If you don’t have a smartphone or want something really simple to use, GlobalStar offers the Spot Satellite Messenger. This stand-alone unit is ready when you want to connect for emergencies. It has some pre-programmed messages, and you can use its online application to add a few personal messages. It is small, can get you help when you need it, and will let your friends and family know you’re OK, as well as communicate your location via its built in GPS. Its price is $119.99 and its data plan is $99 annually.
Need a Hotspot? Globalstar now offers a Sat-Fi Hotspot where you can connect up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices. The Sat-Fi hotspot device measures 6.3″x6.3″x2.4″. Once connected to the Sat-Fi, your device can send and receive calls, email and SMS text messages over Globalstar’s satellite network. The Sat-Fi hotspot is listed at $750 (after mail-in rebate). The monthly service plans range from $39.99 for the Orbit 40 to $149.99 for the Orbit Unlimited.
Putting it all together: You can save some serious money using VOIP with a MiFi device as we described in our article “Save BIG with your existing cellphone technology”. While you can certainly use the GlobalStar Sat-phone as a stand-alone solution for phone service and an Internet/Modem connection, we believe that if you need service from anywhere, the best and most cost effective solution is to include one of the GlobalStar offerings (sat-phone, Spot Connect or Sat-Fi) with the Smartphone/MiFi combination we wrote about. It not only lets you stay connected around the globe, it provides emergency services beyond compare.
Whether you want to go top-shelf with the Sat-phone, or economically with the Spot Connect service of your choice, these products from GlobalStar are a fantastic addition to your communication package, and the savings from your cellphone provider by following or VOIP/MiFi article, will more than pay for this space-age product.
On a personal note as one of the early owners of a GlobalStar sat-phone: just look at the picture to the left. It’s Salmon Glacier, located about 25 miles from Hyder, Alaska. Jen and I called home from the top of this Glacier, one of the few in the world you can drive to. The phone worked great and we have to tell you, it was cool, and yes, fun to brag about it while we were on the phone! I can’t wait to send a picture from my iPhone to my mother-in-law using the new sat-phone or Sat-Fi.