While living in NYC, checking in on Foursquare and sharing my physical location as I traveled around the city became a regular occurance. Friends could see where I was, and I would see where they were. However, as I venture out of the city for the summer, and possibly longer, I’ll still be able to share my location anywhere on the planet (well, anywhere with both GPS and Iridium satellite coverage), thanks to my SPOT Satellite Messenger.
The SPOT is a small cell phone sized device that allows me to “check in” using satellites – no cell phone network necessary. The device uses a GPS chip to figure out my physical location, and then uses a Iridium satellite communications chip to sent a message up to the Iridium satellite network. The network then relays the message to the SPOT service. Currently I have it setup to automatically email my friends and family a message saying that I’m ok and my location, as well as automatically post on my Twitter and Facebook streams. Additionally, I’ve enabled a feature which lets me post to this blog automatically from my spot. No computer necessary!
Here’s how to track me around the globe with my SPOT Satellite Messenger:
- On this blog post, using the embedded map
- On my FindMeSpot tracking page
- In my Twitter Steam
- On my Facebook Feed
- On my Travelogue Page
- In your email by subscribing
Previous posts regarding the SPOT:
- Doug Ritter Clarifies The SPOT Satellite Messenger Check-In Procedure
- SPOT Satellite Messenger Giving False Checkin Confirmations
- How to blog from anywhere
Comments
One response to “Track me with the SPOT Satellite Messenger”
Just a small correction. The Spot actually uses the Globalstar satellite network, not the Iridium network. The Globalstar network (the one the Spot uses) does not cover the entire Earth, where as the Iridium network does. Great article though! I also use a spot when I travel in areas without cell signal.