ANDROID-GPS ESSENTIALS FOR SMARTPHONES

[sinbad7]

Having recently aquired a Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone I have been doing a lot of searching around for interesting and useful Android navigation apps.

"GPS Essentials" is a ´Swiss Knife Tool` for the navigator,displaying a wealth of information of great value to safe navigation. Although,strictly speaking not a navigations program,it can all the same import/export tracks and WPT´s and display your GPS derived position continuously on a Google street map.

The program is free and under constant development and other great features will be added. It has the most advanced compass and satellite display I have ever seen.

Tore

[SailingwithSoul]

Thanks for the tip. I'm a big believer in "If it's for free, then it's for me"

I just downloaded it and I'll give it a try.

Cheers & Happy Sailing

[barnakiel]

There is a neat Danish app that interfaces with onboard AIS and shows the ships. I think named iRegatta or something like this.

b.

[speedoo]

Free is great, as long as it helps in any way with navigation. Will give it a shot.

[Pblais]

For Andriod MxMariner is a great tool. Not free but $6.95 is almost free. There is limited global coverage.

[sinbad7]

As a safety backup to our electronic nav system, GPS Essentials also have an additional bearing compass smartly built into the camera viewer with a central target finder,quite ingenious really. You can even take a photo of the bearings.

Would be a good supplement to the planned DR plugin for OpenCPN.

Tore

[insalt72]

It is a cool free app, I use it so I can see satellite location and strength more easy than on navionics app.
Very nice stuff...

[Cormorant]

For the bearing compass in GPS Essentials, or any other phone bearing compass app (like Smart Compass, my favorite), it really helps to calibrate your phone's electronic compass. Just slowly rotate your phone twice around each of its three axes. Takes about 10 seconds. Makes a big difference in accuracy.