Whoever said “The best gifts come in small packages,” must have been yearning for Delorme’s new satellite device:
http://www.inreachdelorme.com/product-info/inreachse.php
The “inReach SE” finally allows us “to type, send and receive, track and SOS all from the palm of your hand.” Best of all, it’s priced under $300 with subscription plans starting at $10/month. The sweet spot of the subscription pricing lands at $25/month, however, for which you get 40 custom messages per month along with unlimited predefined messages AND, get this, unlimited tracking. But the best plan of all is slated to be rolled out next month, at which time — get this — DeLorme says they’ll introduce the “Freedom Plan,” a contract-free satellite plan for the first time in history. For $25 per year, you’ll be able to “opt in” to any of the monthly plans (e.g., the $25-per-month “Recreation Plan”) by playing just slightly more. For example, you buy the unit and join the Freedom plan. Then for any month you want messaging, just pay for that month only (along with a very small add-on administrative fee) and you’re good to go. After the trip is over, opt back out without having to continue the monthly payments. Finally — someone understands our needs!
By the way, if you’re curious as to what the Iridium folks have been developing, see their latest at…
http://www.iridium.com/products/Iridium-GO.aspx?productCategoryID=29
Actual pricing won’t be released for some time. It’ll be a more expensive device than the Delorme inReach for sure, but either way, it will likely be overall less than we’ve ever seen on a device of this type. (Thanks Caleb!)
Just an FYI. If you don’t want to purchase this device, my company rents them as well as SPOT and also has GPS Apps for smart phones at a very reasonable price. Go to http://www.mortonsecure.com to find out more.