Droid "X" apps (boating)

L

localboy

New member
Joined
Sep 30, 2006
Messages
4,673
Reaction score
0
C Dory Year
2007
C Dory Model
25 Cruiser
Vessel Name
'Au Kai (Ocean Traveler)
I have relunctantly entered the "modern age" and purchased a Droid "X" smart phone running on the Verizon network. I'm wondering if anyone has any cool, useful or necessary marine/boating related apps they can recommend.

Thanks!
 
yup. here's a few.

You can get all the local Navionics charts for about $9.- and the buily-in GPS works fine.

If you also load Google earth you can get your position +/- 1 slip in a marina that doesn't even show on Navionics charts.

Local weather radar.

AIS data (Hard to read and navigate)

Droid Does.

Merv
 
You'll like it Mark. I would add the "weather bug elite" and "radar now". You can also save as favorites in the browser the same things you can put on your regular computer, i.e. weather and tides, ferry weather, C-Brats, etc. We got a Droid 2 before our recent extended trip and have found it to be a really good purchase.
 
I think you'll enjoy that phone, Mark. OK, it's really a small computer that just happens to have a phone in it. A few more apps to consider to the above: the Weather Channel, Compass (in case your GPS app dies :wink: ), iMap Weather, Pandora Radio (when you're at anchor), TideApp, Where (to tell you the nearest BBQ, Italian, fuel, etc, etc when you're at the dock), WhatZip (to tell you the zip code you're in when cruising), Voice Search (to pull up just about anything on Google), and Taskiller (to shut down programs you aren't currently using to give more memory to the ones you are). If you play a guitar while toasting the sunset in your cockpit, you might need gStrings (a guitar tuner). Of course, there are other apps that aren't so "critical." 8)

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Thanks all. I'll take a look at a those, once I learn just WTH I'm doing. :lol: (I'm more of a kinesthetic learner, so I just started messing w/ it). Pretty amazing, I must admit. This thing has more power than my first 286 did. :wink: I just kept telling myself I didn't need one...and I'm still not 100% convinced I really do, but I took the dive anyway. I'm sure I'll learn to appreciate it's handiness, although I don't want to turn into one of those guys who never looks up from the damn thing. :mrgreen:
 
So can these things replace individual gps, chart plotters and all the electronic stuff?

Kenny the newb-
 
Mark,

If you do buy the Navionics program - get the one for BC Canada. It's charts cover everything from the OR coast (about Eureka) to the southern Alaska coast (all the way to Skagway).
 
kenny chaos":2g1m4zwd said:
So can these things replace individual gps, chart plotters and all the electronic stuff?

Kenny the newb-
Click to expand...

I consider it to be backup to my backup. But, this summer while out on boats (not ours) that didn't have all the electronics, it was VERY handy. The GPS/chartplotter with the Navionics app works great. It is about the size of a large handheld GPS. The phone uses a lot of juice when in GPS mode, so it would be best to keep it plugged in if that is your main GPS. As far as "all the electronic stuff" - no, it won't replace your depth finder or your radar, but it does provide good weather radar as long as you have a cell/data signal. The GPS chip is built in, so you don't need a connection to run the Navionics app. It won't replace the autopilot. Or an electric flush marine head. :wink: Sure does a lot for a phone, though.
 
Back
Top