Overall, a pretty cool package for under $60 and with a data plan which, while not cheap, seems fairly easy to manage if you structure your data carefully. You won’t be streaming audio or video, but you could very easily track a variety of other low data rate sensors (GPS, temperature, light, wind speed, etc.). Add a small solar panel and it could be maintenance free, too.

This device, only different from others in its class in that it has a cell modem, opens up a whole realm of remote sensing possibilities. I can imagine a lot of research projects being made much easier with a network of low-cost cellular capable microcontrollers. One could, as an example, have a network of seismic sensors and create a truly low cost warning system (assuming the cloud could be trusted). Or, you could tack on a GPS and make your own LoJack.

What will I do with it? Well I’ve got some ideas. The first one and perhaps most obvious is to create the equivalent of a cellular-connected weather tracking throwie. My plan is to get a few sensors, a small case (think Altoids tin size), write some software and then place the whole thing somewhere inconspicuous near my favorite beach. If I get ambitious, I might add an audio sensor to track how loud the waves were in the last hour. If I do this, I’ll write it up as I go.

The application doesn’t really matter at this point, it’s just an excuse to play with a device which for some reason appeals to me much more than WiFi IoT boards. Perhaps it’s the idea of communicating with something you’ve built from just about anywhere. To me, that’s like a tiny step towards building a satellite.

I’m interested to hear what you might build with such a device. I’ve already gotten a few suggestions from Twitter (ranging from “doorstop” to “coffee-shop crowd monitor”). Leave a comment or tweet me your ideas @stoneymonster.

(*) New non-Kickstarter orders are scheduled to ship in March.