Although it offers data transfer speeds out of the 90s, the Iridium Go! hotspot’s 2.4 kbps beats what you’ve got right now in the back country which is generally bupkiss. And by back country, I don’t just mean the American wilderness; Iridium is used worldwide. For many years the military and other specialized users have relied on data transfer via Iridium satellite phones but the company has not offered a purpose built, commercialized hotspot until now. Granted, there’s a Thuraya device out there that some of you may be familiar with but coverage is limited, whereas Iridium is worldwide (land and sea). Go! will allow you to connect up to 5 wireless devices to a 30.5-meter (100 foot) radius hotspot. While internet access might seem painfully slow, that text and email functionality you’ve never had will be great. Sending photos will be possible but you’ll have to learn to live with low res chips and not high def panoramas. You can also use it to make calls and the Go! has built-in SOS and GPS modes. Even better? It’s forward compatible with Iridium Next, a satellite based network they are rolling out to increase speeds to near 3G/4G levels so web browsing you’re used to at home is coming.
Measuring 114 x 83 x 32 mm (4.5 x 3.25 x 1.25 in) and weighing in at 295 g (10.4 oz) the Go! charges via microUSB, and can connect to up to five mobile devices at a time. To turn it on, flip up the antenna and connect your device via the Iridium Go app on your smartphone or tablet available for both iOS and Android. The Go! also boasts MIL-STD 810F ruggedness.
Coming fall, 2014.
