All that aside , what if you want to have a device just for emergencies ? Here , EPIRBs ( Emergency Position Indicating Locator Beacon ) are often recommended , but these are extremely limited . You can only use them in a life-threatening situation . You can ’ t use one to call your roadside assistance or let your family know you ’ re okay .
What you need is a communication device with messaging and emergency alert capabilities without the expense of voice satellite communications . This is where the ZOLEO comes to the rescue .
WHAT IS ZOLEO ?
ZOLEO is a small , portable communication device that allows travellers to use the Iridium global satellite phone network to send and receive messages when they are outside the mobile phone network . It connects to a smart device ( either Android or iOS ) via a Bluetooth connection and provides communication coverage anywhere in the world .
The internal battery can be recharged from any USB source .
It is small enough to take everywhere – just clip it to your backpack !
It works seamlessly between different networks , i . e ., it can still send / receive messages whether it is connected by mobile data or wifi , without charging you for a satellite message .
That simple description doesn ’ t really do the ZOLEO justice . As we mentioned , you can do that with a satellite phone , but the ZOLEO differs in that it uses a simple smart-device application to make the experience much more userfriendly and in keeping with modern text-based communication . You can type messages on your device ’ s keyboard just as you would an SMS on a smartphone .
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