The SPOT Connect App is now available to international customers thanks to an update to the app, which pairs iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch with SPOT Connect, a satellite communications device that allows users to transmit messages via satellite from virtually anywhere in the world.
The SPOT Connect device provides connectivity to the Globalstar satellite network for sending location-based messages from areas beyond cellular phone coverage. The app sets up a direct Bluetooth wireless connection between the user’s iPhone, iPad or iPod touch and the SPOT Connect device, to send custom messages from remote locations as well as notify an international emergency rescue coordination center if needed, according to company officials.
SPOT Connect utilizes SPOT technology to notify others of one’s GPS location coordinates and current status. By sending a message to the Globalstar satellite network, the user’s selected contacts will receive a custom ‘Type and ‘Send’ or ‘Predefined’ message delivered as an SMS text message or email. SPOT Connect messages contain the user’s latitude and longitude, date, time stamp and a link to Google Maps. Established SPOT message features include ‘Check-in/OK,’ ‘Help,’ ‘SPOT Assist,’ ‘SOS’ and automated ‘Track Progress.’
Custom messages can be composed and sent from the field, and users can store up to 14 predefined messages and 10 personal contact groups consisting of up to 50 contacts each. Additionally, the SPOT Connect App enables iPhone, iPad and iPod touch to act as a satellite messenger utilizing SPOT Connect’s onboard GPS and satellite transmitter. Users can also send location-based messages to Facebook and Twitter and SPOT Adventures from isolated regions like the mountains or off-shore, company officials said.
SPOT Connect satellite coverage includes the continental United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Australia Northern and Central Africa, portions of South America and North-Eastern Asia and hundreds or thousands of miles offshore of these areas.
The SPOT Connect App is available for free from The App Store. To use the app, a registered SPOT Connect device is required. The SPOT Connect device retails for $169.99 USD MSRP and requires an annual SPOT Basic Service subscription. For international market pricing and availability, go to FindMeSPOT.com.
