YARMOUTH, Maine – August 15, 2011 – DeLorme, a leading innovator in mapping, GPS, and satellite communication technologies, has received an Outside Magazine Gear of the Show award and GearJunkie.com Best of Show honors for its soon-to-be-released inReach two-way satellite communicator. The awards stem from inReach’s debut at the 2011 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market.

The annual Summer Market is the premier trade show for products aimed at activities such as hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, climbing, and kayaking. Outside and GearJunkie.com are among the most influential voices in product evaluation for outdoor activities.

Outside gear editor Sam Moulton said, “DeLorme has been at the forefront of GPS technology and satellite communications for the past few years. This year’s inReach ups the ante by letting you send and receive text messages from pretty much anywhere in the world.”

Gear Junkie editor-in-chief Stephen Regenold described the inReach as “a small unit that will send and receive text messages outside of cell phone range. (The “receive” half of the equation is the big deal here)…Another neat thing: this system will let you receive message delivery confirmation.”

The inReach offers users a number of unique advantages compared to other satellite communicators. Because it relies on the market-leading Iridium satellite network, inReach can deliver two-way text messaging with full-pole-to-pole global coverage and message delivery confirmation. It also provides remote tracking.

When paired with either an Android smartphone or a DeLorme Earthmate PN-60w handheld GPS, the inReach lets users send and receive 160-character messages to and from family and friends. Messages can also be posted to Facebook and Twitter. In case of emergency, inReach users can send messages describing their situation so that responders can come prepared.

The inReach can also be used as a solo device to send pre-loaded text messages or SOS alerts with delivery confirmation. Solo users can also enable remote tracking.

Remote tracking is automatically triggered by any SOS message. The inReach is designed to prevent SOS false alarms, in compliance with the RTCM SC-128 standard for SENDs. It also supports one handed, gloved operation.

In addition to Outside, a number of influential websites and blogs have written about the inReach. The REI blog said, “Of the thousands of items being paraded down the new-product catwalk at the summer Outdoor Retailer trade show here in Salt Lake City, none may elicit a bigger wow this year than the DeLorme inReach satellite communicator.”

And the Phandroid site had this to say: “DeLorme’s inReach Satellite Communicator Could Be Savior of Stranded Adventurers.”

Individual inReach models are available for Android and PN-60w users. Android users will be able to download and display DeLorme Topo North America maps on their phones, at no charge. Topo North America is also included for PN-60w users.

“The core communications component of the inReach is the Iridium 9602 short-burst data (SBD) transceiver, which is a low-latency two-way data connection through the world’s furthest-reaching communication network,” said Patrick Shay, Iridium vice president and general manager for data services. “We believe the DeLorme inReach has the potential to be a ‘game changer’ in the growing market for personal satellite tracking, messaging and SOS alerting devices.”

Both inReach models will be widely available at retail in the U.S. and Canada and from online resellers beginning in October 2011. For more information, visit www.delorme.com/inreach.

About DeLorme

DeLorme is a longtime leader in innovative mapping and GPS products, and most recently the company has earned numerous prestigious awards for its integration of GPS navigation and satellite communications. The ability to develop all the critical components necessary to compete in these fast-changing technologies distinguishes DeLorme as a provider of unique solutions for both the commercial and government markets. DeLorme is based in Yarmouth, ME, and is home to Eartha, the world’s largest revolving globe. To learn more, visit www.delorme.com.