TECHNOLOGY TIPS - THE LATEST IN SATELLITE/CELL PHONES
NEW SATELLITE PHONE TECHNOLOGY
Have you seen the Lost drama on TV? Now think ahead 1-2 years down the road. The satellite/cellular phone seen on the show recently is definitely in our future. There is a new, hybrid satellite/cellular phone that works everywhere, but doesn't look like a Cro-Magnon rock-hewing tool. Mobile Satellite Venture's Lost-style handset is supposedly coming in 2010, but it may be beaten to market by Elektrobit's sleek Windows Mobile satellite phone, which is supposedly arriving in 2009 and looks like a Motorola Q. The Elektrobit device has some great features including its antenna: it doesn't seem to have one. This phone is slim, light (4.7 x 2.5 x .8" HWD) and runs on HSDPA high-speed cellular networks and uses touch screen Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional technology. The plan is to use an upcoming satellite network being launched next year by Terrestar across North America. This is a reference design, and the satellites aren't up in the air yet.
And who doesn't like all the add-on features?! Elektrobit plans to include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, a MicroSD slot, a 3-megapixel camera and voice controls while also being cost-competitive with other cell phones. Let's wait and see what happens, but until then the dream is alive.
CATHY MALLERS & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
