The SPOT is a handheld GPS device that communicates via satellite to call for help or just check in with loved ones. The orange device reports your current position and lets you map your trek on Google Maps when you get back to civilization.
The little device is actually pretty cool and comes in blaze orange for hunters and hikers. We’ll have a full hands on later but until then it seems like a good idea.
SPOT is ideal for the growing market of outdoor enthusiasts, specifically when they are backpacking, camping, fishing, hiking, hunting, ice and rock climbing, skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing or participating in recreational maritime activities. Experian® Simmon’s Research estimates that the qualified outdoor enthusiast market alone exceeds 64 million consumers in the United States. SPOT is also ideal for those who need to notify others of their status after a natural or man-made disaster.
The National Association for Search and Rescue estimates more than 50,000 search and rescue missions are initiated each year in the United States alone. Many of these missions are undertaken without search and rescue knowing the exact location of the missing party. SPOT removes this unknown by providing GPS location coordinates that are accurate to within 20 feet.
SPOT can also be used for commercial lone worker safety applications for those businesses with employees operating in remote areas outside the range of cellular and other wireless communications. It is also a valuable safety tool for any person who drives their automobile outside of cellular coverage or for emergency messaging during natural disasters such as hurricanes or other situations when cellular or land-based communications may be damaged or unavailable.
It costs $149.99 with a $99 subscription. Monthly subscriptions are coming soon.