New GPS Location Devices for Boater and Anglers

If you watch “Spanish Fly,” you may have already seen the Spot Satellite Messenger commercial that features Jose Wejebe’s favorite personal emergency transmitter. At this week’s Miami Boat Show, ACR Electronics introduced its own version of the perfect messaging device in the form of its new AquaLink View 406 GPS personal locator beacon ($399 from West Marine). The View 406 features the GlobalFix™ iPRO system, which offers dual GPS tracking and promises that “your precise coordinates are transmitted in the first data burst. iPRO’s internal GPS is optimized for cold starts so that it will pinpoint your exact location faster than standard GPS enabled EPIRBs.”
Or you could just wait for the next, 4G generation of Apple iPhone which is rumored to have network-independent GPS built in. Of course, you’ll have to stick it in a waterproof case custom-built for the iPhone. But at least you’ll have the ability to run cool apps like the FishHead tide, river-flow and conditions app from Nervous Water Apps. (More in an upcoming FishHead review.)