Interesting new technology.

[fastasfox]

Some of you with apple phone's will already know that apple offer a satellite texting service on their new iphone 14 in certain regions, as a means of sending a distress text....a very handy feature if your in pickle and have no phone service. There is a limitation however as it's not end to end...so you can send but you can't receive text.

Now this the interesting part, Android has paired up with a company called Qualcomm a large chip maker and a Satellite phone company called Iridium and the service is called snapdragon satellite. The difference is the service will be end to end so you can send and receive text even without a normal ground based antenna service.

So what doe's this have to do with us ribbers ! Well just imagine being in trouble out at sea....not only can you contact the emergency service but you can let loved ones know your status quo as the service will not be restricted to emergency use only.. Another benefit would be you can use the service to communicate with friends already out on the water......but that's what we use vhf for I hear you say....Maybe so, but how often do you get unwanted chitter chatter broadcast and often the signal is not too clear either.

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Now I'm not saying you can leave your plb's at home but it is another safety device in your arsenal and you could perhaps avoid a full on emergency response by activating your plb or even get the right service activation with the right equipment for your specific emergency.....think of the time and money the services could save.

With a love hate relationship with my phone, this is a step towards the love side.

What are your thoughts....useful or not?

[Steve509926]

Sounds like a good posative step in the right direction. Can't help thinking about the exorbitant cost for a new handset though.

[fastasfox]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

Sounds like a good posative step in the right direction. Can't help thinking about the exorbitant cost for a new handset though.

If I understood it right then all you need is an up to date version of Android...but the new Samsungs will come with it as standard.....let's hope.

[Steve509926]

I still don't understand why the likes of Standard Horizon and Icom haven't developed their products to include LED/OLED screens and satellite texting. When you look at the fast pace that mobile communication and subsequent hardware developed even over the past 10 years, it makes my SH handheld look prehistoric!

[fastasfox]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

I still don't understand why the likes of Standard Horizon and Icom haven't developed their products to include LED/OLED screens and satellite texting. When you look at the fast pace that mobile communication and subsequent hardware developed even over the past 10 years, it makes my SH handheld look prehistoric!

I own a road based Garmin Dizel and that's aimed at the comercial market and although it doe's it's job the technology within is out of the ark. There is no pinching the screen to zoom in on places...no switching to satellite view to get a real perspective of what a road layout looks like. I use the garmin to get me close but I study Google Maps on s view to get me into those tight spot's.....not something you want to get wrong in a 44 tonne truck.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by fastasfox

Some of you with apple phone's will already know that apple offer a satellite texting service on their new iphone 14 in certain regions, as a means of sending a distress text....a very handy feature if your in pickle and have no phone service. There is a limitation however as it's not end to end...so you can send but you can't receive text.

my understanding - which may be wrong is the emergency services CAN text you back, but if you include other emergency contacts (like a family member) they can not. I've not tried it so I'm just basing it on the promo discussions which as it was US only (now includes UK) I didn't pay too much attention to.

Originally Posted by fastasfox

If I understood it right then all you need is an up to date version of Android...but the new Samsungs will come with it as standard.....let's hope.

To be clear the Qualcomm / Android solution will require a new top of the range handset. I am sure in time it will trickle down and eventually may reach the mid tier devices. Ultimately both apple and others will be looking for a way to monetise this. For apple right now its probably to motivate people to get a 14 when an X/11/12/13 was serving them just fine. Unless its cheap I can't see people paying spot tracker subscription (its spot's parent apple are partnered with) for the scenario most people never expect - so I think it will need to open up to "honey I'll be late home" type messaging for a fee.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

I still don't understand why the likes of Standard Horizon and Icom haven't developed their products to include LED/OLED screens and satellite texting. When you look at the fast pace that mobile communication and subsequent hardware developed even over the past 10 years, it makes my SH handheld look prehistoric!

Garmin offer a product, "In reach" which is aimed at this market. I don't think SH and Icom have lost sleep over it taking market share. There's a small niche of people who want comms when out of range of cell towers. In reality many of them have some sort of solution already (sat phone, garmin in reach, VHF, SSB, Spot tracker etc). Many others enjoy being "disconnected". To me the surprising thing is none of them have hired some apple/google UI/UX people to make a VHF that's intuitive. I see Icom have something that links to a mobile app although I'm not sure its hit the spot for useful and is expensive.

Keep in mind though that users like us are a tiny proportion of the market. SH/Icom make leisure products for the US fishing market and Yacht charter markets and others just get the side effects of that.

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by Poly

To me the surprising thing is none of them have hired some apple/google UI/UX people to make a VHF that's intuitive.

Fully agree with you on that one Poly. My granddaughter laughed when I showed her my handheld, she thought it was an old style Motorola brick. Very retro was her comment.

[tehguy]

This won't come with a software update. It requires hardware, specifically a compatible Qualcomm Snapdragon processor which will likely only be available in high end Android phones in the future. Interestingly Samsung use Snapdragon processors in their phones in the North American market but in Europe they use their own Exynos processors. I wonder if they'll switch to Snapdragon in Europe so they can offer this service to the UK, or integrate it into their own processors

[fastasfox]

Originally Posted by tehguy

This won't come with a software update. It requires hardware, specifically a compatible Qualcomm Snapdragon processor which will likely only be available in high end Android phones in the future. Interestingly Samsung use Snapdragon processors in their phones in the North American market but in Europe they use their own Exynos processors. I wonder if they'll switch to Snapdragon in Europe so they can offer this service to the UK, or integrate it into their own processors

The way they were talking about this technology is that it would be widely available and a way to get one over on the competition....otherwise why develop it when you can just buy a satellite phone?
We will have to see later this year when it's supposed to be rolled out in Europe.