Now this tablet would be interesting....

[Lizzy]

Http://www.meetearl.com

Rugged, radio coms, GPS interesting

[walkinTas]

Thanks for the link Lizzy. Its about time someone combined the technologies into a single ______ proof device. Now, will it work in Australia?

Edit: Earl works worldwide, however the maps and radio frequencies used are for North America. European and Australia/New Zealand editions will be available towards the end of 2013.

[stepbystep]

So it has VHF/UHF for emergency comms and it has wi-fi/bluetooth but no PLB or camera. So you're still carrying another 2 devices at least.
Am I reading it wrong?

[walkinTas]

The lack of a PLB is disappointing - but they are open to suggestions. An optional satellite phone chip would also be nice. The lack of a camera is not a concern - who'd use a tablet instead of a real camera?

[michael_p]

I'd still have a PLB as a stand alone device.

This is a great idea but it runs on a battery.

Earl was designed with the weekend backpacker in mind. With a 3000mAh battery, Earl battery lasts around 20 hours. Data logging intervals and sensors can be settings can be changed to increase battery life. Use the attached solar panel to keep Earl charged on the go.

Laminated solar panel provides up to 20 hours of battery (3000mAh). Earl charges in 5 hours in direct sunlight using high efficiency 18% mono crystalline solar cells.

5 hours of direct sunlight? I'll pass.

[walkinTas]

This is a great idea but it runs on a battery.

What alternative did you have in mind for bushwalking?

I am looking to buy a tablet to take with me on walks (as mentioned in other threads). I like the 20 hour usage. Better than one days walking. I like the built in solar cell - at least it can recharge if I leave it in the sun while I'm taking photos etc.

For me the question isn't what else does it do. The question is how well does it do what it claims it can do? The quality of the maps and mapping tools, plus the ability to run a full array of Android apps will be telling points for me.

[tastrax]

When you go to the order pages you get to select which maps and it offers 100k and 24k - not sure where they will be getting those for Australia!

[Rob A]

Doesnt do anything yet does it?
I mean until its in production...

[walkinTas]

Form Jon at meetearl.com - "We are still on track for delivery to our southern hemisphere friends by the end of the year. Hardware for AU/NZ will essentially be the same as other regions with the exception of which frequencies Earl's radios are locked into. While we would love to join each conversation going on about Earl around the web, our team is already overwhelmed with inquires about Earl during our campaign... We are currently building a forum that will be launched in the coming weeks to allow users, backers and developers to connect and help build the community around Earl."

[Lizzy]

Looks like they are looking to incorporate a PLB too. Not yet in production but I will certainly be keeping my eyes on what they finally come up with....

[headwerkn]

Just found out about this little device. Looks very promising. Have been toying with the idea of getting a cheap, basic Kindle for evening reads, something more comfortable to read than an iPhone (who's battery I'd rather save for photos and emergencies), but if this can reliably replace a standalone GPS unit AND an eReader AND some form of radio transceiver in a ~300gr package with good battery life, effective solar charging for extended trips away from the grid, is reasonably rugged and doesn't cost a stupid amount... well hey, that's something worth seriously considering, no?

I suppose the big questions for us Aussies are:

1. What maps will be available - and how much will they cost?

Decent resolution Topo maps don't come cheap in Australia, so it will be interesting to see what they provide with a basic unit... hopefully something better than the free 1:250000 GeoAus basemap. With any luck the primary mapping software/interface will have the capability to access a range of both free/open source and commercial map products. I'd also like to see the ability to easily use scanned paper maps that have been geocoded... my collection of 1:25000 Tasmaps is growing steadily and at their current rate of progress we won't see useful digital maps from TasMap until the year 2020...

2. How will the radio transceiver functionality be adapted to suit Australian spectrum useage?

This bit really interests me; the sort of thing that (successfully implemented) would make it a unique backcountry digital communications device - rather than just a ruggedised tablet with GPS mapping. The whole US-specific FRS/GMRS/MURS radio functionality had me confused and worried - especially as FCC approval has been problematic for them, good luck then going to that effort again for a tiny market like Australia - but a little research into it and low and behold they're just names for the 2m VHF (136-174MHz) and 70cm UHF (400-480MHz) bands we also use in Australia. So with any luck the Australian version will be able to use the same RF board so with software adjustments to ensure only legal frequencies are accessed, it should retain similar functionality. If not, they have mentioned that the RF board is a separate module within the Earl unit so that country/region specific requirements can be addressed more economically ie. standard main logic board... but again, I don't see them spending too much time/money developing custom boards for small markets like AU/NZ.

UHF-CB is a no brainer and would make walker-to-walker, party-to-party and party-to-base comms simple and easy - no HAM radio licences required. Volunteer groups transmit weather reports over UHF-CB in many/most areas, so there's your reliable weather update info. VHF Marine channels (156-157MHz) would be great to have... CoastRadio in Tasmania does great weather reports, and if you're island hopping in sea kayaks etc. or doing anything on or near the coasts then accessing the channels would be A Good Thing.

Given a full wish list I'd love to be able to tune into the Tas Fire Service's Firecom frequencies (78-79MHz). It's been a while since my father retired from the TFS but we both enjoyed their weather updates on his provided car unit (Ch 9 from memory), and from a safety perspective, if you're walking in summer and end up in a bushfire area it would be an excellent safety feature to be able to tune into their chatter to get updates... perhaps even make contact with nearby crews if evacuation or help is required. Technically the "World FM Band" receiver covers these 'Government Network' frequencies, but I'm assuming they're not FM, so that may well be an issue (sorry, my understanding of radio ends around this point).

Actually, being able to listen in to all emergency services would be useful... as far as I can ascertain, in Tassie everyone else has moved over to 800MHz now. Can't imagine the police would be keen for too many people to listen in either, given all the carry on this year about their non-encrypted network and security issues.

PLB would be neat but I agree with the above sentiments re: having PLBs and EPIRBs as standalone devices with their own (reserved) power. The radio comms functionality already provided could well be a safe alternative to a PLB... for some users in some environments anyway.

Anyway, seems like they're running at least 6 months behind schedule with the US market unit, so it will be a while before an AU specific model is available. Would be cool if the resultant device meets most of the hype generated thus far though.

Cheers, Ben.