DeLorme inReach Wins 2012 DAME Award
OutdoorHub 11.14.12
DeLorme’s inReach two-way satellite communication solution has won the 2012 Design Awards METS (DAME) in the life saving & safety equipment category. The DAME awards were presented at the 25th Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS) in Amsterdam Nov. 13.
The DAME awards are recognized around the world as the most prestigious design competition for new marine equipment and accessories. The DAME jury is comprised of 10 distinguished international experts, especially chosen for their expertise and design-related profession in the boat and yacht building industry in fields such as sailing, marine technology, industrial design and marketing.
In presenting the award, the jury stated: “We felt that the new inReach unit is an important contribution to boating safety, one that has successfully brought together popular modern technologies in order to save lives in the future.”
“DeLorme recognizes the significance of the DAME awards throughout the international marine industry. Knowing the stringent criteria and careful consideration that goes into determining the winner, we consider this award a major achievement,” said Jim Skillings, vice president of commercial products. “Winning an award of this caliber is a true honor for DeLorme and we feel privileged to be in the same company as the other ground-breaking products and technologies.”
inReach is the world’s first affordable two-way communication solution and allows boaters of all types to stay connected when voyaging on waters beyond cell phone range. inReach provides text messaging and email, SOS alerting, message delivery confirmation and remote GPS Follow-Me/Find-Me tracking and locating. The device is compact, lightweight, waterproof, buoyant, impact-resistant and it can maintain satellite signal lock even in difficult GPS environments. In the event of an emergency, the inReach SOS button, which has built-in protection against false alarms, will trigger a distress alert with delivery confirmation and automatically activates remote GPS tracking.
After a successful rollout in the North American market in 2012, DeLorme is expanding its global presence by establishing strategic distribution partnerships around the world.
inReach can be used as a standalone device or can also be paired wirelessly with popular smartphones and tablets, enabling interactive text messaging and emails. inReach automatically transmits its GPS position at regular intervals, which friends and family can view via DeLorme’s MapShare website. They can also ping the inReach at any time to get an instant update of its current location.
DeLorme’s free Earthmate app controls the interface between the inReach and smart mobile device. The app installs on a smartphone or tablet and supports free downloads of topographic maps or NOAA nautical charts, providing a portable backup GPS navigator if the boat’s primary navigation systems should fail. It also enables full two-way texting with any mobile or email address when boating beyond the range of shore cellular networks or VHF radio.
inReach operates over the Iridium satellite network, providing truly global two-way satellite communications, high network reliability and low-latency data links of less than 60-second delivery of messages end-to-end anywhere on Earth, even in areas outside of traditional cellular coverage.
In addition to the DAME award, inReach has won other major awards this year, including the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) Innovation Award for Consumer Electronics, the Backpacker magazine Editors’ Choice Award, 2012 CES Innovations honors and the Occupational Health & Safety New Product of the Year Award in the Emergency Response category. Additionally, inReach won the 2011 Popular Science Best of What’s New Award and the 2011 Gear of the Year awards from both Men’s Journal and National Geographic Adventure.
