antcollins
Active Member
Urmm, apart from the lust for this product. How great will Navionics be on this?
http://www.apple.com/ipad/#video
Well done apple
http://www.apple.com/ipad/#video
Well done apple
The Apple iPad
- Thread starter antcollins
- Start date
Ubergeekian
Well-Known Member
Urmm, apart from the lust for this product. How great will Navionics be on this?
http://www.apple.com/ipad/#video
Well done apple
Whoop de doo. A laptop with very limited storage and no keyboard.
I think the Onion nearly got there a while back ...
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/apple_introduces_revolutionary
antcollins
Active Member
There is an on screen keyboard when you need it and a plug in one if you really need to be 'old school'. A waterproof third party one will not be far behind I would bet. Built in gps and ability to run Navionics at around £500 quid. Storage is an issue but it will grow in time.
A large screen colour multitouch chart plotter? It's got to be a good piece of kit if Navionics smarten up their software.
A large screen colour multitouch chart plotter? It's got to be a good piece of kit if Navionics smarten up their software.
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Ubergeekian
Well-Known Member
I'm willing to bet that Navionics will not sell the software for the current peanuts when it's running on something which competes with real chartplotters.
D
Deleted member 36384
Guest
Perhaps this is the start of low cost chart plotters. No more cables, holes in decks, antennas. Just a slate in a waterproof housing. Who knows its all just software now.
TamarMike
Well-Known Member
We've been using Fujitsu-Siemens tablets at work for about 4 years now, the touch screen keyboard is the cause of most of the spelling mistakes I make during daytime, or can write on the screen but its interpretation of handwriting varies between amusing and irritating.
Its advantage is the ability to use it in a confined space such as in the driving seat (when parked obviously) and the daylight screen which can be used in bright sunlight. Otherwise I much prefer to use my own conventional laptop.
(It did however prove useful navigating the narrow channel up the Lynher using the GPS mouse with high scale OS maps and aerial photos)
Its advantage is the ability to use it in a confined space such as in the driving seat (when parked obviously) and the daylight screen which can be used in bright sunlight. Otherwise I much prefer to use my own conventional laptop.
(It did however prove useful navigating the narrow channel up the Lynher using the GPS mouse with high scale OS maps and aerial photos
)planteater
Well-Known Member
I'm pretty sure it will work with a bluetooth keyboard if (like me) you don't like touchscreens.
The idea of of a compact nav backup combined with a music/video/book store is pretty compelling. Please Apple, supply it with a 12V charger.
The idea of of a compact nav backup combined with a music/video/book store is pretty compelling. Please Apple, supply it with a 12V charger.
mcframe
Well-Known Member
If /someone/ can come up with a waterproof (& floating) case, then it /could/ be a cheap(er) alternative to the tabletPCs that Pro nav/tackticks currently use on the rail.
Bluetooth to NMEA wind instruments, live polars, etc, etc....
D*mn!
I saw the news and thought "nice, but I don't have use for one"* - until now ;-)
* I've got enough iThings for carry-about/boat/home(study)/home (living room) as it is!
planteater
Well-Known Member
Maybe NASA or someone should start working on bluetooth output from their depth/speed/wind/battery/AIS products. They wouldn't even have to write the app. Just publish the interface specs on their website and somebody would pick it up and run with it.
Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
I assume the Met Office is already working on a shipping forecast app. Farewell Navtex!
Keen_Ed
Well-Known Member
Just need these guys to come up with a version with 3G.
http://www.trimble.com/Outdoor-Rugged-Computers/yuma.aspx?dtID=overview
http://www.trimble.com/Outdoor-Rugged-Computers/yuma.aspx?dtID=overview
Blueboatman
Well-Known Member
In a couple of years I might be interested when we have wireless masthead/depth/speed/backup storage/remote controls talking to a weatherproof version of 'that thing' perched anywhere in the boat or cockpit or dinghy or beach..As said, no more endless bloddy wires and holes. That has to be ecofriendly to the worlds copper and tin mines..
As with the iphone I guess it is the apps that will make or break it. I thought that Jobs was actually rather restrained about this unveiling?
As with the iphone I guess it is the apps that will make or break it. I thought that Jobs was actually rather restrained about this unveiling?
flaming
Well-Known Member
The problem with Leisure marine computing is that compared to other computing needs it is very small volume.
The system we run is Tactic wireless instruments, NMEA feed (from tactic NMEA module) wired into a netbook running B&G's deckman software, linked by WIFI to a tablet, that simply duplicates the display on the netbook, that the tactitian can use anywhere on the boat.
This works brilliantly, but has (to my mind) one too many computers and one too many wireless links. The ideal solution would be the instrument feed going directly into the tablet. Obviously this would need the tablet to be beefed up a bit, and for the instruments to talk directly to it.
And here we're back to the small volume problem, as the next step is a hardware problem, not a software problem. So we have to wait for the larger computing industry to realise it needs that functionality for another use so that the marine sector can start using it too. Which is exactly what happened with the tablet PCs.
The ipad looks great, but I can't see it being any better than the tablet PCs we already use, as it can't take the next step and talk directly to the instruments.
The system we run is Tactic wireless instruments, NMEA feed (from tactic NMEA module) wired into a netbook running B&G's deckman software, linked by WIFI to a tablet, that simply duplicates the display on the netbook, that the tactitian can use anywhere on the boat.
This works brilliantly, but has (to my mind) one too many computers and one too many wireless links. The ideal solution would be the instrument feed going directly into the tablet. Obviously this would need the tablet to be beefed up a bit, and for the instruments to talk directly to it.
And here we're back to the small volume problem, as the next step is a hardware problem, not a software problem. So we have to wait for the larger computing industry to realise it needs that functionality for another use so that the marine sector can start using it too. Which is exactly what happened with the tablet PCs.
The ipad looks great, but I can't see it being any better than the tablet PCs we already use, as it can't take the next step and talk directly to the instruments.
pandroid
Well-Known Member
It appears not. It does have a compass (whoopey doo)
Although it has Bluetooth, I suspect they will have made plugging in an external Bluetooth GPS as difficult as it is for the (2nd Gen) iPhone
Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
Flaming,
In your scenario, surely all that's needed (apart from a waterproof iPad) is a gizmo to take nmea and bluetooth it.
Of course, the opposition might acquire a bluetooth jammer!
In your scenario, surely all that's needed (apart from a waterproof iPad) is a gizmo to take nmea and bluetooth it.
Of course, the opposition might acquire a bluetooth jammer!
flaming
Well-Known Member
As I understand it Bluetooth does not have the bandwidth to cope with a full NMEA output from a typical yacht, which is why tactic do not use bluetooth but developed their own system.
You need Wifi. I suppose in a way we already have a device to convert NMEA into wireless, we just call it a netbook!
And the TP52s etc, who all run the deckman system (as apposed to our fleet where it is about 50%) used to have the problem that when the boats were all together, at starts, mark roundings etc, everyone's tablet would drop out except the boat with the most powerful wifi transmitter! Gather they've fixed this though...
Jamesuk
Well-Known Member
It has got a keyboard, (on screen) I use the Ipod touch keypad with one hand and it is great but with the 'pad' I could use two hands or 8 fingers and one thumb (dont use the other)
Anybody know what it will be priced at? As for navigation not used the software but from what I hear a nice waterproof case for the Ipad would make it pretty good with a frame by the helm for hands free navigation. Oh and to add - I spoke with Raymarine at the boat show and they say Apple have the patent that every body likes on the Iphone so Ipad should be a dream to use where other Nav aids are limited
So far "I'm saying YES"
Richard10002
Well-Known Member
Cant imagine want to use such a delicate multifunctional gadget for an on-deck plotter. Every which way I look, the sensible option is a dedicated plotter for about £300-£500.
Laptops and Ipods/iphones/ipads seem to be more sensibly kept down below.
Laptops and Ipods/iphones/ipads seem to be more sensibly kept down below.
Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
"Every which way I look, the sensible option is a dedicated plotter for about £300-£500."
Yerbut a dedicated plotter won't let you do your emails, pick up weather forecasts, store your pictures, play your music, add your wisdom pearls to ybw.com, etc.
Yerbut a dedicated plotter won't let you do your emails, pick up weather forecasts, store your pictures, play your music, add your wisdom pearls to ybw.com, etc.
antcollins
Active Member
GPS
In the demo given by Mr Jobs there was a fully functioning mapping application as used in the iPhone.
In the demo given by Mr Jobs there was a fully functioning mapping application as used in the iPhone.
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