Sailing Apps for iPhones

[JonBill]

Cruising World magazine's latest edition has an article on sailing apps for iPhones.

I was wondering if anybody would do a review of iPhone sailing apps from their experience that they have tried. And which ones worked well that they would recommend and which ones aren't worth trying or didn't work so well.

Kind Regards,
JonBill

[c130king]

There is also an article in Sailing Magazine this month as well. However, the best article I have read so far is from activecaptain.com.

Mobile Phones on Boats

It is quite long...over 80 pages if you copy it all to a Word Doc like I did. But it has lots of data on using phones and apps on board and it was written by a cruising couple.

Cheers,
Jim

[Paulieb]

I really like the app called "WhatKnot" from Columbia. It's got every knot known to mankind with instructions on how to tie them and it's free. There are others out there, but this one is good and it's free. If it's free, it's for me.

Here is a link, check it out: http://www.columbia.com/Explore-Blog-Po ... 24B62DAF29

I think this is a good topic, I actually have an iPod Touch, not an iPhone, but it can run all the apps and I don't need a contract.
In my opinion, the best little gadget out there.

I am actually interested in writting some of my own apps, so if you guys have any good ideas, I would like to hear them.
I was thinking of maybe a simple log book app to start, any other ideas out there?

Paulieb

[Terry]

By far the best app so far is Navionics (your region) charts, although you do not have a GPS for it on the iPod it is still a nice app, just works more completely onthe iPhone.
I also have AyeTides on my iPod, Boaters' Pocket Reference and Knot Guide (paid apps), also have a sailing app that plays sailing related videos but the name escapes me right now.
There is also another program that makes total use of mobile phones with Windows Mobile 6.1 and higher operating system, it is called Active Captain, I have it on my Samsung Omnia and it is quite usefull. They are currently looking at writing it for iPhone and Blackberry too. Worth looking at!

[Russ]

There is also an article in Sailing Magazine this month as well. However, the best article I have read so far is from activecaptain.com.

Mobile Phones on Boats

Interesting page with lots of information.

Too bad activecaptain doesn't work on Android phones. In fact that article completely left out the Android OS phones used by Verizon. I understand it's relatively new phone OS but there are tons of cool apps for it. The absolute coolest app in the world is Google Sky that allows you to hold your phone to the night sky and it tracks stars and constellations. Touch a star and it zooms in and identifies it. Google maps using the phone's GPS work really well on the Droid as well.

[Russ]

I think this is a good topic, I actually have an iPod Touch, not an iPhone, but it can run all the apps and I don't need a contract.
In my opinion, the best little gadget out there.

I have an iPod Touch and agree, it's a very cool gadget. I can see why iPhone users love their phones so much. Sans the GPS and camera, the iPod touch can run virtually all iPhone apps as well.

We have zero AT&T 3G coverage here (despite their misleading TV ads that actually named our town as having coverage [read voice coverage via roaming not 3g]) so we went with the Verizon Droid. Cool phone very similar to the iPhone. Open source so there are tons of apps hitting the free arena.


--Russ

[Paulieb]

Oh yea, I forgot that I have "Tidegraph" from Brainware $1.99 for tides for all major areas. That one works well too.

Paulieb

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

I have three apps on my iPod Touch specific to boating. I find it a truely magical little device to have in my pocket. It's what all the other PDA devices I've owned never lived up to. To call it an iPod music player is a disservice, it is truly one of the best pocket computers ever built. Most of the apps I use are free, and the few I have bought cost pennies compared to most software.

The Navionics Marine 'BC Canada' app. This gives me complete set of full marine charts for all of Puget Sound and the BC Inside Passage as well as the outside of Vancouver Island. It is actually the exact same set of charts that I have on the chip in my Eagle Chartplotter/Sounder at the helm of boat. In addition to full charts, it has great easy to access tides and current information for the entire region which is essential when boating up here. At $10 it is the best bargain in the marine chart industry.

I also use Atlantis Technologies 'Tide App' for quick checks of tide levels.

Paul Brill's 'NOAA National Weather Service' App is installed for easy access to the latest NOAA marine weather forecasts. Note that it has some weird scrolling issues, but all the info is there. You just seem to have to push harder and slower to scroll the page than in any other app I have.

I also find I do most of my logbook entries on the touch (occasionally I use the Blackberry). I've used a variety of notepad apps, but at the moment have settled on ' http://www.EverNote.com '. They provide an online store for your notes and I have clients on my PC, iPod Touch, and Blackberry. You can also access the notes via any browser. Besides text notes you can add photos and voice notes. They will even do OCR conversions of text in pictures. It's a great service and is free.

I use ' http://www.toodledo.com ' for all my task storage (boat and otherwise). This is another free online service. I have their app on the touch and use the browser interface on the PC. There is a Blackberry app as well, but unlike iPod software they want a lot of money for it. The app is great for jotting down those ToDo items as you come across them as well as having your list handy while you are in project mode on the boat. I also have the Web Information Systems app 'Pocket Informant' on the touch. It is a great app that combines calendars and todo's. It syncs with Toodledo tasks and Google calendars putting all that online info in your hand. I find I use it more than the standalone Toodledo app or the built in iPod calendar app.

Two other apps get a lot of use when out boating. Amazon's 'Kindle' app for reading, and the built in iPod media app for when we want some music. However, I find I use the media app far more for books on tape which I get from ' http://www.Audible.com '. It's great to kick back and listen to a book at the helm while making a passage.

I also have all 5 of my email accounts setup in the touch for easy access as well as the MS exchange sync Google supports for calendars and contacts with my Google App domain. This gets me full access while out on the boat in the touch as well as my Blackberry which also syncs all this email, calendar and contacts info. Some may ask why have all this out boating, I find I can relax more, when I can take a quick glance at a handheld device and know that there are no fires that need to be put out, than I can when I am disconnected and wonder what is going on.

While out boating I also often use various news and info apps to stay in touch without firing up the full computer. I also find my banks app useful for managing the money side of boating.

I have a set of Sony Bluetooth wireless headphones that are perfect for listening while the iPod is safe and secure inside a pocket. Not just for boating, I find I listen to Audible books while driving almost anywhere alone as well as when doing projects around the house. The wireless headphones work like a charm making it possible to do almost any task without having problems with wire tangles. The range is around 20'-30' so you don't even have to have the iPod on your person.

[c130king]

Duane,

Do you use it while on the boat? Do you pick up a Wi-Fi signal while sailing?

My wife has an IPod Touch and I have tried it. Seems hard to type in data but otherwise seems pretty neat. No cool boating apps. But she has to have a Wi-Fi signal to use the internet functions.

Will definitely get some sort of "smart" device when I get back to the U.S.

Cheers,
Jim

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Yes, I use it a lot on board. It does need WiFi to get to any internet things, but more and more most marinas up here in Puget Sound have WiFi. For a long time all everyone had was Broad Band Express http://bbxpress.net/ which does work with the iPod and isn't too outrageously priced. Now many of the marinas are putting in their own free WiFi as an addition service to the customer. Usually you can get the password when you register for a slip.

For the most part all my apps still work fine when not connected. Navionics does not need any network connection to work, NOAA obviously does if you want the latest weather. Both EverNote and Toodledo will cache anything you add and send it whenever a connection becomes available. Kindle and Audible do not need a network connection once you have sync'd the content to the iPod.

I do also have my Blackberry on board which almost always has a cell data connection. It looks like it is possible to use the BB as a modem for a WiFi hotspot with devices like this, http://www.cradlepoint.com/phs300/phs300.php ,but I haven't tried any yet. Someday when the iPhone gets free'd from AT&T jail I will switch to it.

Another option would be any of the MiFi devices

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/mobi ... ducts_mifi
http://now.sprint.com/nownetwork/mifiPr ... MiFi_Video

Perhaps my carrier, T Mobile will have one soon.

Also keep an eye on the WiMax services, as these grow cheap, fast Wireless internet will be coming to much of the Puget Sound area. At some point I can see switching to WiMax wireless for my home internet and just bringing the access point along in the boat for trips as well.

As for the typing, you want to get an app that supports the landscape keyboard. It is much easier to type on it than on the portrait keyboard. I still don't see why apple hasn't upgraded iPod Touch to a full bluetooth stack so devices like external keyboards and GPS's can be used with it. So far they only support audio devices like headphones and mics via bluetooth.

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

If you happen to have a Windows Mobile or Symbian based smart phone you might want to check out this software that can turn your phone into a WiFi hotspot for other devices to connect to.

http://www.walkinghotspot.com/

Wish there was Blackberry support.

[Hamin' X]

Hey Duane, I tether my laptop via bluetooth to my Windows smartphone for network access. Works great and in 3G areas is about as fast as DSL. Is there anyway that you can do that with your iPod Touch? Just a thought. I'll be sitting somewhere working on my laptop and no mobile network card and no WiFi around. Drives some folks nuts, cause the phone is in my pocket, out of sight.

~Rich

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

I can do a similar thing with my Blackberry, it works fine tethered to my laptop via cable or bluetooth. In theory I could cable up my laptop via BB to the internet then create a WiFi adhoc network that the iPod could then join. With connection sharing enabled in the PC, the iPod could then gain access to the internet via the PC / Blackberry connection. Personally I'd prefer a solution that doesn't involve having to have the laptop on. If I've got it going I already have better access to the internet (large screen, full keyboard, full software tools) than the iPod gives me so I don' t see the point. At least my new laptop has 10 hrs of battery life so using it out on the doesn't involve frequent charging.

I do see that Novatel is bringing out a MiFi device for GSM networks, so soon AT&T and T-Mobile should have them available as well.

http://www.novatelwireless.com/index.ph ... Itemid=622

Ideally I'd like to be able to take the SIM out of my BB and put it in a MiFi device so with the single unlimited data account I could get access from either. No doubt however the carriers will force us to get a separate SIM and account for even more money when the introduce the GSM product.

[ActiveCaptain]

However, the best article I have read so far is from activecaptain.com.

Mobile Phones on Boats

Interesting page with lots of information.

Too bad activecaptain doesn't work on Android phones. In fact that article completely left out the Android OS phones used by Verizon.

ActiveCaptain is being developed for iPhone and Android right now. Should be available in the upcoming months. We've assembled a team of Android testers who will beat it up. It won't have nautical charts at first but I'm working on that for a later release.

The apps for both platforms will be free.

[Russ]

Okay...so all this talk of turning my phone into a broadband modem got me searching for an Android phone solution.

Here's what I found.
http://www.junefabrics.com/palmnet/index.php
PDANet works on many phone platforms.

Works like a treat. Easy to install (on my Verizon HTC droid), connects via USB (charging phone while in use) or blutooth.
In fact, I'm typing this via my notebook connected to my phone. WiFi is turned off.

This little FREE app will come in handy.


--Russ