The TerreStar Genus keeps you connected via cell and satellite networks

Computerworld - Need an always-on mobile phone with access to the Internet regardless of the patchwork of cell network coverage? The TerreStar Genus is an innovative smartphone that can not only make and take regular cell calls, but also connect with a satellite anywhere in North America, all with one phone number.

At 5.4 oz. (7.9 oz. together with its small AC adapter) and 4.7 x 2.6 x 0.8 in., the Genus is surprisingly petite. It's lighter and smaller than either the Iridium 9555 Satellite Phone or Globalstar's GSP 1700 voice-only satellite phone.

TerreStar Genus

The phone can connect with the company's TerreStar-1, a 15,000 lb. satellite that is orbiting 22,000 miles above the Earth. The satellite uses "spot beam technology" to independently aim about 500 radio wave beams, each of which is about 125 miles across. It uses about 225 of them to cover the continental U.S. along with Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Canada and up to 200 miles off the U.S. coastlines.

The Genus uses AT&T's network for ordinary calls and data. If you find yourself outside the network, you simply press "Switch to Satellite" on the phone's touch screen (the system can't automatically switch to satellite mode when cell service is lacking). You then make sure you're holding the lower half of the phone only (to avoid covering the phone's internal satellite antenna) and aim the back of the phone at a clear view of the southern sky.

Connecting via satellite

In tests, I found that the Genus took two to three minutes to connect via satellite -- and it could be finicky. Moving a few feet in one direction or the other could help or hinder getting the call through. If there was a mountain or large building in my way, I needed to move. For areas with a weak satellite signal, like Alaska and Hawaii, TerreStar offers an optional ($265) snap-on external antenna that, unfortunately, covers the phone's camera lens.

Over the course of several dozen satellite calls, the Genus connected in cellular dead spots in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. I was able to make calls in dead zones on a ferry, along the coast and in cell-starved mountains of central New York state.

Once I had connected with the satellite, calls took about 20 seconds to get through and the quality was quite good, considering how far the call had to travel. The calls were static-free and voices sounded lifelike, but there was an annoying delay that could be frustrating for fast-moving conversations.

The Genus can also get online with its satellite, but it's slow going. It took several attempts to load the Computerworld site, which eventually opened after more than five minutes. I had more success sending and receiving text messages and e-mails without attachments. The company plans to release an upgrade later this year to handle 130Kbit/sec. connections.