Definitely not the most inspiring gadget I have ever seen, but at a price of $20 I'm sure there are people that will see this 'very mobile radio' device and conclude that this is exactly what they were looking for....
"Smaller than the size of your palm, the CapRadio fits on the back of your cap, on your shoulder or on the collar of your shirt. The reception is about the same as any Walkman - obviously don't take it for lengthy offshore trips - but at the dock or floating around the bay you should be fine. When you walk, it doesn't jostle, and the tight-fit clip keeps it nice and snug up against your hat."
The BBC is running a story on the advances of in-car entertainment. It's not difficult to see how all of this can be applied to yachts as well. Especially the smaller, multi-cabin, boats will benefit from the economies of scale that are being realized in the automotive industry. It's not difficult, nor very expensive (Amazon), to create a personalized entertainment set-up in every cabin. And in the cockpit or saloon as well for that matter. In case you don't feel like any roof-mounted displays, why not use Sony's new wireless Air Board (LF-X1) which is for sale as of last Friday.
One other nice feature that is discussed by the BBC article is voice-control over all these entertainment devices. Again, the development in the automotive sector will create a precedent for yachting. Voice-control can not only be applied to entertainment, but to navigation as well, even more since PC technology is making a strong entry into the maritime environment.
"We're also building in 20GB hard drives Now you can take your home movies, and potentially other DVDS, record them onto a disc, record them onto a unit and keep them in the car. Now you don't actually have to bring in the DVD or the discs."
"A lot of it is voice-controlled and voice-interactive as well, the navigation systems, for example. But voice technology is far from perfect, and a screen can also be a life-saver. A rear view mirror can be connected to a video camera on the back bumper, or simply show an image of the backseat, obviously of potential use for baby monitoring."
I was reading about Geronimo's advances into the Roaring Forties in their attempt to break a record and win the Jules Verne Trophy 2004. The article mentioned that Geronimo could not go any further south because of reports of large icebergs, although they had sophisticated (Fujinon military) nightvision equipment on board. When I started looking into that, I found out that there's some pretty amazing gear for sale these days. For instance, have a look at the Fujinon Stabiscope Nightvision 3rd Generation. At a price of $16,750 it's not exactly cheap, but what you get is the best there is. And if that's too high a price for you, have a look at Amazon's Fujinon collection. These 'cheaper' binoculars incorporate some of the high-end technologies available in the high-end models.
"Fujinon Day & Night Stabiscope makes it possible to observe in the dark, from a moving car, a boat on heavy seas, or from an airborne helicopter. The image-stabilizing gyro system is incorporated in the binocular to get a steady image while observing from a vibrating platform. The image intensifier tube electronically amplifies very slight light 20,000-30,000 times so that you can see objects at night, too. It's compact, lightweight and waterproof."
Yachting World is running a review on ruggedized digital cameras, but here's a new one from Minolta that should do the trick as well. Although originally developed for the construction business, it is waterproof and perfect for usage in a marine environment.
"From Konica Minolta, a new ruggedized digital camera that�s aimed at one specific market � the construction business. The 3.34 megapixel DG-4W meets the oh-so-strict (we�re assuming they�re strict) requirements of the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and is designed to absorb shocks and is both dust and water proof. We�re guessing that the camera also works at other places besides construction sites."
In response to the post about Reefmaster's Digital Dive Camera and my suggestion to 'Wi-Fi-enable' it, Joel Johnson made a comment:
"I don't know how well WiFi would transmit through the water -- there might be a better frequency than 2.4Ghz -- but, man, that's a great idea! Or maybe even a wireless videocamera that could broadcast back to the boat and display on a monitor."
So I tried to find out if 'something' like that actually exists, and it appears that it does. Altough not really perfect, it's a start. The Fishing-CAM. It even allows you to view underwater images on your mobile phone...
"The Fishing-CAM is highly water resistant and pressure resistant as Fishing-CAM camera (a product equipped with LED or infrared ray device to regular CCD/CMOS camera) goes through molding process during manufacture. The encased Fishing-CAM camera is attached to the sinker part of fishing rod. With Fishing-CAM camera, you do not need to dive underwater to see the scenes below! Has a frequency range of around 2.4Hz and transmits up to 500 meters."
For those of you that spent a lot of time in the Caribbean, this is a must have assuming that diving is your thing. The only thing I see it's missing is an underwater Wi-Fi connection to upload your pictures in realtime...
"Around here we like to say that 'There is nothing worth doing that can't be done more expensively,' so why skimp on a dive camera when you can have something like the Reefmaster (Amazon) DC310 Digital MAXX? The $1400 MAXX system has Sealife's so-so 3.3 megapixel camera with all the basic features you'd expect from a digital. The 8MB on-board memory is scant, but fortunately a 128MB SD card is included in the package. Even better, the MAXX package has plenty of extra accessories to get you started, like flash diffusers (more important underwater than on land), macro lenses, and of course, the two bug-eye external flashes. The entire rig can be taken to depths of up to 200ft -- well past recreational dive limits."
Instruments are getting smaller and smaller. Combine that with all developments in the wireless area, and it won't take long before we we stop using these LCD displays in the cockpit.
"This fancy watch will give you wind speed, temperature with wind chill calculation, barometric pressure with 9-hour history graph, and altitude as well as pinpoint accurate time, date, alarm, timer and stop watch. Data is expressed in MPH, KPH, meters/second, meters/feet, and C/F�. You can also detach the monitor from the wrist strap, and use the supplied lanyard to wear the weather station on your belt, bike, or backpack."
Boating World has an overview of electronics that are revolutionizing recreational boating. 'Revolutionizing' is may be a bit overstated... The list appears to be a rather random selection of relatively new electronics.
"In the beginning there was a compass, a fishing pole and the wind. Look how far that got early mankind in boating. They thought the world was flat for centuries, could't catch a fish if their life depended on it and used bogus sea stories to predict when Mother Nature reared her ugly head. So much for the good old days. Embrace the new, and stay ahead of the curve with this new electronics gear."
For you fishing fanatics who are looking for a simple, but smart, device to assist you, Boating Life has a short review of the Humminbird Smartcast wristwatch. Another, more extended, review can be found here.
"We thought this Humminbird Smartcast wristwatch fish finder was a schmaltzy gimmick when we saw it in the package. Then we saw it in action. Hook the green transducer to a rod and cast it where you think fish might be. It will transmit a bottom graph and images of anything in the water column right back to the wrist-receiver. Fish show up as, well, they look like fish."
Working with computers on board can be a bit difficult, especially if you want to use them in a too small navigation station. Or if you have a cockpit display connected to them. A new product solves at least a part of the problem. It's a wireless computer mouse that you can use in the air, so no more mouse pad required...
"The Gyromouse, by Gyration, is an ultra high-tech pointing device, and it's the best thing to happen to mice since wireless. In fact, it is a wireless (proprietary RF) optical mouse with little gyroscopes that sense your hand motion. You hold the trigger button on the bottom and wave the Gyromouse around to move the cursor. Sit it on the desktop, and it magically becomes an optical desktop mouse."
Definitely not the most inspiring gadget I have ever seen, but at a price of $20 I'm sure there are people that will see this 'very mobile radio' device and conclude that this is exactly what they were looking for....
One other nice feature that is discussed by the BBC article is voice-control over all these entertainment devices. Again, the development in the automotive sector will create a precedent for yachting. Voice-control can not only be applied to entertainment, but to navigation as well, even more since PC technology is making a strong entry into the maritime environment.
I was reading about 
Yachting World is running a 
In response to the 
"The Fishing-CAM is highly water resistant and pressure resistant as Fishing-CAM camera (a product equipped with LED or infrared ray device to regular CCD/CMOS camera) goes through molding process during manufacture. The encased Fishing-CAM camera is attached to the sinker part of fishing rod. With Fishing-CAM camera, you do not need to dive underwater to see the scenes below! Has a frequency range of around 2.4Hz and transmits up to 500 meters."
"Around here we like to say that 'There is nothing worth doing that can't be done more expensively,' so why skimp on a dive camera when you can have something like the Reefmaster (
Instruments are getting 
Boating World has an overview of electronics that are revolutionizing recreational boating. 'Revolutionizing' is may be a bit overstated... The list 
For you fishing fanatics who are looking for a simple, but smart, device to assist you, Boating Life has a short 
Working with computers on board can be a bit difficult, especially if you want to use them in a too small navigation station. Or if you have a cockpit display connected to them. A