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Handheld Dispatches From (Towards) The North Pole

Posted by timothy on from the not-just-morse-code-any-more dept.

David D'Angelo writes: "Thomas and Tina Sjogren have take the IPAQ to a new level. You may have read about them on Slashdot in February as they successfully made it to the South Pole. After that they recuperated for two weeks and have been skiing towards the North Pole for over two months and publishing daily dispatches with pictures straight to the web with the help of a Compaq IPAQ and an Iridium Sat phone. They are currently using their backup system as Tina fell through the ice into Arctic waters and damaged one IPAQ. The IPAQs are 3870s with Ericsson Bluetooth technology built in. This communication package is the only system of its type out there. Despite failing upon being submersed, the first unit was able to withstand temperatures well below -30 degrees Centigrade. Check them out as they are now skiing over 10 hours racing the melting ice to the Pole."

7 of 78 comments (clear)

  1. make em waterproof, dammit! by func · · Score: 3, Interesting

    rant/

    This just underscores a long time bitch of mine - when the heck are we going to see reasonably tough electronics? Every watch I've ever owned has been waterproof; why the heck can't they start building other stuff that way?

    I understand that a PDA is a bit tougher to waterproof than a watch (I design waterproof electronics for a day job), but it's about time somebody made an attempt. I've just started using my Palm as a flight log for my paragliding - my old logbook was stolen along with my truck; the advantage with the palm is that it gets backed up all the time. And it's smaller than my old logbook. Plus a whole lot of other good stuff - navigational programs, books to read while I'm waiting for conditions to improve, etc. I use an aluminum case, and it has survived several violent crashes so far (no paragliding related ones yet!), but it certainly wouldn't have surved a drop in the creek I had to ford last weekend.

    So come on guys, get with the program. Not every pda user lives in a cube.

    /rant

    1. Re:make em waterproof, dammit! by Yeti7226 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It's called the Amaga.
      Raytheon (the missile producer) is working on this ruggedized version of the iPaq. I saw a prototye being dropped from 2 meters on a floor. No problems ;-).

      http://www.airforce-technology.com/contractors/s of tware/raytheon/

  2. Brrr... by RetroGeek · · Score: 2, Interesting

    the first unit was able to withstand temperatures well below -30 degrees Centigrade

    It withstood the temperature, but it did not run at that temperature. Most chip have an upper and lower operating temperature. -30C is too cold to run at.

    I once built a curcuit that operated my headlights (fog lamps, running lamps, ...). I would start the car when it was -25C, then ran back inside the house. The headlights would NOT work. When the car warmed up, the circuit would warm up, and the headlights would go on. Really handy :-)

    --

    - - - - - - - - - - -
    I am a programmer. I am paid to produce syntax not grammar. Deal with it.
  3. Bah. Newtons were doing this in 1997. by CrezzyMan · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Chris Bonington took a Newton 130, an Agfa ePhoto 307 camera, and a satellite uplink up a Tibetan mountain in 1997:

    http://www.bonington.com/piclib/life_5.htm

    The team uploaded photos and text reports to the website using some custom Newton software. And all that was on a 20Mhz ARM 610.

    --
    ->www.chuma.org, ranting and Newtons, what more could you want?
  4. Re:Free advertising for Compaq by halo8 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Course speaking as an ex-Compaq employee who supported these

    it should be noted its free advertising for HP.. the ones who laid us off.

    wich is odd... because HP is keeping the CPQ IpaQ line, but canceling there own HP Jornada line of handhelds.. oh well.

    --
    The More Knowledge you have the Luckier you Get- J.R. Ewing
  5. Practical applications of bluetoth. by mindstrm · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'm curious. I know what bluetooth is and how it works, and what it was designed for.

    But...

    Can anyone point to any actual useful uses it's been put to so far?

    Note: Internet access for a laptop is NOT a useful purpose. 802.11 is much better suited for such things. The same goes for handhelds.

    I mean uses like your cellphone talking to your pda talking to your laptop; pdas able to exchange information just by being in the vacinity of each other, etctera.

    A cordless mouse that uses bluetooth is not useful. We could do this without bluetooth.

    Same goes for keyboards.

    Anyone?

  6. Arctic explorer saved by email by Henry_Doors · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Similar story about a British explorer who didn't make it to the Pole but emailed a picture of his location to get himself rescued. ( articles are a bit low on techie detail)

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273 ,4 417717,00.html

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273 ,4 422721,00.html

    --
    "I deny nothing, but doubt everything." Lord Byron