[SatNews] An Editor's Choice Award has been bestowed upon a device that has proven to be of most timely asisstance to backpackers worldwide.

The Earthmate PN-60w with SPOT Satellite Communicator has been honored as a recipient of a 2011 Backpacker magazine Editors’ Choice Award. This award is given annually to products in recognition of their outstanding innovation in design, materials, and/or performance. The Earthmate PN-60w is a rugged, waterproof handheld GPS offering full navigation capabilities, plus the unique ability to create custom Type & Send text messages for delivery via the SPOT Satellite Communicator. Users can explore and stay connected with family, buddy lists, social network sites, and emergency responders, even when far beyond the reach of cell phone service. The award honors the products that Backpacker editors have selected as the best of the year based on months of trail testing by teams of highly experienced hikers and climbers. With no set categories for the awards and no set number of recipients, the products and the testing process drive the award categories. The Earthmate PN-60w with SPOT Satellite Communicator was one of only 13 innovative products that have been honored with a 2011 Backpacker Editors’ Choice Award.