by Robert Landsfield 14. December 2010 19:32
We first ran into GENUS at the Satellite 2010 show earlier this year. Now a full seven months later, we have had enough experience with it to give you our honest review. Some background; The TerreStar GENUS is suited for people and businesses who need to always be reachable. With a single phone number and smartphone device, users with a line of sight to the satellite have expanded voice and data roaming coverage in the United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and in territorial waters, where traditional cellular service does not exist. In September, AT&T announced the launch of a satellite mobile service using TerreStar's GENUS dual-mode smartphone. We’ve seen interest in the device primarily through our Maritime, Oil & Gas and Utilities clients. Companies in these industries are considering issuing the phones to their technicians as well as crews working on inland and coastal maritime vessels. Here’s our assessment.
Positives about the device:
• The ability to use the phone on cellular or satellite network with single phone number.
• Windows Mobile 6.5 Pro is installed and has most common features found on typical smart phones, including; email, calendar, web browser, text messaging, camera, MS Word, Excel & Powerpoint Mobile applications.
• The ability to use the phone as a modem for laptop computer via USB or Bluetooth connections.
Areas where we’d like to see eventual improvements made:
• Currently the satellite data rate is slow (10's of Kilobits per second) making web surfing and downloading email with large attachments in satellite model is painful if not impossible. We understand that TerreStar is expected to increase the data rate in 2011.
• The phone lacks an external vehicle antenna so the user must stand outside to use the satellite for voice or internet. It is unclear at this time whether TerreStar has an external antenna on its product roadmap. It is further unclear what affect, if any, TerreStar’s October 2010 Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection filing will have on the product roadmap.
• Management’s ability to control internet connection is limited. Without proper control, it is possible for users to connect any computer to the phone. Once the data speed is increased on the satellite, controlling which websites the user accesses are limited as well (…think downloadable movies at $5.00 per MByte!!). Some form of management control over satellite internet use is needed.
• The device relies on the user to decide whether to use satellite or cellular if available. An automated switching option is an improvement we’d like to see.
Leave us a comment whether this Product Review was helpful. If so, we’ll include more of them in future posts.
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