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There are a lot of gadgets out there that made big promises about changing the world, and only a handful of them have followed... The Lantern Really Is Going To Change The World

There are a lot of gadgets out there that made big promises about changing the world, and only a handful of them have followed through. Remember the Segway? Some of the top names in tech declared it the most revolutionary thing since the tablet computer, a device that was going to change the world. It didn’t happen, for a variety or reasons, not the least of which is that law enforcement didn’t know how to regulate it and pedestrians on sidewalks don’t like it when you zoom past them.

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But one device has come across our radar, and it’s truly a game changer. Funded through an IndieGogo campaign, the Outernet Lantern works on solar power to provide information via satellite-powered internet connections literally anywhere in the world. Until Google gets its act together with its weather-balloon internet service, Lantern will be quietly powering information and education in unserved locations.

Take a look at the potential for this device, and they so-simple-its-complex way it works:

Map of Internet Accessibility

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This map is a pretty sad look at where internet access is located worldwide, a problem that Outernet is working to remedy through its strange-but-amazing device.