In our April Fools issue this year, I wrote about how Apple would be buying Iridium Satellite with an eye toward making the second-generation iPhone into a combined terrestrial/satellite phone (see "iPhone Goes International with Iridium," 2008-04-01). Little did I know that only three days later, the EE Times would report that a Finnish company called Elektrobit has rolled out the first reference design for a phone that combines terrestrial and satellite communications capabilities using the TerreStar networks. According to Gizmag, the handset is the only fully IP-based satellite phone using high-speed packet data; includes a touch screen and a QWERTY keyboard; and has integrated Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB, and GPS connectivity. Alas, it runs Windows Mobile, but on the plus side it doesn't have that massive antenna that Jeff photoshopped on to our hypothetical iPhone.  Copyright © 2008 Adam C. Engst. TidBITS is copyright © 2008 TidBITS Publishing Inc. If you're reading this article on a Web site other than TidBITS.com, please let us know, because if it was republished without attribution, by a commercial site, or in modified form, it violates our Creative Commons License. DealBITS: Get the word out about your product AND generate sales!It's easy: give away a few copies and offer a discount to entrants.A DealBITS drawing is quick to set up and can easily pay for itself.For more info and rates, visit .  

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