Engineered Travel LLC is particularly interested in products and services which allow individuals to travel more safely by maintaining COMMUNICATION with their family, friends, business associates and 911 emergency services providers.
Whether it be an event of nature (snow storm, flood, extreme climate temperatures, etc.), road trip back to college, hiking, running, day at the beach, bicycle trip, skiing, snowmobiling, rockclimbing, cruising on your motorcycle, canoe or kayak adventure, private plane or helicopter ride, sailboat, motorboat, even a cruise ship and an off ship day trip, you and your family are safest when you can be located more quickly. If you are a corporate worldwide traveler, knowing what areas to avoid can save your life. If you are a worker in the great outdoors (park ranger, researcher, environmental engineer, vacation home owner, etc.), hunter, fisherman, road warrior in your car or accessbile van, ... having others know where you ARE or HAVE BEEN (Track & Trace) can help them retrace your steps. If you were a passenger in a private plane accident what would you do? Ever been in a motorboat and the engine fails at the FAR end of the lake?
If your wheelchair malfunctions, or your accessible van breaks down, can you reach someone? If you're driving and your car breaks down or you get a flat and can't loosen the lug nuts to change the tire, and you don't have cell phone coverage, ... do you leave your car and go for help or do you stay put ...what if you have young children or elderly in the car with you? If you're hiking and get LOST or someone in your party gets injured, ... do you leave them and go for help ... or do you stay with them? ET's Founder has had to face these type decisions. We want you to become "UNLOST" and sooner ...rather than later.
As a result of many months of research, ET is now collaborating with GEOS Travel Safety Group (offices in UK, Australia, Florida) as part of the GEOS Alliance. GEOS-TSG's impressive staff endeavor to provide you with options to keep you in communication with your loved ones or business partners while traveling. ET and GEOS's respective CEOs share a common passion to improve travel safety with a developing expertise for improving future product design especially with respect to accessibility for more of the PWD community. ET LLC is GEOS' "Outdoor" (Colorado based) and "Pwda" connection here in the USA.
For 2008, ET has chosen three communication devices offered by GEOS-TSG as our "Flagship" referral travel items in our Communication Category. The extent of their Pwda accessibility is currently under review by ET's Nationwide Pwda Advisory Panel, where hand/finger fine motor skills or impaired vision are present. We will address our findings with future generations of such communication products & services with applicable manufacturers and service providers.
At the end of each product description listed below you will see the text "NO PRICE". However, if you click on the individual product's link you will see their single unit prices and will be provided with an ET specific "Product Code" ... if you enter ET's Product Code when purchasing direct from GEOS (GEOS' online shopping cart, data input field, "ET Discount Code") it will entitle you to an additional/ instant discount over the GEOS price. That's our thanks from ET LLC!
To purchase any of the three products described below please click HERE (you'll be leaving ET's website and re-directed to GEOS's), but don't forget your ET Product Code which entitles you to an instant discount when purchasing SPOT from GEOS! Please visit this unique European group's website directly, GEOS Alliance, to learn more about what they do and ... their complete line of products and services.
The SPOT Satellite Messenger, released in the USA November 1, 2007 affords you a vital line of communication with friends, family, and emergency services. SPOT's simple four button message and tracking functions enable users to send alerts to friends, family or emergency responders, based on varying levels of need and to visually track the location of the SPOT Satellite Messenger using Google maps, without relying on cell phone service coverage.
ET LLC was one of a limited group who worked with the SPOT device pre-production 2007, via GEOS who operates the 9-1-1 International Emergency Response Centers for the new device. Over a four month period in 2007 we field tested SPOT in Colorado, Washington (state & DC), and Idaho, ... in outdoor mountainous, rural, suburban and urban environments.
We worked with and solicited feedback from local search & rescue, wilderness travel instructors, canoe and endurance runners clubs' members, day hikers, bus drivers, and previewed the device with individuals with select disabilities. We also set up LIVE demos 2007 & 2008: one with a group of endurance runners from Colorado who ran the Grand Canyon, a second with an engineer doing field work in Central America, a third with a "mega" female hiker/road biker in New Zealand. We also tracked relatives traveling overseas. When it comes to using other GPS/PLB devices we found that most consumers shied away because they are difficult to master, cost prohibitive for the average user, or both. However, based on our own experiences and our numerous testers' feedback ... SPOT is different. By comparison it is simple to operate and value for your money. You don't need to be an engineer, pilot, computer guru or tech head type. For a first generation, consumer GPS device we are extremely encouraged with SPOT's functionality, performance, and affordability. If you don't have your own "Lassie" dog with you who will run for help, suggest you try SPOT to lead others to you. If you're simply running late getting off the trail to head home, you can send an "OK"; if your car runs off the road (snowbank, ditch,ice), engine fails ... send a HELP alert to your husband, wife, significant other, PARENTS, friends ...even miles away. With SPOT alerts embedded GPS coordinates and Google assisted maps they'll have a much better chance of locating you more quickly. We found the Track & Trace feature quite useful for monitoring the progress of those traveling with the device remotely, using our own personal computers.
IMPORTANT: SPOT is NOT intended for indoor use. SPOT is NOT meant as an avalanche beacon which requires different technology. It is a GPS device requiring "View of sky". Satellite signals can be interrupted e.g. by dense canopy, large rock overhangs, deep narrow canyons etc. (i.e. line/view of sky interference). Using SPOT does not replace common sense and care. Individuals still need to prepare properly themselves by checking their equipment (how it works, batteries, etc.) and making every effort themselves to be aware of and know their surroundings before they venture out. If using SPOT's HELP alert, make certain that your personalized list of contacts knows what to do if they receive a message from your SPOT unit.
It was no surprise to us that The SPOT™ Satellite Messenger was awarded the Consumer Electronics Association’s (CEA®) 2008 Innovations Design and Engineering Award. The award, judged and selected annually by a panel of independent industrial designers, engineers and journalists, was given to SPOT in the category of Personal Electronics. As an award recipient, SPOT was featured in the Innovations Showcase at the annual Consumer Electronics Show, January 7-10, 2008 in Las Vegas.
During 2008 SPOT received more awards, but all that aside, it has as of early 2009 facilitated hundreds of successful "alerts" as OK or HELP messages to family, friends, relatives, designated contacts and numerous documented life saving rescues to its credit via GEOS' 911 services. Many more families saw their loved ones return home after venturing outdoors. Use your cell phone to summon assistance or to let people know you are "OK" when you're in cell range but how many times have cell phones ended up slipping out of hands and pockets, into water (off the dock, into the stream or ocean, into the pool or ...). Try making a call, if you're lucky enough to retrieve your cell phone from its watery grave (most don't float - SPOT does) or have left your cell phone exposed to high heat (in the sun-in your car). Consider SPOT as part of your backup plan when traveling outdoors. Yes, it requires an annual service fee but on a weekly basis that calculates out to about $1.93/week. That's less than one smoothie, latte, or at today's prices less than the cost of one gallon of gas for the car in the USA.
* For SPOT Product Specifications, User Guide, GEOS' Response Center Info, OR to read about SPOT's first documented rescue, Jan. 2008 ...CLICK HERE. (You will also find more SPOT information on GEOS's website.)
*** Traveler ALERT *** New restrictions for airtravel with spare lithium batteries: EFFECTIVE January 1, 2008. Visitsafetravel.dot.gov/whats_new_batteries for details.
Compact protection, tracking and locating technology using cell phone service coverage (SIM card required):
The GEOS Twig Locator is an ideal choice. Incredibly small, powerful and accurate the Locator will emit a silent distress signal to the GEOS Command and Control Centre at the touch of a button at the same time enabling GEOS personnel to listen in to what is taking place. Pressing the dedicated alarm button instantly sends an SOS message, together with your exact location details to the Centre. The Locator voice channel allows the Center to listen in and monitor events as they unfold.
For those many applications where the GEOS tracking and locating technology is required but with the functionality of a cell phone (SIM card required). This is a pretty sophisticated device, not your average cell phone:
The GEOS TWIG Discovery Phone (Benefon) is THE GPS phone for use by Global Travelers. Pressing the dedicated alarm button instantly sends an SOS message, together with your exact location details, to the GEOS Command & Control Centre. This phone is also a complete and independent personal or in-car GPS navigation system.
ET is interested in the technology of this phone with application to the Blackberry as the business device of choice in USA. (Only select model of Blackberry).
