SPOT Retrieve's goal is to make pilot retrieves and following your flight buddies easier. Each time the pilot activates their SPOT Messenger, friends who are "following" the pilot will get notifications via their mobile phone of their GPS location. Pilot following can be activated and deactivated at any time by sending a text message to a free number.
Background: The SPOT messenger is a GPS device equipped with simple satellite communications. When activated, it sends a message, via satellite, to the email address and mobile device that you specify in advance.
The Problem: The email and mobile devices it sends the messages to must be defined via a web page in advance and is limited to only 10 emails or mobile numbers. It's tough to do when you're standing at launch and have just decided who the driver is and who your flying buddies are. If you've ever tried updating the findmespot webpage on a iPhone with just 2 bars, you know it sucks.
The Solution: SPOT Retrieve allows anyone to start receiving text message updates of your SPOT activations without having to update the webpage. Your retrieve driver or flying buddies can start getting notifications of your landing location by sending a text message to 40404 in the US (or other numbers internationally).
SPOT Retrieve uses Twitter and its free text message service to activate and deactivate pilot following and to send and receive text messages.
Another use for this is just a simple way of tweeting your landing location each time your activate SPOT. Some have linked their twitter and facebook accounts so that each time the hit their SPOT button, their Facebook status gets updated. You can link the two here
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