TerreStar’s hybrid cellular-satellite Genus smartphone is available to consumers nearly 14 months after plans for the device were first announced.
The satellite company announced in September 2009 that it was working with AT&T on phone that used cellular connectivity as its primary wireless connection with TerreStar’s satellite network as backup. The phone became available to enterprise, government and small business customers in September 2010.
The Genus is small for a satellite phone, measuring 4.7 inches tall by 2.5 inches thick. The phone uses AT&T’s network for its primary wireless connection and roams onto TerreStar’s satellite network.
TerreStar said the phone’s voice and data coverage includes the United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and in territorial waters, so long as the user has a line of sight to the southern sky for satellite connectivity.
The Windows 6.5 device costs $1,150 without a contract and comes equipped with a touchscreen, qwerty keyboard, 100 MB of memory, a 2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS.
