DJose The Wall Street Journal had a cool story, buried on page D5 , about the SPOT Satellite Messenger. For those who haven't been keeping up, the SPOT is a floating, waterproof device that uses satellite technology to relay information – including your location – to friends, family or rescue teams. At $149 to $170, it is cheaper than most marine EPIRB units or Personal Locator Beacons on the market.

The Journal Story goes into reasonable detail, but it is late to the party. Our friend Ben Ellsion, who writes the Panbo marine electronics blog, has been writing about it for some time. He has done some testing, then more testing, and then an experiment. He even redlined a New York Times piece.

There are also some reviews on Amazon and the Equipped to Survive website, as well some good stuff on the SPOT site itself, including some rescues and specs.

The SPOT is made by SPOT Inc. of California (a unit of Globalstar Inc.). The company's motto is "Live to tell about it." While SPOT and similar devices are not a replacement for an EPIRB or PLB, it seems like they may well have a place on a boat.

This Christmas, I bought a $600 PLB for my brother in law, who prowls the San Francisco Bay in a 14 footer and doesn't have the money to buy expensive safety gear. I worry that I'm going to get a call one day saying that he has gone missing, and so I buy him stuff whenever I can. Seems to me that SPOT and similar devices may find a market in boaters like him. If so, that would be a welcome safety net for those who currently cannot afford one.