So you’re lost in the wilderness. Thoughts of a parched, solitary death are entering your mind. Well, with the Spot Connect, you can share these final thoughts one the Internet! (And also save your yourself. But mainly: Tweet.)
The Spot Connect is essentially an outgrowth of the Spot tech we saw earlier this year, paired with the Delorme’s PN-60w personal GPS device. That is to say the satellite communicator module pulls the same tricks, sending Twitter, Facebook, email and SMS messages from locations without cell service.
Spot Connect, however, ditches GPS unit and replaces it with an app. Rather than pairing with a single piece of proprietary hardware, the Spot Connect pairs with smartphones (and theoretically, iPod Touches) via Bluetooth, using the devices to provide a software interface for the little black communications unit.
Messaging, social networking and GPS trail tracking—the fun stuff—are front and centre in the software, but it’ll also send out your raw location for emergency purposes. (Though considering the battery life of smartphones, and the presumed battery draw of a Twittering satellite uplink, this combo might not make a ton of sense for pure emergency purposes.)
The catch: At $US170, which doesn’t include the necessary satellite service subscription ($100 a year, minimum), a the Spot Connect isn’t cheap. Hardware ships this month, and the Android App is already in the market. The iPhone app, naturally, will be available pending approval from Apple. [Spot]