iPad Navionics

[capttman]

Originally Posted by Irie

The contact email is not working on Navimatics web site. I wonder if they have plans for the Caribbean? What do you think is the best app for the Caribbean? I'm going to get an ipad when I pick up my boat on east coast in September.

I have Caribbean on the I phone

[ActiveCaptain]

Originally Posted by capttman

I have Caribbean on the I phone

I'm not sure why Navimatics contact page isn't working. It's coming up for me.

I know they're interested in expanding chart coverage and are about to release new major coverage areas. I'd expect an announcement pretty soon.

[Rick R]

Originally Posted by sv.Lonestar

Put Navionics HD on my Ipad 2 yesterday and wow! It is full screen, touch screen with every thing else you can think of. On of the best 34.99 i have spent. Only thing I have to figure out is how to mount it at the helm. Any ideas?

Go to:
Apple iPad Holders & Mounts

Scroll down a bit. There is a picture of one on a boat. This is what we use, and it works very well.

[Rick R]

Originally Posted by ActiveCaptain

The thing about all these apps is that the cost allows you to have a few different ones. It's nice to have both raster and vector too - there are often subtle differences.

I agree with Jeff, but I would go further by pointing out that the iPad, and to a lesser extent other e-pads, have resulted in a fundamental shift in marine navigation. In ancient times (eg: last year) you had to spend big bucks on a chartplotter, and then you were stuck paying even more for overpriced charts.
And if you liked the chartplotter, but not the software, or the charts but not the chartplotter........

Now the iPad software is so inexpensive that we can own several, and switch from one to the other as our mood changes. The same goes for the charts. Which is the best chart - raster or vector, Government or privately published. The answer is all of the above.

We are witnessing a revolution.

[goboatingnow]

I dropped my 276c chartplotter into the drink. It floats. Fished it out dried it off, it works great. Try that with an iPad.

Also the reliability of such units is very questionable. I have an iPhone and and an iPad. Any 18 months the iPhone has needed two repairs.

As to the dedicated plotter. This have come down in price and now include free charts. Also you'll be a while waiting for radar on an iPad methinks

Dave

[ActiveCaptain]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

As to the dedicated plotter. This have come down in price and now include free charts. Also you'll be a while waiting for radar on an iPad methinks

I'm having conversations with multiple manufacturers right now. I suggested a technology that they haven't been considering to allow radar to be displayed on a multitude of devices (iPhones too). There's a merging happening with all of these display devices - TV as well - and we should be able to display instrument data, including radar, on any of the screens. I would be shocked if digital radar interfacing to these general screens didn't appear in the next couple of years. I first mentioned this on Panbo about 8 months ago.

Even without these new radar devices, there are quite a few people using iPad's and Android tabs right now to display live radar with their existing configurations. It isn't really great right now but it will work. It involves using the pad as a screen repeater to display whatever is on a PC over WiFi. So if you have Nobeltec, MaxSea, Coastal Explorer, etc. showing radar on the PC screen, whammo, it's on the iPad too.

iPad screen repeating is a little sluggish right now - you won't see the radial sweep on the radar. But it's fine for seeing targets on the radar.

That said, I think there will always be a place for dedicated navigation hardware (like my own helm). It's just that pads and phone and TV's will also be there for auxiliary displays and for backup.

[Hatowner]

I have an iPad that I've used for Marine Nav for almost a year. I love it and will not ever go back to Garmin or RayMarine, etc. I cruised down the ICW and on to the Bahamas for 6 Months.
When I cruised the Exumas, I even carried it in my dingy in a one Gal Zip-Lock bag.
If I drop it in the water, so what? I can buy another, in fact, I could buy 3-4 for what a good designated chart plotter would cost.

[cvondo]

i fully agree. i used mine everyday for 6 months also criusing down the icw and the bahamas. it never missed a beat and was far more reliable than my new garmins and the new radar only lasted 2 days before breaking and needed ot be returned to garmin to be fixed! i duct taped the entire ipad except the screen of course and used a water proof pouch on rainy days. the ipad navionics never put me on land unlike the garmin. this was all on my 44 ft cat. i met many a cat with big holes in their helm where their big fancy new chart plotter had to be sent back for repairs. i was the only one in bahamas that i met that actually used an ipad everyday for navigation.

[Hatowner]

I havn't met you yet, but I'm #2. I used it every day and love it.

[roger.waite]

Acknowledging this is about the iPad Navionics app, does anyone have experience with the Android equivalent? I am assuming similar considerations will apply re: scale, north up and downloading.

Thought ActiveCaptain or GPSNavX may have a comment ...

[ActiveCaptain]

NutiCharts Lite. It's free. It's the only Android product with ActiveCaptain support shipping today. It's new and has some additional features coming but hey, it's free.

There are a couple of other developers working on Android charting products that I'm working with - a new one started today with the integration process. There will be more navigation products for Android in the future.

Navionics has a version of their product on Android. It's probably the best chartplotter out there right now for Android.

I've been using a Xoom a fair amount (developing new software on it now too). There's a lot to like about Android especially as a developer. I think the competition is really great. It will make all the products in this space a lot better.

[Svsilvergirl]

I use navionics and charts & tides on my ipad , and navionics and nutri charts lite on my htc evo android phone . They are all 4 great . I think it's awesome to have these on my phone . Never know when you get on someone else's boat , how handy it can be to have this info at your finger tips . I crewed on a bitsy delivery earlier this summer , and the raymarine chart plotter on the boat had intermittent problems . Wouldn't want to use my phone as a permenant solution , but it was awfully nice to have it in my pocket . In fact it proved so handy , that eugen I built a small nav pod for my garmin chart plotter , I included a place to plug in my charger and android phone , right below the garmin 740 chart plotter.hard to see in this picture , but the phone slides in. the slot and the charger keeps it from sliding out . Works great

[Svsilvergirl]

Now if only I could type on my phone......typo city
*boat delivery = bitsy delivery
*when I built = eugen I built
Swype on my android phone = lots of typos

[capngeo]

Originally Posted by Svsilvergirl

Now if only I could type on my phone......typo city
*boat delivery = bitsy delivery
*when I built = eugen I built
Swype on my android phone = lots of typos

You have to love autocorrect!

[Svsilvergirl]

We won't even talk about how much trouble auto correct can get you in when it changes boots to boobs in an email.........