GPS reviews, news, tips, tricks and deals
Here is a list of current GPS deals
REI.com and GPS City both have the DeLorme inReach Two Way Satellite Communicator for Smartphones available for $174.95 after a $75 mail-in rebate, which is $25 less than we’ve ever seen. Here are the links:
Globetrotters rejoice! One of the missing pieces of the GPS puzzle for jet-setting adventurers is the lack of detailed maps for their devices. Sure, there are decent maps for most of Europe, Australia, etc., but you don’t even need to be in a third-world country before your GPS is pretty much devoid of mapping options. Now smartphone-toting trekkers have a new option though. read more
UPDATE 4: The new inReach for smartphones is now available at Amazon
UPDATE 3: The DeLorme inReach 2-Way Satellite Communicator for Apple iOS and Android is now shipping from REI.com.
UPDATE 2: I’ve added DeLorme’s news release to the end of this post.
UPDATE: I should have noted that this new version of the inReach will work with either iOS or Android devices.
This one is for you iPhone-toting, off-trail wilderness freaks. Been feeling left out when it comes to two-way satellite communicators? Dying to tweet or post to Facebook from the middle of nowhere? Well for better or worse, now you can, for it looks like word has travelled from Cupertino to Yarmouth, and DeLorme can finally sell their inReach for iOS devices. read more
This one is for you iPhone toting backcountry types. It looks like the DeLorme inReach two-way satellite communicator is finally going to see an iPhone version. Or to be more precise, there’s actually a new model, the DeLorme inReach 1.5 that will be compatible with both iOS and Android.
Hands on review of the DeLorme inReachUPDATE: The newest version of the inReach now supports both Android and iOS.
The DeLorme inReach for Android
The DeLorme inReach is now shipping. For those of you who don’t recall, this is one of the first consumer satellite communicators with two-way messaging capabilities, so search and rescue can tell you that they’re on their way to bail your ass out. It requires another device to pair with (to compose messages), which is why it comes in two flavors – one that pairs with Android smartphones and another for the DeLorme PN-60w. Here’s where you can pick this bad boy up:
Holy fragmentation Batman! DeLorme issued a news release yesterday about its upcoming inReach product and, buried in the last paragraph, was this bombshell:
There are separate models for Android and DeLorme users.
Now that isn’t a big deal for users (unless you happen to be a DeLorme toting Android owner), but it’s bound to be a headache for DeLorme. Apparently this is due to the PN-60w using a wireless protocol other than Bluetooth, but really, couldn’t they have included two wireless technologies in one unit?
DeLorme surprised a lot of us last Friday afternoon, announcing the DeLorme inReach 2-way GPS communicator. This morning they’ve let us in on a few more details. You can hit that link for the full story, but here are some quick highlights…
Earlier this afternoon, DeLorme gave us a sneak peek at the forthcoming DeLorme inReach, which allows two-way messaging in the absence of a cellular connection. With plans starting at $9.95 per month, it sounds a bit pricey, but when you consider that the basic SPOT plan costs $99.99 per year, that’s not so bad (depending upon what the basic plan allows and the cost of the device). The device will work as a stand alone unit, or paired with the DeLorme PN-60w or Android smartphones. It’s late and I’ve got family obligations pressing, so for more info hit the link above and read all about it.
