Newsletter #7 - June 15, 2008

Mad Mariner


Mad Mariner Highlights Smartphones on Boats
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The daily online boating magazine, Mad Mariner (www.madmariner.com) will begin it's newest series, "Using a Mobile Phone Aboard Your Boat" starting Monday, June 16th. The multi-part series will run through the summer and looks at how you can use a smartphone on your boat to improve your enjoyment and safety.

So who could possibly be foolhardy enough to tackle this complex and rapidly changing topic? Well, that would be us. Now why would we choose to do this? Gosh, partly because we were invited to, but mainly to provide a comprehensive resource for virtually all aspects of using a smartphone on a boat.

We will be covering how a smartphone has become an invaluable tool on our cruises; how to ensure you have mobile phone coverage from even remote locations; what applications and websites you will find most useful and most usable on a smartphone; and we'll offer information to help you select which smartphone to buy. There will be a forum available for you to ask questions and make comments.

The first article will appear on the Mad Mariner site Monday, June 16th with additional articles appearing on subsequent Mondays. Each article will appear on the Home Page for the first few days. The series will have its own starting page thereafter. You can read the article for free the day it is published. After that, you will need to be registered to access the series. There's a free 30-day trial available. A one-year subscription with access to the entire site is $16.50.

We've been subscribers to Mad Mariner for a while now and find it to be an excellent source of boating news and information. Their extensive coverage is unique. When they cover a topic, they don't merely touch on it but really go in depth. Our 3 month series of articles is an example of the completeness given to a particular topic. So check out the series!


ActiveCaptain Mobile for Windows Mobile Goes Beta
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The Windows Mobile version of ActiveCaptain Mobile is now starting beta testing! For those new to ActiveCaptain, ActiveCaptain Mobile is a companion product to the ActiveCaptain website. ActiveCaptain Mobile runs on mobile phones displaying real NOAA charts that can be overlaid with ActiveCaptain markers using an Internet connection.

ActiveCaptain Mobile offers some unique and valuable capabilities. Alone, it provides access to every NOAA chart in the US for trip planning or chart viewing. Coupled with a GPS, ActiveCaptain Mobile acts as a chartplotter providing you with a backup to your onboard system, a portable chartplotter for your dinghy, and a reference tool when you go ashore. With an Internet data plan on your phone, you can overlay markers, details, and reviews from the ActiveCaptain website, giving you a powerful chartplotter and guidebook on your mobile phone.

The new software is working as a chartplotter and is ready for user testing. If you use a Windows Mobile phone and are interested in being a beta tester, please email jeff@activecaptain.com.


Anchorages
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With fuel prices continuing to soar, there are more and more boaters looking for ways to shave their cruising costs. And we all know one way we can save is by using our anchors more often. So let's help each other save those pennies and enter more of your favorite anchorages. We know we have found some spectacular spots from our fellow Captains! Consider writing reviews for the anchorages you've used. That will give other people more information about what can be expected as they look for a place to spend the night.

Another similar way we can help each other is by publishing fuel prices as you find them. Many of you are already doing this but we can always use more up-to-date information. Let each other know who has the best price. And who knows, maybe the added competition will bring the prices down, or at least hold them steady!


We thank you for your continued support of ActiveCaptain. The site continues to grow with over 7,000 registered users, and tens of thousands of marinas, anchorages, local knowledge markers and user provided reviews. You have made ActiveCaptain the most visited living guidebook on the web.


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Karen and Jeffrey Siegel
aCappella
Castine, Maine

www.activecaptain.com
The Interactive Cruising Guidebook

2010-02-23	#28 - ActiveCaptain "X" is now live
2010-02-15	#27 - ActiveCaptain Loves MaxSea/Furuno
2010-01-19	#26 - ActiveCaptain 2010
2009-12-10	#25 - ActiveCaptain X goes beta
2009-11-17	#24 - Quick Lists
2009-10-20	#23 - A fresh look at the iPhone
2009-09-22	#22 - Are we the wave of the future?
2009-08-19	#21 - ActiveCaptain Sets Sail
2009-07-21	#20 - Rescue Tape for 150 Points
2009-07-14	#19 - ActiveCaptain Rocks!
2009-07-01	#18 - ActiveCaptain Gets a Facelift
2009-06-02	#17 - Another ActiveCaptain award!
2009-05-19	#16 - Hats off to you!
2009-05-06	#15 - Twitter, New PodCast, and more
2009-03-17	#14 - Using phones in the Bahamas
2009-03-03	#13 - The best fuel prices
2009-01-28	#12 - SAIL innovation award
2009-01-05	#11 - Power accessories article
2008-12-02	#10 - Bluetooth headsets article
2008-10-28	#9 - The next wave
2008-09-13	#8 - ActiveCaptain Mobile news
2008-06-15	#7 - Mad Mariner
2008-03-12	#6 - ActiveCaptain Mobile
2008-01-21	#5 - Inlets
2007-09-19	#4 - Boat ramps
2007-07-09	#3 - Local knowledge released
2007-04-14	#2 - Global support
2007-02-11	#1 - Anchorages released

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