The most hyped project of this kind is undoubtedly Elon Musk’s Starlink. But over the past 5–7 years, the key players - Iridium and Globalstar - have launched quite a few low-Earth-orbit ( LEO) satellites, operating at an altitude of just 500–800 kilometers. Previously, satellite phones worked using a small number of high-Earth-orbit satellites. An innovation of recent years is satellite connectivity on ordinary phones - but this required new satellites. Satellite phones have been around for three decades, but they are still expensive, inconvenient, and fairly bulky. It’s not yet about Instagramming from the top of Everest or in the middle of the Pacific, but you can now at least call for help or report your location with neither Wi-Fi nor 4G. But in 2022, Apple, Huawei, and Motorola really did unveil something new and unexpected: texting via satellite. As a result, there’s less and less to get excited about when it comes to product announcements. In addition, Iridium is offering an external antenna specifically designed for remote locales.Phone improvements have long followed a well-trodden path: brighter screen, more memory, better camera, longer battery life. Iridium also has a custom email client designed for use with the product, along with an API for app developers. Iridium says the following apps “pair well” with the device: WhatsApp, Viber, Line, Signal, Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Twitter, Opera, Venmo and Google Home. The on-board battery offers up to six hours of voice/data usage or 24 hours of standby time. Currently resellers are offering the product at $1,500-$2,000. On second thought, it might be a bit much to take up that mountain with you. The device measures 8 x 8 x 1 inches and weighs 4.6 pounds. “Compact” is also a bit relative for this space. The system can stream up to two voice calls at once, and has a mic and speaker built-in to double as a speakerphone. Not blazing fast speeds here by any means, but we’re talking about bringing internet access to places where there is none. It’s more compact and lighter, while providing faster speeds than its predecessor, with up to 22 Kbps up and 88 Kbps second down. The system is an update to 2014’s Iridium Go. I suppose there’s an argument that some people at the head of organizations simply can’t afford to unplug for a full week - at the very least, it’s useful to have some connection to the outside world, in case of emergency. There are, of course, plenty of folks who could benefit from such always-on connectivity - first responders, sailors and pilots come to mind - but as the name suggests, the company is also appealing to the real heroes: corporate executives. Iridium - the satellite service that recently teamed up with Qualcomm for SOS messaging on Android - today announced the Go Exec, a new mobile hotspot designed to bring the internet with you basically anywhere. But is paradise truly paradise if you can’t check your work email the entire time? Who’s to say, really? Central to that concept is turning off notifications, uninstalling work apps or even - if you’re feeling especially brave - leaving the phone at home for a week or two. Everyone’s talking about unplugging these days - climbing a mountain, trekking through the forest, finding your way to a truly secluded beach.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |