Joining the 21st century- must-have apps?

Furnari · Post by **Furnari** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 10:53 am

My job provided me a nextel / phone for the last 10+ years, and it was so limited I couldn't even text with it. But hey, free is free. Long story short, they're now paying for data service on a shiny new iphone 4s 64gb. Now that I've gotten over the lack of a retractable antenna, I've started downloading some apps. I've got Navioncs to cover tides, currents, etc, and some of the basics like a barcode reader, flashlight, and a Nike running app. Any other suggestions- dive related or not?

Zen Diver · Post by **Zen Diver** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 12:37 pm

I really like the Kindle app, if I'm stuck waiting I always have something to read.

NWBoiler · Post by **NWBoiler** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 8:06 pm

I am w/ Val 100% on the kindle app! It's a must have!

Sent from my iPhone using my fat fingers....

Joshua Smith · Post by **Joshua Smith** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 8:17 pm

Zen Diver wrote:I really like the Kindle app, if I'm stuck waiting I always have something to read.

Yep. I didn't think I would enjoy reading books on my cellphone, but....I do.

spatman · Post by **spatman** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 8:22 pm

Are you looking for iPhone or Android apps?

ArcticDiver · Post by **ArcticDiver** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 9:14 pm

OK, educate me please.

I've downloaded and tried a couple of "apps". Frankly, I didn't see their value. They seemed to be a hokey way to do what I was already doing with Bookmarks/Favorites. Mostly they were slower and clunkier than just going direct from the browser. So, why put this extra thingy in the chain? Pretty?

sitkadiver · Post by **sitkadiver** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 1:35 am

A couple of my friends have Starmap or Starmap Pro. Both are great fun. You can hold the phone up to the sky and it gives you a labeled version of the stars in the night sky. Like a digital planisphere is how I would describe it. As you turn, the screen moves to match the sky. I could spend hours playing with that app, and so far, everyone I know has loved it.

Zen Diver · Post by **Zen Diver** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 7:46 pm

ArcticDiver wrote:OK, educate me please.

I've downloaded and tried a couple of "apps". Frankly, I didn't see their value. They seemed to be a hokey way to do what I was already doing with Bookmarks/Favorites. Mostly they were slower and clunkier than just going direct from the browser. So, why put this extra thingy in the chain? Pretty?

Depends on the app. Some are little more than a bookmark, others are tools in and of themselves. For instance, I have a great app I use at work called Neuro Toolkit. It's contains all kinds of neurology assessment scales, trackers etc. There are gas/mix calculators out there, tide apps, knot apps etc that are scuba related as well. Search around, see if anything suits your fancy.

KneeDeep · Post by **KneeDeep** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 10:22 pm

What is a good tide table for diving app on the iPhone?

Furnari · Post by **Furnari** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 7:32 pm

Good question on the tide app. I've just used Navionics, but it only lets you look a few days out. If I'm planning further out than that I'm on my laptop so it hasn't been a problem.

Speaking of Navionics, I used it over the weekend to pick out a dive site offshore out of Newport. Pretty slick- found some interesting topography and drove the boat right to it. The indicated depths were within a foot of our fishfinder, which was reassuring. For other apps, I followed the advice above and got Kindle as well as another e-reader that my local library uses to check out e-books. I also got iDiveplanner but haven't used it much.

viperwsu · Post by **viperwsu** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 6:05 pm

Tapatalk for NW Dive Club Boards is a good one.
Mortplayer for audio books is a recent discovery of mine, good for long solo drives.
There's a dive log app that interfaces with the Divelog software.
I like Cool Reader for books. Kindle only uses books from amazon (afaik), but cool reader is free, and can show most types of ebook formats.

Although most of the above is for android - just saw that you have an iPhone. Some might be available for both, I know Tapatalk is.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk 2

Northwest Dive Club