{"id":2459923,"date":"2015-11-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-11-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/uncategorized\/testing-worlds-most-innovative-communication-tool\/"},"modified":"2022-05-12T12:11:51","modified_gmt":"2022-05-12T18:11:51","slug":"testing-worlds-most-innovative-communication-tool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-gear\/tools\/testing-worlds-most-innovative-communication-tool\/","title":{"rendered":"Testing the World\u2019s Most Innovative Communication Tool"},"content":{"rendered":"

When goTenna<\/a>\u00a0debuted in 2014, we were so excited about the communication device\u2019s promise that we awarded it a Gear of the Show award<\/a>. The 1.8-ounce unit,\u00a0which sells in pairs\u00a0for $199,\u00a0syncs\u00a0with an iPhone or Android phone\u00a0via Bluetooth to\u00a0enable\u00a0users to send and receive text messages\u00a0and share GPS coordinates\u00a0without a cell signal.<\/p>\n

The tech sounded great in theory, but we didn\u2019t get the\u00a0chance to test it\u00a0until now.\u00a0Spoiler alert: the tool\u00a0works brilliantly.\u00a0This week,\u00a0I tested two of the\u00a0devices in Brooklyn, where goTenna is headquartered. I stood at one end of Prospect Park\u00a0and communicated with my partner at the other end of the park,\u00a0about a mile away. There were no mountains between us, but there were several large hills and lots of big buildings. To simulate an off-the-grid scenario, we turned our phones to airplane mode and started texting away using the device\u2019s radio signal.<\/p>\n

The texts came through flawlessly, although you are limited to 160 characters or fewer.\u00a0The GPS\u00a0also worked as promised. We downloaded maps to our phones before turning off the cell signal\u2014goTenna makes maps of states\u00a0and\u00a0countries\u00a0available for free online\u2014and each of us appeared as little icons on the map. That feature could be key in the backcountry if you get separated from your party.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0technology will be\u00a0groundbreaking for international\u00a0travelers (no exorbitant overseas mobile bills!),\u00a0people who play and work in the backcountry, and professional emergency responders who currently rely on\u00a0satellite\u00a0radios that cost upwards of $1,000.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n

Pairing the device with my phone was as easy as setting up a pair of Bluetooth headphones. There was\u00a0no radio interference\u00a0because\u00a0goTenna\u00a0works within its own frequency.\u00a0The company\u00a0claims\u00a0you can sync up to ten\u00a0devices at once, although we didn\u2019t test this on that day.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are some limitations.\u00a0GoTenna\u00a0originally\u00a0said\u00a0the devices would have a range of up to\u00a050 miles\u00a0but scaled that estimate back to six miles during beta testing.\u00a0The range might<\/em> go to double digits if both devices are on hilltops with nothing between them, but I wouldn\u2019t want to bank on that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The devices\u00a0don\u2019t allow users to access the Internet or make calls\u2014just text and see location\u2014and you can't use a goTenna to text an unpaired\u00a0cell phone.\u00a0But the technology truly seems\u00a0groundbreaking for international\u00a0travelers (you can text your travel companions without an international data plan),\u00a0people who play and work in the backcountry, and professional emergency responders who currently rely on\u00a0satellite\u00a0radios that cost upwards of $1,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The company\u00a0just won a grant from RISE\u00a0: NYC<\/a>, a competition funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The money will allow goTenna\u00a0to give\u00a0units to more than 10,000 small businesses\u00a0located throughout Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, and Brooklyn\u00a0that were\u00a0victims of Hurricane Sandy. This is especially\u00a0fitting as the idea for the tech was born in the wake of\u00a0that natural disaster.<\/p>\n

Preorder customers should receive\u00a0their devices any day. If you want to buy a pair now,\u00a0it should arrive before the holida\u200bys.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After trying goTenna on the streets of Brooklyn, we\u2019re convinced the Snickers-sized device is the future of off-the-grid communication.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8491,"featured_media":2037466,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"uuid":"9576b6ed698d34c985f246bd41a629a5","footnotes":""},"categories":[2565],"tags":[2985,2609],"byline":[526],"ad_cat":[],"legacy-category":[],"class_list":["post-2459923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tools","tag-backcountry-camping","tag-design-and-tech","byline-michael-frank"],"acf":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Testing the World\u2019s Most Innovative Communication Tool","url":"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-gear\/tools\/testing-worlds-most-innovative-communication-tool\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-gear\/tools\/testing-worlds-most-innovative-communication-tool\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/20\/gotenna-in-desert_h.jpg","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/20\/gotenna-in-desert_h.jpg"},"articleSection":"Tools & Tech","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"jschiller"}],"creator":["jschiller"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Online","logo":"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/favicon-194x194-1.png"},"keywords":["backcountry camping","design and tech"],"dateCreated":"2015-11-20T00:00:00Z","datePublished":"2015-11-20T00:00:00Z","dateModified":"2022-05-12T18:11:51Z"},"rendered":"