Aug 8th, 2007
SPOT: The coolest new product at Open Air Demo
A bit dried out after several hours in the sun/wind, I’m now back from Open Air Demo, the “try it out in the wilds” outdoor portion of the 2007 Outdoor Retailer, Summer Market trade show.
Of the dozens of participating/exhibiting companies at OAD, four really caught my eye, specifically: SPOT, Inc. (Milpitas, Calif.); Ergon (Irmitz, Germany & Waterloo, Iowa); Boat in a Bag, Inc. (Vancouver, Wash.) and Malone Auto Racks (Westbrook, Maine).
The coolest product was SPOT’s first offering: the SPOT Satellite Messenger, a hand-sized device able to send static emergency assistance and track-me messages to Search & Rescue personnel, family members and friends.
Measuring 4.38- X 2.75- X 1.5-inches and weighing 7.37 ounces (including the two AA batteries required to power the device), the SPOT device is connected to global positioning and communications satellites around the world, all connected to on-the-ground monitoring/communications centers. Hence, when an outdoors adventurer breaks a leg while backpacking in the Sierras or loses a food cache in Alaska to a marauding black bear, a simple push of a button sends an emergency 9-1-1 call or a help me call to to emergency responders or family/friends in moments.
There’s much more to tell about this very exciting device/service from this subsidiary of Globalstar, but time and space will not allow me to go on.
Look for the SPOT Satellite Messenger in stores November 1. Retail pricing for the device will be under $150, with the satellite/communication service from Globalstar slated at $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year for unlimited service.
(NOTE: Although the FindMeSpot.com Web site wins points for its fun use of Flash programming, the actual level of detail on the site is sorely lacking. The only way I was able to get as much detail as I did was to get my hands on a press kit. SPOT execs tell me this will be fixed shortly.)
I’ll write about the other cool products I found at OAD in future posts.
I’d prefer reading in my native language, because my knowledge of your languange is no so well. But it was interesting! Look for some my links: