SPOT’s Satellite Messenger has won the 2008 Backpacker Magazine Editors’ Choice Award for innovation in product design, materials and performance.

SPOT’s Satellite Messenger lets outdoors enthusiasts send messages from the backcountry to cell phones and email addresses back home in real time, and alerts responders of their GPS location in the event of an emergency.

Weighing just over 7 ounces and sold at U.S. $169.95 SRP, the unit is designed for the growing market of more than 64 million estimated outdoor enthusiasts in the U.S.

A $99/yr basic satellite service includes: ALERT 9-1-1 which will dispatch emergency responders to your exact location, CHECK IN, which lets contacts know where you are (unlimited usage), and ASK FOR HELP to request help from friends and family at your exact location (unlimited usage). You can also allow contacts to track your current real-time location using Google Maps for $49.99/yr.

Posted by Sam Churchill on Wednesday, March 12th, 2008 at 6:34 am.