iPhone- Favorite Nautical Apps

That's data roaming most likely. There is a selection in settings to shut off data roaming so the phone is not regularly polling for new email and such.

Many people have been caught by that.

While I was in Richmond and Maple Ridge in June, I remained aware that roaming charges were expensive. Due to an unforeseen circumstance, I had to spend about 30-40 minutes on my phone (AT&T). I returned home to an additional $100 in charges, in addition to my normal monthly bill.

I have never used foul language on YF, but to this I say... FY.

We got hit by some really bad roaming charges once in the San Juan Islands. The water company repeatedly was shutting off our water at home thinking it was our neighbors box because they werent paying the bill so the people taking care of our house and animals had no water to use....$1500 dollars later we left that carrier

Hate to point out the unfortunately obvious but that still leaves $1,367 That's about my mortgage payment and I get a house out of the deal. Think I'll be sticking with my old razor for awhile and get the rest from my computer. Between purchase, plan, and one good roaming hit you're talking about $4,000 in a year for a phone. Thanks for the education guys & girls. That's why YF is great.

Since most of my business communication is done via email and text, I don't need a plan huge on minutes. Two phones with discount is $132/month.

I've got a third Verizon line for personal use which costs $78 for a basic plan (discounted also, due to former employment with one of the Big Three) with unlimited texting and email. My Verizon landline at home is now $32/month.

Looking at the costs of staying linked to the world gives one subscription fatigue.

Apps I like are: RadarScope and FL Radars for live weather radar, Float Plan app, iNavX and Navionics chart plotter apps, Google Earth, TideGraph, ResQr first aid app and the Hurricane tracker app. Also the newer apps that turn your phone into over the road GPS plotter. Like the Tom Tom International, Navigon AG or Gokivo GPS apps.

For nonmarine apps I like the My Eyes Only pass word and security info storage app., eBay app., Voice Memos, Shazam song finder, Pandora personal radio station app. and Drink Pro to name a few.

In fact I'm in the rough draft stages of an article for one of the local trade rags on apps for captains/boaters. So if you all have any more must have favorites please post them.

Check out "Anchor Alarm". It does just what it says.

I forgot to mention, the little blue book, "Boater's Pocket Reference" is now available as an app as well. Very nice to have.

Yeah, that's why I bought a jailbroke iPhone. I have my Blackberry that I have on T-Mobile because that gives me UMA service (a type of VoIP so when my BB is on wifi, it doesn't go through the cell network) which allows me to have my Ft Lauderdale phone # ring world wide, even on the boat in the middle of the ocean (so long as we have a satellite link). When I'm going to be somewhere for a bit, like Europe, I just get a "pay as you go" SIM for my iPhone from a local provider. In Europe I usually use O2, and here in Oz I'm on Optus. You can find the instructions to jailbreak your iPhone in various internet forums or have a geek do it for $100. The caveat is you can't update the software. I'm not an Apple fanboy, but having had many of the Pocket PC Phones, Blackberrys and such, I do find the iPhone to be the superior product. For straight up communications device, the BB is better, but for an all around informational device, there isn't anything that competes with an iPhone at this point.

Razrs drive me nuts, I need a qwerty keyboard Since texting is store-forward, my clients and I use it continuously for updating when I am running that way when I come into phone range, I receive/send my messages that have been waiting, and texts come through clearly when voice is broken at best. Trying to text using a alphanumeric keypad has induced several "float tests" of phones in the past. You can avoid all the roaming expenses by just getting an unlocked "jailbroke" version and getting a local provider SIM card when you travel. The "MAPS" feature alone on the iPhone made it worth its cost while I was travelling in Europe, and I use it frequently sourcing parts and suppliers here in Aus. I hit Maps>search, type in my search, a bunch of pins pop up on the map, I can tap on it and I get the phone number which I can tap and connect to. If they have what I need, I can then tap "Directions" at the bottom of the screen and up come the directions to get there, and I can direct my blue dot along the Magenta line to the shop. Here in Australia, where communications fees are wildly exorbitant, I get a $100 "top up" about every month and a half and that covers my voice and data. (but here you don't pay for incoming calls, although outgoing is on the order of $ .30-.60 a minute). An unlocked iPhone also allows you to use VoIP services like Skype (AT&T blocks it) With just a small bit of savvy, you can use an iPhone quite economically world wide if you're willing to pay full cost for an unlocked one bought outright. It's a lot easier than having to carry a laptop with me, plus I'd still need to pay for its data connection anyway. If there is wifi available, the iPhone will ask if you would prefer to use it rather than your wireless data connection. The iPhone is also the only handheld appliance I have found that has a realistically usable browser.

I heard there is a free download for the Iphone that puts the GPS marine waters on the phone. Is that the Navionics?

I have not seen a free one. But apps are added almost every day.

I am working on one app right now.
It will be called:

iFloat!

After losing 3 phones either by them just running and diving overboard all by themselves, or just rusting away from sea air.
When I get it right I will offer all YF members a Heads Up on the IPO!

Here is all a beginner needs to know, and what the Captains have forgotten...

http://doubledogstudios.com/apps/boaters/index.html

I don't believe it is possible for most captains or boaters to know everything (although some may debate that), but we do need to know where to find the answers when a situation arises. Although I haven't explored that past the table of contents it looks like a little Chapman's. Could be good to have on hand.

If you like to track yachts and ships on your IPhone than this might be of interest to you.

www.digital-seas.com/iphone

Anchor Alarm

I have it and am disappointed with how it works - I'm no computer geek, but apprently it uses the gps in the ipad, which does not have the accuracy of my Garmin. So, the anchor alarm on the ipad frequently alarms for lack gps accuracy, while the Garmin shows me staying in the same place. In other words, well, hell, I can't describe it, but it doesn't work as well as I had hoped.

Thanks for the post on "Navionics"
Got a new iPhone (free...due to the BIG spend whilst in Florida!) and downloaded Navionics.
So far I am impressed. Just working out how to estimate fuel consumption. Still find an Excel spreadsheet is the best way.