Newsletter #21 - August 19, 2009

ActiveCaptain Sets Sail...


In This Issue:

- Watch for the ActiveCaptain logo
- What's next?
- Verizon opens Samsung Omnia GPS
- We're off...



Watch for the ActiveCaptain logo
=================================
Last week our boat, aCappella, got a new addition. The ActiveCaptain logo is now proudly displayed both port and starboard. For a peek go to our blog:
http://takingpaws.blogspot.com

Sign Language in Bucksport, Maine made the two signs for us and did a fantastic job. We never even had to meet the owner, doing all our communications via phone and email. We put the logos on the boat ourselves following their instructions, and we think it looks pretty darn good! If you need any lettering or logos for your boat we urge to to check them out:
http://www.signlanguagegraphics.com



What's Next?
=================================
We love hearing from you. Whether it's a compliment, a suggestion, or a question, you help guide us to what the cruising community needs. By far, the most frequently asked question is when are you going to have (fill in your wish)? The most common requests have involved the Apple iPhone and the Blackberry. It's time to give you an update on our plans.

Our first goal is to complete the X Preview user-interface and put that in place of The Interactive Guidebook tab. There are some additional enhancements and testing needed before it can be released but we're not far away from it. If you haven't seen X Preview yet, please check it out - especially the nautical chart support.

Next we have some exciting new apps in the works for the iPhone. We've taken our own cruising experiences and combined them with your input to create some unique applications aimed at cruisers. We'll be tackling Blackberry after iPhone - probably in 2010. For phone use on boats, our general advice today is to move toward Windows Mobile or the iPhone. We'll be updating our iPhone article soon to talk about the new capabilities in version 3.0 of the iPhone OS and the new iPhone 3GS.



Verizon opens Samsung Omnia GPS
=================================
Verizon has a nasty habit of locking the GPS on their high-end phones so they only work with their $10/month navigation product. This has caused issues with many Verizon ActiveCaptain Mobile users forcing them to obtain an additional Bluetooth GPS. Well, there's finally good news. Verizon has released a ROM update for the Samsung Omnia that unlocks the GPS. There are many ActiveCaptain Mobile users with this phone. If you're one of them, check out:
http://tinyurl.com/ACM-OMNIA



We're off...
=================================
This week we hope to untie the lines, pull in the fenders, and head south. The past couple of weeks have been a blur of preparing the boat and readying the house all while trying to keep up with the ActiveCaptain web site. We want to thank you for your patience when we've taken a bit longer than usual to update information or get back to your questions. Our hope is to have the opportunity to meet many of our East Coast users.

You can keep good track of where we are from our blog:
http://takingpaws.blogspot.com

Our cruising will take us to the Chesapeake for September and October; Brunswick, GA for November and December, then onto the Exuma chain of the Bahamas, Cuba (possibly), Turks and Caicos (possibly), and Dominican Republic (possibly). Let us know when you're near so we can meet up if possible - it'll most certainly be at an ActiveCaptain anchorage!

Wishing us all calm seas.


==================================
Karen and Jeffrey Siegel
aCappella
Castine, Maine

www.activecaptain.com
The Interactive Cruising Guidebook

2010-07-21	#35 - My Card, messaging, and more...
2010-06-29	#34 - New ActiveCaptain award...
2010-06-02	#33 - MaxSea Time Zero v1.9 Released
2010-05-18	#32 - ActiveCaptain loves the iPhone/iPad
2010-04-27	#31 - Coastal Explorer Now Available
2010-04-14	#30 - ActiveCaptain Loves Coastal Explorer
2010-03-16	#29 - ActiveCaptain Co-Ops - This is big...
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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