May 12, 2010 12:25
Coastal Explorer and MaxSea Time Zero use the NOAA vector charts too. For a great many harbors in the US, excellent detail is provided. My blog gives some shots of different places - not cherry picked - and for many, the data is better than the corresponding raster chart.
There are many providers of nautical chart data and any of these apps can certainly be expanded to include additional charts. I think you'll see that happen over time. And again, a lot depends on the intended use. As a tide an current display, nothing beats Navionics in my opinion.
I still think that quilted, seamless display and chart rotation are the features that most boaters will demand. When they pay for an app and find out that it only shows the single chart in the default orIentation with no rotation at all, many will stop using it. If Apple allowed refunds, I think there would be quite a few requests.
There are many providers of nautical chart data and any of these apps can certainly be expanded to include additional charts. I think you'll see that happen over time. And again, a lot depends on the intended use. As a tide an current display, nothing beats Navionics in my opinion.
I still think that quilted, seamless display and chart rotation are the features that most boaters will demand. When they pay for an app and find out that it only shows the single chart in the default orIentation with no rotation at all, many will stop using it. If Apple allowed refunds, I think there would be quite a few requests.