Smartphones and sailors.

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Ed Schenck

Ed Schenck

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Jun 2, 2004
5,802
Hunter 37-cutter, '79 41 23' 30"N 82 33' 20"W--------Huron, OH
Well I did it, ponied up the $200. for a Droid. Now I have about twenty days left to decide if I really need a cool device that happens to be a pretty poor phone. I bought the Droid 2 Global because I really need a keyboard. Actually reduced monthly costs by combining a couple of accounts. So its not so much about the money.

To the question. Are there really enough unique sailing-related apps to justify carrying this brick around? I think of all those electronics on the boat(and what I paid for them :neutral: ). Do I need tidal data, weather, and charts in my pocket?

In the last hour I downloaded the new Sailboat Owners app to the Droid. Its nice but cannot compare with working here on the big laptop. I know that my lack of experience with the Droid is to be considered. Maybe I will know better in ten or fifteen days.
 
RAD

RAD

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Jun 3, 2004
2,330
Catalina 30 Bay Shore, N.Y.
Sailboat Owners app :confused: I'll have to check that out but I love my Droid and one of the most useful apps is the weather radar while I'm sailing but I also use the camera/video and the many other neat apps and getting Internet when I need it is pretty cool, I concur that it does seem like a useless phone at first but you'll grow to like it
 
RAD

RAD

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Jun 3, 2004
2,330
Catalina 30 Bay Shore, N.Y.
Just dowloaded the new Sailboat Owners app....cool
 
Maine Sail

Maine Sail

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Feb 6, 1998
11,760
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
I have a Droid Incredible and it is a phone to me with internet and email capabilities. I have more navigation tools on-board than I need and don't need nor necessarily want any more especially in a phone. My biggest use on the boat is as a broad band modem for my laptop and email oh and of course the feature that when it rings and you answer and say hello...;) Droids are great I just have no use for phone sailing apps. The only app I have used on the boat is google sky to explore the constellations..
 
C

capejt

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May 17, 2004
276
Hunter 33_77-83 New London, CT
I use the old reliable Iphone. As for apps, I have one for tides. It's great to be able to check how far down I'll have to step to get on board while on the way to the boat. Also more convenient than paging through a book when heading back to port.
There are other apps that provide navigation, but they require GPS which my unit doesn't have.
 
Slim pickins

Slim pickins

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Apr 1, 2009
62
None right now Cruiser Don't have on yet
Ed, you will learn to love it, give it time. I have the iPhone and thought the same about it as you do the droid, now I can't leave home without it and also use it for a back up to my home laptop when it goes on the fritz.
 
Tim R.

Tim R.

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May 27, 2004
3,626
Caliber 40 Long Range Cruiser Portland, Maine
I also have a droid incredible. I find it useful when on other peoples boats. I like to see what is going on via navionics. It was only about $25 for the app. I also use the weather radar all the time. Some other apps I love:

Shipfinder AIS
Pandora connected to my stereo via bluetooth
Sailboat Owners app, of course
Flashlight for seeing the combo lock at night
Compass
Level
Tune In radio
Tinyplayer
Google goggles
And of course, Whoopie Cushion!
 
wonkodsane

wonkodsane

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Jul 25, 2009
270
Catalina 1989 C30 Mk II Herrington Harbour South, MD
I like my Evo running Android. Currently playing around with the Android SDK developing a really basic chartplotter. I may never finish it, but hoping to learn a lot in the process.

It took a little bit to get used to the Evo's touch screen interface, specifically to learn the "touch and hold down" method to bring up the modify/settings menu.
 
Ed Schenck

Ed Schenck

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Jun 2, 2004
5,802
Hunter 37-cutter, '79 41 23' 30"N 82 33' 20"W--------Huron, OH
Right Tim, almost forgot about the flashlight and level. I think that I ran into a need for ITunes in order to download the ship locator. And Maine, don't I have to sign up for "mobile something" to use as a modem? How is the performance? Here in the house I have wi-fi turned on. If I turn that off and use Explorer I guess I could gauge the performance? I guess it would be the same or better as when I had the Verizon air card on our journey south.
 
kenn

kenn

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Apr 18, 2009
1,271
CL Sandpiper 565 Toronto
I'm still not an "everything"-phone fan, but that is probably because I can't yet justify paying around $1200+ a year to get one, including data plan etc etc and the requisite apps. Especially when i have most of these doodads in other devices.

My cousin is an airline pilot, and he has the constellation app on his iPhone. He loves it for viewing the sky on those long overnight flights.I do agree that this app is very cool.

Tides and forecast info is also cool...
 
Indysailor

Indysailor

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Oct 10, 2009
1,100
Catalina 27 3657 Lake Monroe
Beer Can Racer looks pretty cool, but it's winter and I just got my phone so I'll have to wait to say how it works.
For someone who has no nav equipment, and no need for it on an inland lake, I think I'll probably use the compass/gps, mainly to satisfy my son's intense interest in knowing how our speed.
Probably the app we've used most, and which will be the most fun on the boat will be google sky.
 
JerryA

JerryA

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Oct 17, 2004
550
Hunter Hunter 170 Sandusky Bay, Lake Erie
Ed,
Checkout PDA.net for internet connectivity. Something like $18 one time. I use the weather radar (Radar Now) on my boat, and it's pretty good. The police radio app is cool as well. The apps for checking UPC codes to look for cheapest prices are sweet too. Also I just downloaded Windfinder.

JerryA
 
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