Jeremy Jones Launches Device That Turns Your iPhone into A Sat Phone

Here’s a scenario. You and your friends are enjoying an epic pow day somewhere deep in the backcountry, and suddenly that cliff drop goes horribly wrong. With a severe injury, you need immediate medical attention, but that 911 call your buddy is placing just won’t go through. The problem? Your group wasn’t carrying a satellite phone, and there is no cell service.

Let’s face it. Sat phones are incredibly expensive, heavy to pack, and oftentimes very unreliable. To combat that problem, Somewear Labs teamed up with Jeremy Jones to create a device that essentially turns your smartphone into a sat phone. It connects to LEO satellite networks that work anywhere in the world.

The Somewear Global Hotspot works via Bluetooth connection to your iPhone or Android device to provide 2-way SMS and email. The device works off a USB rechargeable battery and is waterproof for up to 30 minutes. In addition to SMS and email connectivity, the tiny device also works as a stand-alone emergency transmitter that can be activated even when your phone is dead. This works in a similar fashion to a SPOT transmitter or other rescue beacon by sending GPS coordinates to emergency responders.

Jeremy Jones, who worked closely with Somewear to develop the device, says: “In my profession, you learn quickly that if something goes wrong in the mountains you need reliable communication with emergency responders. Cell phones rarely work in the mountains which is why Somewear has become a critical part of my backcountry kit."