TerreStar Working on Satellite-Cell Hybrid Phone

Stranded on a desert island? A satellite phone is just the ticket, but for all those other times, you probably want a traditional cell phone. TerreStar plans to combine the best of both worlds with a hybrid satellite-cell phone (not unlike the satellite phone pictured above), possibly due out later this year. The target market is government agents and emergency workers who need service even when there is none, but this kind of phone could be useful for adventurers who don’t want to be cut off completely from the world. The biggest question of all — pricing — isn’t known yet, so it remains to be seen whether TerreStar can avoid the fate of past ventures, such as Iridium and Odyssey.