T&T: a killer good shirt pocket chartplotter

[Gary Bell]

I bought this application for my iPhone, it is nothing short of amazing 
(usual disclaimers, enthusiastic new user only):

http://www.inavx.net/

Far too many capabilities for me to describe fully here.  Includes:  
works with all the free US raster charts, which it downloads in just  a 
moment each at the touch of a fingertip (freshly corrected with NM each 
week, I think).  Lots of other chart formats and countries available to 
instantly download (for a fee).  AIS (plotted and an info panel with 
twelve data items per contact shown).  GRIB weather plots.  Tides, nav 
aids, light lists, facility lists, etc., both plotted and listed.  All 
on the iPhone touch screen -- pinch zoom, sweep and all.  Able to 
download/upload or freshly plot waypoints, WP lists and routes.  A 
really nice instrument panel, with graphic compass with course to 
waypoint indicated, COG, SOG, and all sorts of other stuff shown.  
Determines position from internal GPS, 3G cell tower & wifi.  Wifi links 
with some laptop nav programs too.  The only things it doesn't have, by 
my reckoning, are a radar overlay or a 12 inch screen.  Daylight 
viewable.  Completely portable.  Incidentally, it still does all the 
other things iPhones do, although not every function all at once.  I 
even found a workable SEXTANT app!

My iPhone is now a far more sophisticated and capable chartplotter than 
my couple of year old Raymarine,
iNavX costs $49.95.  I spent maybe 5 BU on the Raymarine. 
I bought it directly from my iPhone and the program downloaded to the 
phone in just about a minute.
This is the first iPhone app which does this, from the 35,000 listed 
today.  I expect competition soon. 
Program vetted by Apple -- released 17 May '09.  Not a beta release. 
Promises of additional upgrades, charts and features to come.

Kewl
Mister Science, aka Gary Bell