you have a lot more useful device that cover communications, maps, gps, and emergency services.
    "I always told you I was more of a Westerner than an Easterner"
    -Theodore Roosevelt

    Appalachian Trail 2008

    Colorado Trail 2010

  4. #4
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    Yeah, I'm not crazy about it being two devices. Plus you'll pay $150 for the base SPOT services, plus extra for the text services. Also, you usually buy maps for your gps. If I wanted to get this system into my pack, it'll cost about $1000. No thanks. Way too expensive for me.

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