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Re: Off Topic: I Phone APP
By:Malcolm Schweizer
Date: 1/7/2013, 3:12 pm
In Response To: Off Topic: I Phone APP (john vanburen)

Hello, Here are a few I have loaded on the iPhone/iPad:

Aviation WX- the best detailed weather for the US and PR.

Hurricane HD- THE BEST hurricane tracking and satellite imaging map. It all comes from the NOAA database and satellites update every 30 min. I use this extensively for planning extended trips. You can turn on wind flags, high/low pressure lines, and other details- even major roads and if you live in the US county lines.

Quakes Info- Where I live we get a lot of small offshore quakes and I use it to see where quakes are happening. If I feel a quake it will tell me the epicenter and Richtor scale rating.

Star Rover- Star mapping program that uses your GPS and your gyro so when you point the phone/pad at the sky it shows you the stars you are looking at. It scrolls as you move. Great for camping and great for practicing your celestial navigation. (being able to identify stars and planets with the naked eye helps you out when you are dead reckoning- practice makes perfect)

Google Earth- check out where you went, or where you intend to go. I have even used this to find ruins of old forts in the woods not visible from shore.

MSW (Magic Seaweed)- Surfing application that gives tide and wave predictions for around the world- if you live on the coast. It is very accurate. We use it daily and compare it to our own forecasts using data buoy and weather patterns.

Guitar Toolkit- Hey, not really a kayaking app, but if you play guitar this is a must-have. It turns your iPhone into a tuner for guitar, mandolin, 6/12 string, bass, and it has chords that you can hear with the click of a button and gives fingering for the chords. If you carry a travel guitar on your outings it's great to have a tuner on your iPhone.

Skype- again this isn't something you will use kayaking, but if you are an adventure traveller it's an affeewesome tool to be able to make phonecalls (and video calls) from the hotel or a coffee shop that has internet access. I travel almost weekly and this saves me a ton- $14.00 to connect to the net is better than $14 per minute (yes per minute- I have seen it at some hotels) to make an international call home. Often a coffee shop, bar, or restaurant will give you their wifi password if you buy something and you can connect free.

Shop Math- This one I don't use too much because I am a firm believer in using my brain instead of a calculator, but I do use it to get conversions from metric to imperial or US, and it has a board foot calculator. Ther'es also a level that uses your phone/pad's gyro to figure out level and figure out angles of slope. It also does fractional math. Again, I do this in my head most of the time, but if I have a bunch of wierd fractions to add up or to convert to decimal I might use it.

Home Depot- Free app. What I love is you can scan an item and it will give you the price and it will show you how many are on hand at your store. (Or enter the item info and it will do the same.) My HD is very good about pricing stuff, but whenever I can't find a price I just scan it. Also if there is a sale and I want to go home and think about it before buying (Like the 12" Dewalt Miter Saw for $399) I can look and see how many are on hand and know how big of a chance there is that they might sell out.

Translate- There are many called "Translate" The one I am referring to has an image of a face made of flags of various countries as the icon. What I love about this one is you can talk into it and it translates what you said to many different languages. What I don't like is it has to be connected to the net to do it.

Last thing: Get an Otter Box!!!

Messages In This Thread

Off Topic: I Phone APP
john vanburen -- 1/6/2013, 11:12 pm
Re: Off Topic: I Phone APP
Mike Bielski -- 1/7/2013, 9:21 am
Re: Off Topic: I Phone APP
John VanBuren -- 1/7/2013, 6:12 pm
Re: Off Topic: I Phone APP
Mike Bielski -- 1/8/2013, 10:20 am
Re: Off Topic: I Phone APP
Reg Lake -- 1/7/2013, 11:27 am
Re: Off Topic: I Phone APP
Malcolm Schweizer -- 1/7/2013, 3:12 pm
Re: Off Topic: I Phone APP
Charles Robinson -- 1/7/2013, 4:02 pm