New vendor goTenna aims to connect users and make text messaging possible even when there is no wireless signal to tap.
The device gives users the ability to send text messages without requiring an Internet signal or a cell phone signal. That could help give users more flexibility in zones and areas known to have poor reception.
The device uses low-energy Bluetooth and an app for messaging between users up to 50 miles apart. Both parties each must have the goTenna device along with the app installed on their smartphones.
Company chief Daniela Perdomo said the device first came to fruition following Hurricane Sandy, which hit the East Coast hard in 2012, causing communication problems when downed trees and wind caused a number of cell towers to cease functioning. The company is located in Brooklyn, NY., among the areas where Sandy hit hard.
Perdomo believes disasters or emergencies do not limit the device, which can be used while traveling abroad or attempting to get in touch with friends at a crowded event.
"There's a lot of different use cases for off-grid communication," Perdomo said.
"This is all very directed ... It can be as configurable as all the smartphone messaging apps that you're used to. We're leveraging the phone you already have on you, the behavior you already use for everything else, but giving you the ability communicate when you otherwise can't."
While the 50-mile distance probably won't function in urban settings, which are likely to only have a range of a few miles, it does have an emergency "shout" function that allows users to send messages of assistance out without fail.
The company also points to security efforts and notes that all messages sent with goTenna are "end-to-end encrypted, self-destructing and not stored on a central server to enable 'off-the-grid' communications."
The new device could be a huge success, especially for those attending events with large numbers of people where cell coverage and Wi-Fi become limited due to over-saturation of users.
A GoTenna pair of devices is available for preorder for $149.99. The device pair will be available for $299.99 after the preorder period ends. It is expected to ship this fall. Each pair comes with two micro-USB charging cables.
