At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Spot LLC, and well-known GPS manufacturer, DeLorme, announced the world’s first handheld GPS and satellite communicator product. The DeLorme Earthmate PN-60w with SPOT Satellite Communicator will be the first handheld GPS capable of sending user inputted real time text messages from remote locations. This is clearly a significant advantage over the very limited pre-defined messages allowed using the existing SPOT GPS Satellite Messenger. Note that this is still a one-way device, it cannot receive messages via the satellite link.

While details are sketchy, we have the press release and a photo at: http://www.equipped.org/blog/?p=190

No physical keyboard so inputting the text will either be through a soft keyboard on the display or through a tedious process using the toggle/arrow button. Hmmm, that might work as long as the 9-1-1 is a single button and easy to do under stress. This SPOT-DeLorme device might work for checking in and calling for non-emergency assist, but so does a cell phone. I'll wait for more details.

Regardless, I ordered a FastFind which should arrive with my RSK M-4, so I have the PLB issue covered.

Dang and I just got the PN40 after a long debate on SPOT or new GPS to replace an older Garmin that still worked well.

Oh well.

Some updated info including price and a link to a DeLorme Blog post with additional details added to my Blog.

Doug, do you know whether or not that's a physical keyboard?

>Doug, do you know whether or not that's a physical keyboard?
It's an onscreen keyboard.

Since the Spot transmitter is a separate unit and the comms is presumably bluetooth this capabiility will probably be available for your iPhone/Blackberry soon.

Spot is so frustrating. They come so close to providing a killer product, but always do something annoying to detract.

Personally, I think a combo GPS, satellite messenger is a killer idea.

I think the idea of sending free form text messages is a killer idea.

Why, oh why make it two units connected via wireless?! Well, I can guess the answer, but it doesn't make it any less clunky.

And, why, oh why, pick a device without a reasonable keyboard?! Geez, all the phone guys have gotten keyboards down, both soft and physical.

Sigh.

-john

I agree with JohnN. They should have make it as one device. And with proper physical keyboard.
But it's good to see the ongoing innovation in this area.

You take an existing GPS product and just add a few lines of code to talk to the SPOT. No new case design, no tooling costs, no CE/FCC approval and you don't have to carry two different models.
while if SPOT made this as a single unit they would be competing with both the established GPS makers and their own unit.

The SPOT puck is then just an off the shelf globestar modem, a bluetooth chip and a battery - very quick and easy to bring to market. And now you can add SPOT to any GPS (or smart phone) maker's unit.

It's not a very difficult market to enter, the hardware is pretty simple then you just need to sell enough to pay for the operation center.
But there is a first mover advantage, with safety gear people naturally go for the brand name market leader which seems to be SPOT.

Yah, I know the answer, it is easier, no vendor tie-in, blah blah blah.

It still is clunky and doesn't live up to what it could be.

-john

I have a few more details to provide on the DeLorme Earthmate PN-60w and SPOT Satellite Communicator introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. However, it is just a few more details because from my discussions with SPOT it is clear that a lot of the specifications and such are still not finalized. So what more do we know? See here:
http://www.equipped.org/blog/?p=207

802.15.4. Hmm.

Interesting - zigbee has an uiltralow power sleep mode over Bluetooth.
It might be possible to make the spot puck so it doesn't need an on/off switch, you could leave it sleeping until the GPS sends a message. That would certainly be safer in an emergency.