[Dan Evans]

Motion X is a great program but the compass only works with the 3gs which already has a compass built in.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by K1W1

Motion X GPS

JWY, be advised that the Motion X Compass only has full functionality on the 3GS iPhone. On the previous gen (the 3G) it only gives a heading when in motion. If you're standing still and looking for North the 3G won't be of any use.

My picks for useful apps:

Weather Eye - from theweathernetwork.com
Trapster - just got it yesterday... mostly useful but could definitely use some improvements
Google Earth
Motion X GPS - better than GPS Kit for the most part, but occasionally causes the phone to reboot for no apparent reason
GPS Kit - a more stable GPS option
Accufuel
Dynolicious
Inrix Traffic - pretty accurate, but I haven't had a chance to use it much outside of my home area
X-Plane iPhone Racing - The best flight sim on the iPhone and the racing aspect makes it competitive too. I love this one.
FStream - Listen to internet radio feeds. I use it to listen to online feeds of races all over the world.
iHandy Level -

[Seafarer]

Originally Posted by NYCAP123

Do you mind my asking what kind of phone bill that generates each month. A guy recently told me that it costs him $40 a month for internet access plus his regular bill, plus whatever for apps (although some are free).

The apps I listed are purchased with a one-time fee, though some apps on the phone are free (yes, there are some timewasters on there as well).

There is basic phone service, plus $30 per iPhone (unlimited data), plus a fee for unlimited text. I've got 2 phones on my plan, one for me and one for the person I have going out to shoots so I don't have to, and my plan is discounted through professional affiliations. I don't know what the total charge would be for a single phone plan at full price.

That brings up another point for everyone on iPhones... AT&T has a very liberal discount program, they offer discounts from 5% to 20% based on affiliations you may have with companies or professional organizations or volunteerism. This discount applies to activation, monthly service plans, and add-ons to plans. You should ask if you qualify.

[NYCAP123]

Originally Posted by JWY

Most of the apps I download are either free or cheap ($.99-1.99).

My usual monthly AT&T bill is for 2 cell phones w/1400 min + package incl free nites/wknds, etc, 50mb for iPhone, & 200 text messages: $170-195.

However, I just got my bill that included a month's worth of roaming charges while in Canada: $1,587!! I knew there would be roaming charges so I was "careful", but holy mackerel, I was in Canada, not Antarctica!

Judy

Thanks for the info. More $ than I'm willing to give, but not outrageous. Except for that roaming bill . Sure it wasn't the bill for your mortgage payment . I remember when I was a kid with a girl in Ca. and we got a phone bill of $100. That's when I had to learn how to pick locks. $1,587? I'd be ducking buckshot. Thanks again.

[Kevin]

Yeah the whole US-Canada roaming deal is a shaft. All the providers have partnership deals with their counterparts across the border, so charging those exorbitant fees is pure profiteering.

[Seafarer]

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.

[JWY]

Originally Posted by Seafarer

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.

I know that gimmick and was careful. My charges were primarily roaming for phone calls.

Judy

[YachtForums]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Yeah the whole US-Canada roaming deal is a shaft. All the providers have partnership deals with their counterparts across the border, so charging those exorbitant fees is pure profiteering.

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.

[Dan Evans]

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

[JWY]

YachtForums and you guys are the greatest!!

I called AT&T to ask about the discounts to which Seafarer posted. None of the organizations that I requested were on their discount list. But I did let them know about the thread on the roaming rates and they looked at my bill and saw that I had requested a Canadian calling plan that was never implemented. I will get a $220 credit on my next bill

I'm calling back tomorrow to see if I can get some of my organizations on their discount list.

I'll treat to beers (again) at FLIBS!

Judy

[NYCAP123]

Originally Posted by JWY

YachtForums and you guys are the greatest!!

I called AT&T to ask about the discounts to which Seafarer posted. None of the organizations that I requested were on their discount list. But I did let them know about the thread on the roaming rates and they looked at my bill and saw that I had requested a Canadian calling plan that was never implemented. I will get a $220 credit on my next bill

I'm calling back tomorrow to see if I can get some of my organizations on their discount list.

I'll treat to beers (again) at FLIBS!

Judy

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.

[Seafarer]

Originally Posted by NYCAP123

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.

[Capt Bill11]

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.

[activecaptain]

There are so many fantastic apps for the iPhone. Many are non-boating ones that greatly improve your cruising experience. Some are specifically for boating. Here are a few that I have and use (free and paid):

AroundMe (free) - this app provides distances and locations of various categories of need. Want to know where the closest pharmacy is? AroundMe will tell you.

Navionics Mobile ($9.99/US region - large regions) - you you have an iPhone and don't have this product, stop reading this posting and go buy it now. As a chartplotter, it is sort of OK. It'll get better. What is outstanding about it is the tide and current handling. I use it every time our boat is moving. I also have iNavX which I'm not so fond of - I find iNavX to be one of the most antagonistic apps I've ever used. I makes me want to throw my iPhone into the water. Navionics is different. Before you pay for another tide app (I have), just get this. It does tides and has a nice chart browser.

HanDBase ($10 or so) - an excellent non-boating tool for creating databases of information about your boat. I have the following databases: Projects, Captain's Log, Engine Room Log, Fuel Log, Maintenance, Parts Database, and Spares - I put these databases together myself. I go to it multiple times a day. It reminds me when there's a maintenance items to do and gives me a place to log that I've done it. It keeps track of every passage we've ever made (what did we think of the trip between Coinjock and Belhaven 2 years ago?). I've been using something similar since the day I got my current boat and have every hour logged, every part serial number in my pocket. It is a lifesaver.

BuoyData ($2) - a nice tool for quickly getting buoy reports. Sure, you can use the NOAA web site but this saves a lot of time and is easier to use when underway.

Swellinfo ($2) - basic swell data for the US coastline. Most of the coastal NOAA forecasts are for "out 20 nm" or more. Often the weather is much different closer to shore where most of us actually travel. Swellinfo is a nice app that accesses their web site to provide information nearshore swell info quickly. We use it when moving along the NJ coast - it's well worth the $2.

Google Earth (free) - no need to describe. Get it.

Speedtest (free) - a nice way to quantitatively see the connection speed of your iPhone (then update that information to ActiveCaptain so everyone will have it for the anchorage or marina you're staying at!).

Skype (free) - no need to describe it. Get it for WiFi phone use. When you're at Nippers in the Bahamas, you can now make calls anywhere for "free".

Planets (free) - explore the sky at night. Allows you to answer the question, "what's that up there?"

Stars (free) - similar to Planets.

[Capt Bill11]

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.