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A new gadget can turn your cellphone in a 'walkie talkie' - even if you have no phone coverage.

The goTenna uses radio waves to communicate over 50 miles.

THE DONGLE TRANSMITS INFORMATION INCLUDING LOCATION AND MESSAGES WITHOUT NETWORK ACCESS

If both people have a device, they can messages each other and send their location, complete with a map

The gadget also creates a 'mesh' network among users, allowing the range to be extended.

The firm says the gadget is perfect for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts, and even for families who travel a lot - who can use it abroad without paying roaming charges

More information -

[/b]http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2697726/The-walkie-talkie-dongle-means-willll-never-phone-coverage.html

If the range is right then this could easily be our local comms. There are plenty of cheap phones around. This is worth looking into.

Interesting piece of tech. It 'pairs' with your smartphone by Bluetooth to a proprietry app
which then sends texts and location data. At £100 for a pair, perhaps a little overpriced.

The theoretical range is 50 miles but the REAL range (certainly in an urban evironment) could be 1 mile.

I'm not wetting myself over this one.

It's the potential more than this unit. They are expensive now but so are everything when they start off.

Nextel has offered a similar but less complicated service over here for more than a decade. It is widely used by businesses inside their own establishments and on construction sites. It uses a simple "push to talk" feature like a walkie-talkie.

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/question530.htm

RS wrote: "I'm not wetting myself over this one."

Love it! Thanks for not pissing over my post baby!