inReach explorer versus Sat phone

[rea]

I have a sat phone which I used to get/send emails and get weather maps after my HF/SSB blew up. Now I wanted to buy credit for the sat phone and I was told that InReach Explorer might be better for data.
Anyone had experience with the new gizmo?

[CaptTom]

I have an InReach and it's great for what I need. But I don't think it's going to download weather maps. The only weather option I'm aware of is Ocen's SpotCast, which is basically a text message containing a coded forecast.

The InReach can really just send and receive text messages. You can send and receive them to/from an e-mail account, but you can't do things like embed pictures or format the text. You can set up automatic tracking messages that you and others can view on the web. Nice touch, but the true functionality is two-way text messaging anywhere on earth.

The forecast option for $8/month sounds interesting, anyone use that?

[travellerw]

The InReach is limited to 160 characters.. Its a great affordable option if this is what you are comfortable with!

The Iridium Go is more like a satellite phone. Plans are more than InReach but offer more services.