Category : Communication

Iridium Mail & Web app : GRIB weather files on iPhone and iPad in open sea [Update-2]

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[Update 15 February 2019] The recent update of the application Iridium Mail & Web app gives me the opportunity to refresh this post originally written in December 2011.

The Wi-Fi Gateway Optimizer from RedPort allows owners of a mobile satellite phone to make requests and receive GRIB weather files from an iPad or iPhone on the high seas, into the wild, anywhere on the world.

After implementing and testing this solution On a long journey, It proved to be perfectly operational. However, it is limited to the receipt of the forecasts of the GFS weather model worldwide, and the wave pattern WW3, obtained by the American server's autoresponder Saildocs.

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Satellite phones : prices increase in France

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If satellite phone rates, mainly Iridium and Inmarsat, have not evolved in the United States., this is not the case in France. After storage removal of products remained on the shelves, new supplies from distributors saw a sharp increase. Indeed, the combined action of Euro decline and French VAT rise obligated to a significant prices increase, both the material as communication SIM vouchers, prepaid or postpaid. Read more …

Iridium stops distribution of AxcessPoint router [Update]

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Iridium announced to its distribution network the shutdown of the AxcessPoint WiFi router at the end of February (¹) which allows an iPad or iPhone to connect to an Iridium phone to access an email service.

No need to worry for current users : the associated Iridium email service will remain active and accessible to all users. However, this router will no longer be able to be ordered from the 25 February. Read more …

Iridium Mail & Web became fully usable again

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Since release Apple iOS 8 early October 2014 the messaging app Iridium Mail & Web app (qui a remplacé Iridium Mail & Web app) was no longer able to export an attachment to another application using the “Open in” function.… ”. De ce fait on ne pouvait plus utiliser un fichier météo GRIB reçu en pièce jointe depuis le serveur SailDocs dans aucune application, principalement Weather4D PRO.

Il aura fallu plus de 3 mois pour que deux mises à jour successives viennent corriger ce problème sévèrement handicapant pour les utilisateurs clients de Iridium :

[Update 21 November 2014] The version 1.0.6 corrige enfin ce bug, mais hélas en ajoute d’autres dont l’affichage en rotation.
[Update 2 of 6 January 2015] The version 1.0.9 corrige les bugs d’affichage et de suppression des messages (en supprimant la rotation, trop forts !).
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Iridium unifies the use of its mobile devices

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Since the release of Iridium GO! (¹) There were two different pages of subscription (for free) to messaging service, and two applications (iOS/Android) to connect to Iridium devices. Now there is only one application : Iridium Mail & Web app pour se connecter soit au routeur Optimizer, soit à Iridium GO! Read more …

Iridium GO! keeps its promises [Update]

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Since its announcement last February, and GO! took a long time to arrive at retailers until the beginning of this month. The company E-SAT gave me one to conduct some tests. Although too late to carry out these tests at sea, the Quai des Antilles on the Ile de Nantes offers a wide sky clearance also than the deck of a boat, enough to connect satellites of all-round. Two types of tests were carried out : requests and receipts of GRIB weather files from an iPad featured with Weather4D PRO app, functions related to telephony from an iPhone.

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IsatPhone 2 the new satellite phone from Inmarsat [Update-2]

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The war is open between the two leading operators worldwide satellite phone. After the announcement of the GO! by Iridium (¹), here is IsatPhone 2 by Inmarsat.

Inmarsat will deliver its new mobile satellite phone on March 24 next. IsatPhone 2 Targets the high-end of the satellite telephony market. Described as "a fine device combined with a feeling of high quality", it has additional options and more features than the previous IsatPhone Pro model (²), such as GPS tracking, an emergency button or the reception of calls with the antenna folded. Read more …

With IsatHub, Inmarsat promises to connect - much - faster [Update]

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After the announcement with great pump of the GO! by Iridium few month ago, but not yet available, Inmarsat has introduced IsatHub at CommunicAsia show which just closed its doors in Singapur. The competition is tough between the two industrial, but unlike Iridium more oriented towards mainstream users, Inmarsat is aimed primarily at a professional market.

IsatHub is a WiFi hotspot allowing to connect all mobile devices to Inmarsat satellite network. No need cellular towers, IsatHub provides aworldwide connectivity to your tablets and smartphones.
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Iridium GO! promises to connect you – nearly – anywhere

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Iridium GO!Global satellite company aims at the consumer market with Iridium GO!™ : pack it for camping or world travel.

In all public places where you can wirelessly connect to the Internet today, une connexion Wi-Fi n’est pas encore omniprésente. Et si vous êtes un plaisancier, randonneur, pilote, en camping-car ou quelqu’un qui passe beaucoup de temps dans la nature, les chances de vous connecter au cyber-espace dans certains endroits éloignés est presque impossible. Il ne s’agit pas seulement des données. Try making a cellular phone call in such places !

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