Globalstar GSP-1700 satphone also loaded with EV-DO
Generally, when Engadget editors hit the road, we make do with our ordinary GSM handsets for voice calls, but that strategy doesn't always work when we're reporting from, say, the rural fringes of Kazakhstan. Today, satellite phone manufacturer Globalstar just announced the GSP-1700, the company's smallest satphone to date, weighing just 7.1 oz (203 g) and 43 percent smaller by volume. In addition, this Qualcomm handset packs an EV-DO modem, so you can get high-speed data access from "virtually anywhere you can see sky," according to the company's website. The GSP-1700 also stays loaded for four hours of talk time and 36 hours of standby time on a single charge. We're not sure on the price of this handset, but given that its predecessor, the GSP-1600 goes for $750 (without a service plan), it's a safe bet that this one will go for at least that much when it's released "in the coming months."
