ARM Community: Stay connected on the Summit of Mt Everest with ARM Powered technology! - ARM Community

On Friday 15 October 2010, Eric Larsen made ‘tweeting’ history, by confirming he had reached the summit of Mt Everest, using an ARM powered device linked to a satellite communicator.

Larsen's Tweet sent out Oct 15
The DeLorme GPS on display at ARM Techcon
Now news travels instantly
On 26 May 1953 early Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay stood on the same spot as Larsen. Hillary took the famous photo of his Sherpa companion posing with his ice-axe, but refused Tenzing's offer to take one of him, so his ascent went unrecorded. News of their historical ascent didn’t make it to London until June 2. It is mind blowing to think how communications have moved in just over five decades.

ARM Powered DeLorme Earthmate sent the infamous tweet
News now is immediate, and technology can make us all on-the-spot reporters. Larsen hit the summit and immediately the world knew via a tweet, using the ARM powered DeLorme Earthmate PN-60w with SPOT Satellite Communicator, which sent the message via satellite. Larsen’s fans have followed his postings and tweets for the 44 days he spent on Mt Everest waiting for the right conditions to go for the summit.

This and other innovative ARM Powered products were on display at the ARM Technology Conference (Techcon) last week.

Stay connected in places where your cell phone doesn’t
Merging GPS and satellite communications technologies, the DeLorme Earthmate PN-60w with SPOT Satellite Communicator is the first handheld GPS navigation system which enables users to keep in contact in remote places where there is no cell phone coverage.

The Earthmate comes is a petit ruggedized handheld design (2.43" Wide x 5.25" high x 1.5" deep) and utilizes an ST Microelectronics Cartesio STA2062A ARM926 (running at up to 333 Mhz) based infotainment application processor with embedded GPS. The 65K bright-color TFT screen ensures clarity of vision in any light conditions. SDHC supported up to 32 GB.

Trekking in the wilderness demands Low Power
After much consideration, DeLorme went with ST’s Cartesio platform as it incorporates two high performance cores and a 32 channel high sensitivity GPS. It also incorporates peripheral support and excellent power management, which are essential to a product like the Earthmate PN-60w. Anyone who has trekked out into the wilderness will know that power is at a premium.

The SPOT product family uses both the GPS satellite network to determine a customer's location and the Globalstar network to transmit messages and GPS coordinates to others including an international rescue coordination center.

Larsen’s journey captured for all to enjoy
Larsen used the DeLorme Earthmate PN-602 GPS to mark his daily positions, elevation and route. He was able update Facebook and Twitter with pre-programmed 'check in' messages or ones he entered on the unit at camp. On summit day, he sent a live track of his actual progress and positions while climbing Everest to his webpage... the next best thing to being there for his loyal followers.

Unlike Hillary and Norgay, who relied on maps and compasses, the device and attached satellite communicator also ensured that Larsen was safe on a mountain which has a ten percent mortality rate, thanks to any number of challenges, including Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), crevasse falls, dehydration and even other climbers!

This is a perfect example of how ARM technology can keep us all connected, even in the harshest and most remote environments on earth.

http://www.delorme.com/

Jan Howells, editor IQ Magazine and IQ Online, ARM, is a gadget queen. Jan tracks the globe for innovative and exciting ARM powered products to cover and feature in IQ magazine or IQ Online. Jan was key in pulling together devices and video footage for the ARM Powered Showcase at this year’s Techcon. She has an in-depth knowledge of the home and lifestyle consumer technology market and a special interest in green, sustainable computing. She holds a postgraduate degree in journalism/communications.