Iridium GO! *Update*

In my initial review of the Iridium GO! Satellite Wifi Hotspot, I was less than thrilled.  While voice calling and SMS messaging worked pretty well, I had been unable to send or receive email or browse websites - email being the primary reason I purchased the device.

I'm happy to report that Iridium did make good on their promise to roll out an update addressing these issues.  Today I was able to successfully download all the back-logged mail sitting on their servers to my phone through the GO!.

If you have a GO!, I recommend you uninstall the Iridium GO! App AND the Mail & Web app, then download and install the latest versions.  After I did that, I was in business.

You still have to pay attention to your signal.  Often times I'll find it ebbs and flows - sometimes down to nothing.  This results in the unhelpful "failed to connect to network" error.  Unfortunately there isn't a signal meter in the Mail & Web app, so you might not realize lack of signal is the reason for the error.  This is something I hope they add at some point.  As it is you either have to look at the device itself (and remove the cover) or flip back to the GO! app.

Unlike previous attempts, when I have a full signal now I've gotten a reliable connection each time.  Worlds better than I was getting a month ago while on my Colorado trip.  I will be more confident taking it along on extended trips when I have to keep an eye on work.

So if you need email (and limited web-browsing), I think the Iridium GO! is worth a look.  It's still not cheap to buy or operate.  But it's also the only game in town for a light-weight and packable satellite internet device.  If you are a small business owner like me it can enable you to steal some time away in the woods.