We love the Garmin InReach satellite tv for pc messenger round these elements, principally for its skill to allow you to textual content method, method past cell reception deep within the backcountry. It’s additionally an SOS messenger, in fact, and might do all types of cool tips like drop breadcrumbs for nav functions, report on climate, save maps, and so on. But it prices round $300 and the most cost effective month-to-month subscription to utilize its options is round $15 per thirty days. And honestly, the function we use most is the textual content functionality (“I made it to camp,” “I’ll be a day late,” “Fire up the lasagna, I’m headed home,” — that form of factor.
But because the launch of the iPhone 14, which bakes an SOS perform into the cellphone, it’s appeared we should be getting nearer to inexpensive methods of backcountry communication. And we’ve simply jumped just a little nearer with the discharge of Motorola’s new Defy satellite tv for pc messenger gadget that pairs along with your cellphone to show it right into a sat texting machine (in addition they promote a cellphone known as the Defy 2, launched on the similar time, however the messenger will work with any cellphone). It prices $99 and subscriptions begin at $5 per thirty days.
That’s extra prefer it.
The gadget is made by a communications {hardware} firm known as Bullit, which additionally makes the Defy 2 smartphone, which itself has the sat messaging skill baked in. Bullit makes use of satellites in geostationary orbit, which suggests it takes just a little longer to bounce alerts off of than some satellite tv for pc companies (just like the one iPhones faucet into). But it’s additionally just a little simpler to get the alerts as much as the satellites no matter the place you’re pointing your gadget.
The Defy seems like an enormous key fob, and it weighs round 2.5 ounces. It’s alleged to be fairly mud resistant with some water resistance, too. It’s meant to compete with gadgets just like the Inreach and SPOT by way of out of doors utility. There’s no display screen, so battery life is reported to be respectable, with no less than 2 days of use. Plus, if the cellphone it’s paired to dies, you possibly can nonetheless ship SOS messages with the Defy. Pretty cool.
It received’t be launched till April 2023, so we haven’t examined it ourselves, however we’re intrigued.