So how about the navigation software for a Mac I mentioned the other day? Ben Ellison hinted at NavimaQ, developed by Barco Software. They also have a Linux navigation tool, SeaFarer/LX, which is now available for beta testing, and will be ported to OS X in a later stage. Furthermore, check out their zCapn, zNav and zNav Lite PDA solutions. (Thanks Ben!)
"NavimaQ will continue on as it is for those users running older Macs. For OS X we will be taking some of the features froml NavimaQ and adding them to SeaFarer/LX. Once that is complete we will port SeaFarer/LX to OS X. We invite all of you to look at the features planned for SeaFarer/LX, then let us know which features you would like to see added from NavimaQ and any other features you feel are important to add to SeaFarer/LX."
Last week I had a post on the potential of using your phone as a chartplotter. Nokia has just released a new phone, the 5140, which comes with a digital compass. Once calibrated, it does a decent job at pointing out the right direction and users can set a specific bearing to follow. Of course it is water resistant, but it lacks Bluetooth support. Would have been nice if it could communicate with one of those Bluetooth GPS devices...
"An uber sporty rubber-and-translucent plastic shell encases the interior electronics and provides excellent protection against the elements. The phone worked fine after being dunked in water, kept in the fridge overnight and dropped repeatedly. It would appear extremely difficult to damage the inner core of this handset with water as the battery is further protected by a water-resistant cover beneath the outer shell."
So if you happen to get shipwrecked while cruising in a sunnier part of the world, at least you won't need a dentist as long as you have Compact-Impact's Soladey-3 onboard...
"Possibly a little more convergence than we're looking for these days, Compact-Impact is selling a titanium oxide toothbrush called the Soladey-3 that uses solar energy to create ions that 'clean and sanitize' without the use of toothpaste. We're gonna have to hassle them for a review model of this one"
Although we are seeing more and more Bluetooth enabled devices appearing in the marine electronics environment, I stll very strongly believe that ZigBee has many advantages over Bluetooth in a typical boating context. I can't imagine that it will take very long for a smart marine electronics manufacturer to incorporate this technology in a new range of products. Here's a nice update on the state of ZigBee.
"Given enough devices spread around a house, this multi-hop �mesh networking� approach can use redundant pathways to make sure the message gets through even if one of the devices is out of order. For example, if you were sitting in bed and flipped a portable switch to preheat the hot tub in the back yard, the message might normally pass through a node in the kitchen. However, if your kitchen ZigBee�s battery died, the message could still get through in a wireless version of an end-around play. By simultaneously transmitting the message to the den, your tub switch could bypass the kitchen transmitter, still getting the �on� message to the tub. But because another major ZigBee innovation is power efficiency, the kitchen battery is not likely to go dead in the first place. By instructing nodes to wake up only for those split second intervals when they�re needed, ZigBee is so chintzy with electricity that batteries might last for years."
"Self-contained, GPS-synchronized solar LED marine light." That sounds impressive, right...?
"Carmanah's new Model 701-GPS and 702-GPS marine lights use Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite signals as a timing tool. Each of the 24 orbiting GPS satellites has several on-board atomic clocks transmitting a time signal that is accurate to within 0.5 nanoseconds of Universal Time (UTC). Built-in GPS receivers in Carmanah's lights require only one satellite signal to precisely synchronize the beginning of each flash sequence to this time code, thereby perfectly matching the timing of any other GPS-synchronized light. Multiple lights outlining features such as port entrances, channels and navigational hazards are easier to follow and to distinguish amidst background lighting when they flash together."
While I was writing about Marlink's Fleet F33 solution, I came accross this historical fact. That's just 38 years back.... We've come a long way so to speak.
"1966 - First ship-to-shore satellite radio message sent from USS Annapolis (AMGR 1) in South China Sea to Pacific Fleet Headquarters at Pearl Harbor."
They are definitely not the first, but Marlink has a new Fleet F33 MPDS solution. Especially geared towards smaller vessels.
"Fleet F33 MPDS uses Internet Protocol (IP) technology and time-shared channels to allocate network resources, enabling cost-efficient Web access, e-mail, and �always on� remote access. This new Marlink service is ideal for a wide range of IP-based applications such as online navigational information and updates, online weather reports, and e-mails with attachments. Marlink Fleet F33 MPDS users pay only for the data packets they send and receive, making this �always on� service a most cost-efficient means for online communications at sea for small boats."
Some relevant news for Admiral and Visual Navigation Suite 7.0 users in Nobeltec's newsletter today.
"This free Service Pack contains several new updates and features including support for BSB 4.0 charts and the new line of IR2 radars. In addition, the new Service Pack also includes a significant new feature for boaters outside of U.S. waters called ChartGridding. This new feature takes recorded depths and land elevations from Passport Charts and uses them to create a 3D bathymetric grid. This is a real plus for globe trotting boaters!"
So when can we expect to use our phones as a chartplotter? I do not know of any electronic charts that are ready to be used on a mobile phone, but I'm sure that won't take very long.
"I've been fiddling about with Earthmate's excellent Blue Logger GPS, a smaller-than-iPod Mini-sized Bluetooth-enabled GPS unit that works like a charm with my various mobile devices (Powerbook, Nokia 6600, Pocket PC, etc). While I started out on my Pocket PC with XMap Pro, I quickly found myself finding and downloading GPS-enabled apps for my Nokia 6600. I stumbled across TomTom CityMaps over at Handango and quickly stocked up on the maps (US$4.99 apiece)."
Like I said yesterday, I'm not really into fishing myself. But of course I do like the gadgets surrounding this sport. If you do too, and if you're always claiming to have caught the heaviest fish, then this is a must have....
"Thanks to GripNweigh, a digital fish scale from Xtools, not only can you establish the poundage of your conquest, but you can also get a solid grip on it so it doesn�t slip off into the deep blue and become the dreaded �one that got away.� According to the company, this patented gizmo helps you �control, lift, unhook, and weigh your catch in one easy, fast motion.� It works on any fish up to 25 pounds and even stores the weight of the five heaviest fish you�ve caught."
They also have a Linux navigation tool, SeaFarer/LX, which is now available for beta testing, and will be ported to OS X in a later stage. Furthermore, check out their zCapn, zNav and zNav Lite PDA solutions. (Thanks Ben!)
Last week I had a 
I can't imagine that it will take very long for a smart marine electronics manufacturer to incorporate this technology in a new range of products. Here's a nice 
"Self-contained, GPS-synchronized solar LED marine light." That sounds 
They are definitely not the first, but Marlink has a 
Some relevant news for Admiral and Visual Navigation Suite 7.0 users in Nobeltec's newsletter 
So when can we expect to 
Like I said yesterday, I'm not really into fishing myself. But of course I do like the gadgets surrounding this sport. If you do too, and if you're always claiming to have caught the heaviest fish, then