>
BANG! Rachel Maddow just got CLOWNED on live television
Eruption In "BleachBit," "Wipe Hard Drive," "Offshore Bank" Searches I
Federal Judge Sides With D.O.G.E. - Full Access to ALL Electronic Records! Big Win for Trump
STOP IT! The Great Taking Documentary Film
Flying Car vs. eVTOL: Which Is the Best New Kind of Aircraft?
NASA and General Atomics test nuclear fuel for future moon and Mars missions
Iran Inaugurates First-Ever Drone Carrier Warship In Persian Gulf
Fix your dead Lithium RV battery - How to Reset LiFePO4 Battery BMS
New fabric can heat up almost 50 degrees to keep people warm in ultracold weather
Finally! A Battery That's Better Than Energizer and Duracell!
What's better, 120V or 240V? A Kohler generator experiment.
MIT names 10 breakthrough technologies to watch in 2025
Watch China's 4-legged 'Black Panther 2.0' robot run as fast as Usain Bolt
Scientists Just Achieved a Major Milestone in Creating Synthetic Life
The device is built tough and compact, so it should be able to take a beating in the great outdoors. It works with Android and iOS handsets, and connects to the Skylo satellite network that's powered other communication gadgets and services in the past, including the seemingly discontinued Motorola Defy Link. Presently, it offers satellite coverage in select areas in North America Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
Once you've paired the palm-sized OffGrid with your phone, you can fire up its companion app and text your contacts through it. Those recipients can chat with you through said app, or receive and respond via bog-standard SMS. Plus, you can share your precise location easily.
Beyond that, the OffGrid can deliver a preset check-in message to your contacts at the push of a button, and also send an SOS in emergencies like getting lost in the wilderness or injuring yourself. The SOS reaches Overwatch x Rescue, a 24/7 service that coordinates global rescues and medical assistance in collaboration with nearly a thousand search-and-rescue agencies worldwide.
The OffGrid is IP68 weather sealed, certified to MIL-STD-810H military-grade durability standards, and boasts three days of battery life on a single charge. The puck-shaped device will set you back by US$200, but you'll also need a subscription plan – which starts at $80/year for up to 350 messages.
At that price, it's cheaper than Garmin's $299 InReach Mini 2, which is built for sending short messages on its tiny display and using its navigation assistance features with an additional satellite connectivity subscription plan. The InReach Messenger Plus, which pairs with your phone for texting similar to the HMD OffGrid, is far more expensive at $499. However, it offers way longer battery life and a little screen.
The OffGrid, therefore, slots nicely in the middle of these popular options. Find out more on the product page, and also check out the Overwatch x Rescue service here.