Satellite Communicators: Connecting the Wilderness to the World

In the midst of an emergency while on a Grand Canyon rafting and rock-climbing trip last fall, Kevin Camp discovered first-hand the life-saving capabilities of satellite communicators. When a member of his party fell off a rockand sustained serious injuries, Camp used a DeLorme inReach to contact rescue personnel, coordinate a helicopter landing, and keep family and friends updated about the situation.

In the midst of an emergency while on a Grand Canyon rafting and rock-climbing trip last fall, Kevin Camp discovered first-hand the life-saving capabilities of satellite communicators.When a member of his party fell off a rock and sustained serious injuries, Camp used a DeLorme inReach to contact rescue personnel, coordinate a helicopterlanding, and keep family and friends updated about the situation."The inReach proved its superior emergency capabilities exquisitely," Camp told TechNewsWorld.DeLorme's inReach, launched in 2011, is a two-way satellite communicator that uses the Iridium satellite network to allow users to track their journeys, initiate SOS messages, post updates to social media, and send and receive texts. It can be used asa stand-alone unit to send predetermined texts or paired with a smartphone or tablet to send unique texts.That unique texting ability proved key, in fact, to coordinating the rescue effort in the Grand Canyon."With the inReach, I was able to text and continue doing other things, and when it had the split second to send a message, it did," Camp explained. "I found my placewith a decent signal on the hillsideduring the evacuation, and beyondthat point in the trip I could be floating down the river, and the inReach would send my message when it had reception."Connecting Explorers to CivilizationSatellite communicators have revolutionized the way that peopletravel and explore. They've given adventurers an affordable option to satellite phones, and since help is only a push of a button away, they offer a sense of security when people are in the backcountry and off the grid.In addition to inReach, there are a variety of other satellite communicators, including Globalstar's SPOT SatelliteGPSMessenger and BriarTek's Cerberus, each with its own particular capabilities and distinctive combination of features. All of these devices are marketed to a range of explorers, adventurers, travelers, and even aid workers in remote locations around the world."These devices are game changers,because you're using stuff you're already comfortable with," Joe Landa, owner ofBriarTektold TechNewsWorld. "The closer we can get to making it seamless, the more people can do it. I want people carrying and using these devices. We're a safety company. We make stuff to bring people home who want to get found."Globalstar SPOTThe ability of these devices to track journeys and send updates tofriends and family has fundamentally changed the way people travel and communicate about their travels."It give people peace of mind, knowing that they can check in with friends and family," Greg Wilkinson, a distribution manager withGlobalstarsaid of the SPOT. "Ihear from hikers, horseback riders, and skiers that it's a great way of checking in with people at home, letting them know they're OK without having to phone. It allows them to share the adventure. When they get to an interesting spot they can hit the OK button. Friends and family can see they're on a great beach in theCaribbean, or on a mountain in theRockies."If something does go wrong, they can summon help by sending messages to emergency contacts or, in the case of inReach or SPOT, by pressing the SOS button to alertthe GEOS search and rescue network. The GPS-enabled devices can then lead rescuers directly to the person in need."It gives people the peace of mindto go into the great outdoors, knowing that if something does happen, they can summon help," Wilkinson told TechNewsWorld.No Substitute for PlanningBriarTek CerberLinkNo matter how many bells and whistles they have, however, thesedevices can't replace good planning and intelligent actions when in potentially dangerous situations. The wilderness, after all, isn't any less wild because of the presence of satellite communicators."I do the same things I was doing before I had the inReach in my life," said Camp. "I do not feel any safer in the back country with the device, as it is not a substitute for coherent sound decision-making, observation, experience, and risk assessment."When used wisely, though, they can provide peace of mind and a safety net for those who like to venture beyond the limits of civilization -- not to mention cell phone coverage."I use the inReach in all my adventures and expeditions," explorerEric Larsentold TechNewsWorld."For me, it is a multifaceted tool that allows me to interact with others while being responsible about safety," he explained. "I've used the inReach on climbing trips,day hikes, canoe trips, foreign travel and recently a first-ever bicycle expedition in Antarctica. I have it on so many trips because itis useful in most situations."Freelance writerVivian Wagnerhaswide-ranging interests, from technology and business to music and motorcycles. She writes features regularly for ECT News Network, and her work has also appeared inAmerican Profile,Bluegrass Unlimited, and many other publications. For more abouther, visit herwebsite.000NewPrint VersionE-Mail ArticleReprintsMore by Vivian WagnerTalkback:Be the first to comment on this story.Next Article in Mobile TechApple Opens Its Arms to Self-Publishing E-Book AuthorsFebruary 06, 2013Apple is going after the self-publishing crowd in an effort to loosen Amazon's grip on the e-book market, but it has some catching up to do. For people already at home in the Apple ecosystem, Breakout Books will no doubt be a welcome addition to iTunes, but its catalog pales in comparison to Amazon's. Apple has promised to add more emerging authors to the mix.Related StoriesDoJ Tosses Monkey Wrench Into Sprint-Softbank Merger PlansJanuary 30, 2013National security concerns may put the kibosh on Sprint's hopes to conclude an acquisition deal with Softbank. Sprint badly needs the cash infusion the agreement would provide, and Japan-based Softbank is hot to trot into the U.S. market. The Justice Department has asked the FCC to hold off on its consideration of the merger, pending a multi-agency security review.Dish Meddles With Sprint-Softbank MergerJanuary 18, 2013Dish has asked the FCC to hold off on approving Softbank's purchase of Sprint. Not coincidentally, Dish and Sprint are both vying to buy Clearwire."In any mergers and acquisitions deal, the enemy is time," said TDGResearch analyst Joel Espelien, "so even if Dish's request isn't very effective with the FCC, something else could happen in the meantime that would stop the Softbank deal. It's a tactic."China Tightens Its Grip on Internet UsersDecember 28, 2012China is clamping down further on Internet users. Service providers nowmust play a greater role in policingonline behavior -- verifying identities, deleting offending posts, and reporting violators to the government. The rules will undoubtedly pose challenges for companies wanting to do business in the country as well as for individuals wanting to engage in free and open discourse.

Inactive SIM cards: India lost 26 mn mobile users in Dec

Idea Cellular lost 197,231 users,taking its subscriber base to 113.9 million at the end of December, 2012.

As cellphone operators continued disconnecting inactive SIMcards, India's total telecom subscriber base declined by 25.97 million to 895.51 million in December, sectoral regulator Trai said.In November, the country had 921.47 million telecom subscribers."Total wireless subscriber base decreased from 890.60 million in November 2012 to 864.72 million atthe end of December 2012. This decline is majorly due to large scale disconnections of inactive SIMs by some of the service providers," Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said in a statement.With this, the overall teledensity (connections per 100 people) in India decreased to 73.34 percent at the end of December, 2012 from 75.55 percent in the previous month.All operators lost users in December, 2012, barring Unitech, HFCL and BSNL, which together added 995,554 users.Reliance Communications lost the largest number of users-15.58 million-taking its user base to 118.52 million at the end of December.It was followed by Vodafone, which lost 3.28 million users. RCom user base now stands at 147.47 million users.Tata Teleservices lost 2.95 million subscribers (now at 69.55 million), Aircel 1.97 million (63.34 million) and Bharti Airtel 1.7 million (181.90 million).Idea Cellular lost 197,231 users, taking its subscriber base to 113.9 million at the end of December, 2012. CDMA player Sistema Shyam lost 789,420 users and it now has a user base of 14.88 million.State-run BSNL added 13,013 users, taking its subscriber base to 99.92 million, while MTNL lost 2,975 usersand its user base now stands at 5.3 million.By the end of December 2012, about 80.06 million subscribers had submitted their requests for portingtheir mobile numbers.In MNP Zone-I (Northern and Western India), maximum number of requests have been received in Rajasthan (7.59 million), followed by Gujarat (6.94 million).

Coming soon: Agni-VI ballisticmissile, the force multiplier

The Agni-5 ballistic missile has a range of upto 5,500 km and it is believed that the Agni-6 would have a range longer than its predecessor.

India today said it is developing a long-range nuclear-capable Agni-VI ballistic missile that would carry multiple warheads allowing one weapon system to take out several targets at a time. "Agni-V is major strategic defence weapon.Now we want to make Agni-VI which would be a force multiplier," DRDO chief VK Saraswat said in Bangalore.

India today said it is developing a long-range nuclear-capable Agni-VI ballistic missile that would carry multiple warheads allowing one weapon system to take out several targets at a time."Agni-V is major strategic defence weapon. Now we want to make Agni-VI which would be a force multiplier," DRDO chief VK Saraswat said in Bangalore.Refusing to divulge the range of the new under-development missile, he said the force multiplier capability of the missile would be because of its Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) capability.The Agni-5 ballistic missile, which was test-fired in April last year, has a range of upto 5,500 kms and it is believed that the Agni-6 would have a range longer than its predecessor."It will have force multiplier capability by the MIRV approach which would enable us to deliver many payloads at the same time using only one missile."Work is on in this area and designs have been completed. We are now in the hardware realisation phase," he said.DRDO officials said once the Agni-6 is developed, it would propel India into the elite club of nations with such a capability including the US and Russia.The DRDO chief said his organisationwas also working towards developinga cruise missile defence programmewhich would enable the armed forces to defend against low-flying cruise missiles and enemy aircraft.

HTC teases M7 smartphone launch with 'alive soon' poster

HTC's next big device the M7 is due to be launched on 19 February in London and New York. Ahead of the launch HTC has put up a teaser poster whichis bizzare to say the least.

HTC's next big device, the M7, is dueto be launched on 19 February in London and New York. HTC's London event will start at three in the afternoon (approximately 8.30 by India time) while the New York event begins at 10am EST which is 9 pm for India.Ahead of the launch HTC has put up a teaser poster which is bizzare to say the least.Check out the original posterfrom the German forum which put it up first. It shows a heartattached to motherboard circuit withthe tag line reading "ALIVE SOON". For HTC, the M7 carries the burden of expectations. The Taiwanese firm is no longer in the top list of smartphone retailers across world, and they are hoping that this phone will help them get back there.So what are the reported rumours about the phone? Well for starters, it seems HTC is giving the megapixelwar a miss, and going for something calledUltrapixelin its camera.According toPocket Lint, the new camera will instead be made up of three 4.3-megapixel sensor layers combined to give a resulting single image which will total to around 13-megapixels.The post states that this technique issimilar to the camera in Nokia's 808PureView.Thisreportstates the HTC M7 will have a 5-inch HD display screen with1920 x 1080-pixel screen resolution.It is likely to sport a quad-core Qualcomm S4 Pro processor.

8 Marvelous Women Pioneers In Tech

Technology was always considered as aboys club, at least till the beginning of this decade. But the scenario changed on a sudden. Women power rise, controlling many of tech's prestigious brand names around the world. For people who think technology in the past was dominated by males, here is a question- Have you ever knew that world’s first ever computer programmer was a women? And did you know that the first compiler for a computer programming language was developed by a woman?If not, read on to know 8 such powerful women pioneers intechnology.#8 Ada LovelaceComputer Scientist, England1815-1852
Ada Lovelace was often described as the “first computer programmer.” She was a mathematician and writer who in 1942 created an analyst model of Charles Babbage’s early mechanical general-purpose computer, the analytical engine. Itwas an algorithm encoded for processing by a machine, which is made in a methodic, code like language. Her notes proved keystone for the early history of computers. This pioneer foresaw the capability of computers to go beyond mere calculating or number-crunching abilities.

India Among Top 3 Fastest Growing Internet Markets: Study

India is among the top three fastest growingInternetmarketsin the world, a study by industry body Assocham and ComScore has said."Among the Bric nations,Indiahasbeen the fastest growing market adding over 18 million Internet users and growing at an annual rate of 41 per cent," the study said.The Internet user base in the country is approximately 125 million, the study added."China added over 14 million users to reach 336 million Internet users by the end of July 2012. Russia and India show similar trends in online usage patterns along with similarities in e-commerce and payment types,"it said.India is also among the top three fastest growing markets worldwide in the last 12 months, the study said."Interestingly, about 75 per cent of online audience between the age group of 15-34 years, India is one of the youngest online demographic globally," Assocham secretary general D S Rawat said.He said the trend is expected to continue in coming years given the age distribution in the country.Among the age segments, 15-24 years of age group has been the fastest growing age segment online with user growth being contributed by both male and female segments.The top five popular categories accessed online are social networking, portals, search, entertainment and news sites, thestudy said."Out of the approximate 125 million Internet user base, the female population accounts for almost 40 per cent," it added.Online travel has seen growth across all subcategories including car rentals, online travel agents, airlines as well as hotels and travel information sites."1 out of 5 online users in India visit the Indian Railways site," the study said.Retail category penetration has increased to 60 per cent reach and has grown to 37.5 million unique visitors a month, it said.

10 Tech CEOs Who Were"Wanted"

“Bigger they are, harder they fall,” the proverb holds eternal truth and is same with these CEOs who led some of the most promising and revenue generating companies, living  envious lives but somehow with twist ended up behind bars or turned fugitives.The recent episode of John McAfee, the antivirus pioneer, thetech tycoon, who after a massive manhunt is now imprisoned in Guatemala, and Julian Assange who is taken asylum in Ecuadorianembassy in London are such examples. There are other tech tycoons too who made it to the list of most wanted and traversed the globe in fear of imprisonmentor, worse, paying back millions in reparations. Read on to know 10 such techCEOs, who ran-in with law enforcement for tax evasions to alleged murderers, as compiled by Complex Tech.   #10 John McAfeeCompany: McAfeeDate captured: Dec. 6, 2012John McAfee is an American computer programmer and founder of McAfee.Anti-virus software pioneer John McAfee has been on the run for weeks, avoiding Belize police who want to question him about the death of his neighbor Gregory Faull, who was shot and killed on Nov. 11 and McAfee was labeled a"person of interest" by Belize authorities. McAfee apparently fled the country soon afterwards to avoid the police.He was also accused of illegally sneaking into neighboring Guatemala, where he was denied political asylum and arrested, and he was rushed to the hospital following complaints of chest pains.