This post is in reaction to : goTenna: Mesh
A walkie-talkie adapter for cellphones. This is a really cool concept as it can establish a wireless network between cellphones where there is no network coverage. As a camper/hiker, this sounds amazing, especially if you come into an emergency situation.
Only problem with this, is that it requires that other users have this adapter as well. People who have this are linked up in a sort of network. Each user becomes a point in a network that allows one person to send a message to another far away person by using intermediaries as point to point repeater stations. The infrastructure is reliant on the availability of other points within a network to create it. By itself, it is useless.
Early adopters are left without any support and have to wait for other persons to also acquire this technology and use it in their own expeditions. This to me hurts it significantly in the interim.
What I do love about this, is that it uses an already created medium that is already available in plenty, Cell Phones. By linking the cell phone to the adapter via bluetooth, the cellphone communicates through it, the adapter transmits and another unit receives and delivers the information to that user’s phone. All the user has to do, is use their already built in apps to perform actions that could normally be done while in a networked signal area.
All in all, Very cool and creative concept. What it needs however is a larger user base to make this a worth while product. Early adopters will be at a disadvantage, but as popularity grows, so will the network. I would be interested to see if this shows up in any camping/hiking stores in the future.
Jason Dignan 