smart phone apps

[Breakaway]

Marty,

You're going to love having a smartphone. I resisted for years thinking all I needed was a basic phone. I was wrong, I use mine all the time. Mine is an Android, but I'm sure Apple has the same apps. I have tide and current apps that are cool, but being able to go online and check the weather radar for storms and seeing realtime buoy data is what I like most.

Oh yeah, almost forgot about the TF app....

[5th Tuition]

Originally Posted by Breakaway

Marty,

You're going to love having a smartphone. I resisted for years thinking all I needed was a basic phone. I was wrong, I use mine all the time. Mine is an Android, but I'm sure Apple has the same apps. I have tide and current apps that are cool, but being able to go online and check the weather radar for storms and seeing realtime buoy data is what I like most.

Oh yeah, almost forgot about the TF app....

I have to see what's preloaded. I want a nice gps and weather app. Also the "flashlight" app". Being able to check tide, current, and buoy data would be sweet also. I went to a "best buy" websight and I see there are lots of free apps and some that cost a couple bucks. I'll be learning the phone this winter so it will be a help to me on the water this spring.
5th (Marty)
p.s. can't wait to get my music on it as well

[PhilK999]

Hi Marty, I bought my iphone mostly to use for the ipod feature. No more looking for a radio station that fades in and out and it is all music I like.

It has an excellent camera and video features that work easliy and better quality than the old digital camera i had on board.

BoatUS has an app that will send your GPS coordiantes to them and request a tow if you need it.

ABC 2 weather app has a in motion weather radar that is easy to update. Weather.com's sometimes will not update if you are trying to watch an apporaching storm

There are fishing log app that cost, but there is a built in audio recorder so you can make good records of catches or there is a note pad

You can check baseball and football scores easly through free apps

You can post to here from the water your fishing report, free app

Pandora Radio is a neat music thing. You tell it what you want to hear and it will select songs and send them to you, You thumbs up or thumbs down the song and it narrows in on what you like. Problem with this app, is it uses up a lot of data download. Is better used on land where you can download via wifi

There are GPS porgrams that cost, I have not used any of them yet. but are available. I beleive you purchase the app and then the map for the area you fish.

Smart Buoy app lets you look at all of the smart buoys up and down the bay with real time data, free app, there is a float plan app free so you can email a freind or family where you are planning on fishing that day and when you plan on returning.

There is also a bay guide for identifying species that was free.

If you want it there is an app. I got mine back in March and love it.

[Blakesdad]

What a timely post.. I bought my wife a Iphone 4 for Xmas and she hates the ****ing thing.. She wants her android back and NOW.. SO I'm kinda stuck with the IPHONE. I'm mostly and android type also, but since I now own the Apple, was wondering if I should dick around with it for awhile.

Wife seems frustrated by it.. How hard can it be/ different than Android ??

[Shawn Kimbro]

My wife won't let me get an iPhone since I can't convince her they are waterproof and shockproof enough to keep me from destroying it, but I have the Verizon G'Zone Android. I have most of the same apps Phil K. mentioned. I also like the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy system app since it shows real time conditions - especially helpful for water temps and wind speeds. I have three different weather radar apps.

What I can't find is a good Chesapeake tide predictor. I can get the internet based predictors like the one at Maryland DNR, and my phone came with one that shows a few ocean stations, but nothing for Maryland. Anyone know of one?

[Breakaway]

Originally Posted by Shawn Kimbro

What I can't find is a good Chesapeake tide predictor. I can get the internet based predictors like the one at Maryland DNR, and my phone came with one that shows a few ocean stations, but nothing for Maryland. Anyone know of one?

Search...Tide App Atlantis Technology

Just checked it against the DNR tide finder and it was accurate.

[garlien]

I guess I a not as cool as you "Steve Jobs" lovers....I have a Blackberry and love it...

Anyway, there are a couple of websites I keep in my favorites all the time....

1> The weather channel radar is very good on a mobile device (it has a zoom feature and its free) and has helped me avoid storms, and more often than not, move around storms...

2> I use the MD DNR tidefinder a lot cause it is modified for mobile devices, easy to use, and less of a pain than to look on the HDS - 8.

3> Like Shawn I keep a number of the NOAA (NDBC/FSKM2) weather buoys loaded...Use these more than almost anything on the phone except the camera...

4> It takes a little bit of playing around and you will need to bookmark your favorite areas but the tide/current predictor from U of SC is great...It is at tbone.biol.sc.edu/tide

Will try to post some others when I get a chance...

[5th Tuition]

Thanks, the phones came today. I haven't activated them yet. These suggestions are just what I need.

Question for Shawn; If you have the tide table predictions and the interactive buoy real time current flow, how much better can you get? How sensitive is the "current" information relayed from the buoy's?

Shawn; there's a case for the iphone called "lifeproof" that's waterproof.
5th (Marty)

[Spot77]

Originally Posted by garlien

I guess I a not as cool as you "Steve Jobs" lovers....I have a Blackberry and love it...

Anyway, there are a couple of websites I keep in my favorites all the time....

1> The weather channel radar is very good on a mobile device (it has a zoom feature and its free) and has helped me avoid storms, and more often than not, move around storms...

2> I use the MD DNR tidefinder a lot cause it is modified for mobile devices, easy to use, and less of a pain than to look on the HDS - 8.

3> Like Shawn I keep a number of the NOAA (NDBC/FSKM2) weather buoys loaded...Use these more than almost anything on the phone except the camera...

4> It takes a little bit of playing around and you will need to bookmark your favorite areas but the tide/current predictor from U of SC is great...It is at tbone.biol.sc.edu/tide

Will try to post some others when I get a chance...

I liked my Blackberry well enough. But the 2 things I end up using the most - playing music and the camera are SO much better on the iphone.

I wasn't an iphone fan until I actually had to use one per SWMBO, but now I'm pretty content with it. In the overall picture, it's no better or worse than any other "smart" phone. Well except for the camera....that kicks the Blackberry's camera's ass.

[PhilK999]

I searched the tide app Atlantis and that looks like a much better one than I had found so far.
The bouy app I use is the Chesapeake Bay Interperative Bouy System and links live to bouys from the Susky to the mouth of the bay with all the smart bouy data easily accessible, good free app.
I don't like the Weather Channels radar. I had a storm coming at me and the radar would not update, found channel 2's weather radar to update easier to show the storm as it moved closer
Forgot to mention the non fishing apps Facebook, YouTube, Skype, and Shazam
I keep my phone on my hip on a belt looped phone holder that the phone fits tight in with a Velcro flap so it does not fall out. Once on the boat it get hooked to my radio and stays in my electronics box high safe and dry.