Oh, what an joyful days I’ve had. Another package just after a week from the previous one. Last Thursday it was local postmans time do to delivery. Ok, actually I had to pick it up from post office my self, just barely making it before closing time coming back from Salmisaari after doing some indoor climbing.
Can you guess what this kind of package could hold?
Mystery packet
Let’s see and rip it open.
Spot still in its package
Lo and behold! It’s a brand new tracking device by Spot. It is a gps enabled tracking device which does not work like a regular gps. Yes, it will use gps satellite to pinpoint your current location, but it won’t do any good for you to try look at your location from the device it self. Instead, as we are in the Internet era of our times, you look up the location at handy-dandy website. Veeery nice and easy you say? Well, you should know that the point of this device is not for you to know where you are (you should know that anyway, right?), but let other people know where you are. In short, it is a security device.
Spot GPS Messenger
If we look at the buttons on the device, you things two-hands-reaching-each-other, OK or SOS. You probably can figure out that you use the OK button when you are “OK” and the SOS button when you are in an emegency. Simple. The “two hands” button stands somewhere between these two and is ment to be used in “non-life threathening” circumstances, but some assistance is needed.
So what happens if you press the OK button? You see the ligth next to the letter symbol blink, but so what. What happens is, that it will send an email message and/or text message to your predefined emailaddresses or mobile numbers with an exact location of you with GPS coordinates and all. On the email you even get an link to the Google Maps to show where on the earth you are now. Nice isn’t it?
If you press the SOS button, you basically send broadcast message that “I’m in deep shit. Get me the f*ck out of here”, or something with similar content anyway. This button is not to be toyed with as when pressed it will signal international GEOS that will then start to make an evacuation plan for you. You don’t want send rescue choppers just to say hi to you. No you don’t, because that kind of thing cost like … like a lot of money. BUT then there is an simple solution if your not up to pay 10-15.000 euros to get some rowdy fellas to fetch you. Spot offers a really nice package for Spot owners where you pay only 11€ per year to get incurance that will cover all kind of evacuation/emergency rescue actions needed up to 50.000$. The incurance will cover two rescue operations per annum. So you think its worth getting? Think about it 11€ per year. That’s less than 1€ per month, which will buy you on freeking can of beer… per month. Will you cherish your monthly can of beer more than you cheris your life? I didn’t think so either.
Pretty nice device, isn’t it? But wait… theres more. If you wish you can activate an option package for just 39€ per year, which will enable somewhat real life tracking of your location. The basic 99€/year package only covers 200 text message OK messages. The tracking enabled Spot GPS Messenger will send you location to the FindMeSpot service about every 20minutes. Your location can then be watched pretty much live on the website. You can also share those maps so your friends and family can check up where you’re going.
I haven’t yet have managed to activate my device, but once I have I try to post something about it and grand aim is to get the Spot tracking map somehow incorporated here on this blog, so you can check my location right here at my blog.
Till next time.
