genus
Latest
TerreStar Genus now available to anyone who wants one for just $1,150
Just how much is the promise of anywhere, anytime cellphone reception worth to you? If you answered "one thousand, one hundred and fifty dollars," well... your time has finally come. After initially launching through business channels alone for $800, TerreStar's unique GSM / HSPA Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphone for AT&T with satellite connectivity is now available to consumers from all walks of life, as long as you've got $1,149.99 lying around. The Genus features Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, a 2 megapixel camera, and pretty much every other amenity you'd expect form a WinMo 6.5 smartphone with circa-2008 hardware specs, with the obvious exception that it can be used anywhere you can see TerreStar's satellite pretty much anywhere in North America. Of course, we'd be a little hesitant about buying a four-figure phone that operates on a bankrupt service, but if you need coverage in the boondocks, your options are pretty limited. Follow the break for TerreStar's demo video and full press release.
TerreStar makes it official, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Teetering no longer. According to Reuters, satellite phone maker TerreStar has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to protect itself from liabilities in the range of $1.6 billion. As expected, a restructuring is in order, with Blackstone Group LP providing financial advice for such a move. One of TerreStars' creditors, EchoStar, is offering $75 million in financing to help keep the company operate while it goes through the bankruptcy. Shame that it's the icing on the cake for its Genus, having just launched on AT&T not one month ago. Them's the breaks. [Thanks, Brian]
TerreStar teetering on bankruptcy?
Okay, look, guys -- we know putting a satellite into space is a pricey endeavor -- just ask Sirius XM -- but you literally just launched your first commercial device, the Genus, and we don't think that "launch a device then immediately declare bankruptcy" is a particularly sound business model. They're not there yet, but sure enough, the WSJ is claiming that newly-minted satphone operator TerreStar could be just days away from filing for Chapter 11 as it bears the brunt of around $1 billion in debt, possibly in the form of a well-structured and prearranged bankruptcy on the heels of discussions with the company's creditors. Seeing how restructuring does seem like the most likely scenario here, we wouldn't necessarily let this scare anyone off from buying a Genus -- but at $799, we doubt many of you were planning on running out this week and picking it up anyway. Echoes of Iridium, anyone?
TerreStar Genus hybrid satellite phone hits AT&T at long last for $799
It's been just shy of a year since TerreStar's Windows Mobile-based Genus was announced for AT&T, offering a unique combination of GSM / HSPA backed up with satellite capability for those times when you find yourself in the middle of nowhere; in fact, you may have assumed that it had already been released by now. After all, this isn't the phone for 97 percent of the population -- it runs Windows Mobile and still works in places where us soft city folk would never dream of going -- so odds are good you never bothered to follow up on it. Fact is, though, it's just now available for the first time today, so as long as you've got a line of sight to TerreStar's bird and a willingness to tolerate WinMo 6.5.3, you'll be able to make and receive calls throughout the US, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and in the surrounding waters -- and it's all on one telephone number. Of course, having a single number eliminates the cool factor of being able to say "if you can't reach me, try my sat phone," but let's be honest: convenience wins here. Right now, the phone's only available to business and government users... and with $799 upfront for the phone and satellite service running $25 a month plus per-minute, per-message, and per-megabyte charges of 65 cents, 40 cents, and 5 dollars, respectively, that's probably for the best. Follow the break for AT&T's full press release.
TerreStar Genus gets FCC approval at long last
The Genus has been floating around since the days when Windows Mobile was still relevant, but even with an antiquated operating system, it's still got a trump card others will be hard-pressed to match: it's got satellite service in a package that doesn't make you look like you're holding a DynaTAC to your head. Sourced from Finnish company Elektrobit, the portrait QWERTY set has finally gotten around to getting FCC approval (with AT&T-friendly 850 / 1900 GSM), which should hopefully be one of the last things TerreStar was waiting on before loosing it on the public. So, who's out in the sticks enough to justify punishing themselves with WinMo? Update: Interestingly, a Genus also received FCC approval late last year, but these documents were definitely filed this week, so we're not sure what's changed. It looks the same as it has all along -- on the surface, anyhow.
TerreStar Genus: AT&T's first dual-mode cellular / satellite smartphone
Welp, that didn't take long. Just a few months after TerreStar announced that it had completed its first call on the new bird, the revived sat phone provider has now announced the first dual-mode smartphone for AT&T. Granted, we knew these two would be holding hands in the near future, but it's still refreshing to see the Genus hit the landscape. The WinMo-based phone will ship with a 2.6-inch touchscreen, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and GSM / GPRS / EDGE / UMTS / HSDPA radios. Oh, and it can tap into satellite waves too. This one's actually aimed at government, energy, utility, transportation and maritime users, and while it's slated to ship in Q1 2010 for an undisclosed amount, AT&T assures us that a consumer-oriented version is in the pipeline. Too bad this only enhances coverage in the US, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and territorial waters -- we always dreamed of phoning home from Komsomolets Island.[Via phonescoop]
Engadget's recession antidote: win an Ecogear Genus backpack!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got an Ecogear Genus 'Black Rhino' pack on offer, perfect for those of you stuck in summer school or gearing up to backpack through Europe (and never return). Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Check after the break for some photos of the prize!Major thanks to Ecogear for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive an Ecogear Genus 'Black Rhino' pack. Approximate retail value is $59.99 If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Monday, June 29th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Genus' retro-cool Type-R DAB radio
Fresh off its portable DAB radio/MP3 player combo, Genus is taking things back to the countertop with its slick-looking Type-R DAB-only model. The unit's sure to please the design connaisseurs among us, with walnut side panels and a rear panel tricked out with hand-embossed leather and an enamel badge made by the same folks that do work for Aston Martin and Bentley. Matching the retro looks, however, is some fresh technological goodness, including a touch-sensitive display, a line-in port for your iPod or other audio device, and a line-out port for rocking DAB stations on something with a bit more kick than the Type-R's 2-watt speakers. An optional rechargeable battery is also available but, curiously, the one thing the radio apparently doesn't have is an alarm clock function, which would seem to be a big selling point. Still no word on price but availability is, of course, confined to our friends in the U.K.[Thanks, Nilski]
Genus' SLM radio does DAB and MP3
UK DAB enthusiasts now have yet another way to listen to those sweet digital broadcasts on-the-go thanks to a new portable radio from Genus; and as if that alone weren't exciting enough, the so-called SLM also includes an FM tuner and SD slot for rocking out to MP3s. Actually, there's really nothing here that we haven't seen before from manufacturers like Pure Digital and MPeye, but it can never hurt to have another product on the market driving down prices, right? One feature you're not getting with this unit -- besides the inability to record OTA programming -- is DRM support, so if you want to load up your PlaysForSure- or FairPlay-protected tracks, you'll need to strip out the copy protection with one of those handy pieces of software first (not that we'd ever encourage that sort of behavior, of course). It looks like you can pick up the OLED-equipped SLM right away from either Curry's or directly through Genus, and at $182, it's pretty reasonably priced -- though you'll have to shell out more loot if you're in need of a blank SD card for storing tunes.[Via Shiny Shiny]
