Newsletter #27 - February 15, 2010

ActiveCaptain Loves MaxSea/Furuno...


In This Issue:

- We Love MaxSea/Furuno Time Zero
- Android Beta Testers Wanted (iPhone already covered)
- A Captain Gets Ready to Abandon Ship



We Love MaxSea/Furuno Time Zero
==========================================
In the last newsletter we said there were big things coming. Well this is it. MaxSea's incredible Time Zero charting software for Windows was shown at the Miami Boat Show with ActiveCaptain support. MaxSea is the first company accessing ActiveCaptain data for display in their own product. It's a big move for ActiveCaptain because it signifies how ActiveCaptain data is going to start spreading out into the hands of many more cruisers.

MaxSea has worked closely with us to provide exceptional support for the ActiveCaptain data. All of the data is maintained and synchronized on the PC itself - you don't need an internet connection to access all of the marina, anchorage, local knowledge, or hazard markers. That includes every review too. When you install the software, the current ActiveCaptain databases are put onto your PC. You get instant access to all of the data without an internet connection. But we've gone further with it. When you have an internet connection, MaxSea will synchronize back to the ActiveCaptain servers to update your offline data giving you the very latest details and reviews - up to the minute changes. It's the absolute best of all worlds.

Although we love MaxSea for their support of our data, we were in love before this project ever started (they had us at "hello"). Time Zero represents a new performance level for accessing raster and vector charts. You can't believe the speed of 2D and 3D zooming and panning. It has integrated weather and tide support along with a whole host of upper-end chartplotter features. There's too much to explain about it in the newsletter. Instead, here are some places to get more information and see some videos of what it looks like.

Official MaxSea information site:
http://tinyurl.com/MSTZ-info

Jeff's video from the Miami Boat Show. Eric Kunz, Furuno product manager walks through the basics of Time Zero and ActiveCaptain:
http://www.vimeo.com/9449102

Un-retouched video - this is how it actually looks even on a $400 PC:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n59S_dNcaJQ

Zooming around Greenland with different modes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIVwqEYbdE4

General video showing split screen, 3D, satellite images, instruments, etc:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au_1dEVgwTQ

MaxSea Time Zero comes with all of the NOAA vector and raster charts. It uses MapMedia cartography with excellent support for Canada, Bahamas, Caribbean, Europe, and all worldwide charts.

Here's what this means for all Captains:

- The ActiveCaptain user-base is going to grow significantly. This means that more people will be adding to the data. Although MaxSea does not currently allow updates and reviews to be added, it is promised for delivery this year. Soon you'll be able to write reviews in MaxSea and they'll be synchronized up to the server when a synchronization takes place. And all of this added content will be available everywhere with ActiveCaptain - including, of course, the free web site.

- The information you add and the reviews you write will have more impact. Our 20,000 users have appreciated the information available in ActiveCaptain. But now with the reach of ActiveCaptain expanding, your reviews will be read by many more people. You'll be helping a much larger group than ever. With MaxSea's support for Furuno's NavNet3D, the reviews you write will eventually end up on radars and chartplotters too.

Here's what this means to ActiveCaptain marinas:

- Make sure your information is current. Keep your slip and fuel pricing up-to-date. Look over the other details and make sure they fairly represent the features and capabilities of your facility. This is an excellent way to get your name in front of many more boaters as they are navigating in your waters.

- Look honestly at the reviews that have been written. If you see the same complaints occurring, work to fix them. Future reviews will reflect the changes found. We frequently see a marina's rating increase as they work to improve their facility.

- We'll be putting your marina information in front of thousands of new boaters. And guess how much this is going to cost you? Zero. And that isn't going to change.


MaxSea/Furuno Time Zero will be released with ActiveCaptain support in early March. We will be offering the software at a discounted price to our captains allowing you to purchase this powerful software for your PC while supporting the ActiveCaptain web site. We think we all win! Watch future newsletters for more information.

One thing needs to be made absolutely clear so there is no misunderstanding. The web site and all of the ActiveCaptain data will remain 100% free. Other organizations will start using our data and their products go far beyond our web site and usually cost something for the extra capabilities. But no matter what, you'll always have free access to the markers you've grown to know and love. And there won't ever be a cost to access them.



Android Beta Testers Wanted (iPhone already covered)
==========================================
We've listened to all the requests for iPhone and Android support and are about to have solutions for both. There are other developers working on some apps but we want to have a free way to access the live data. It's coming soon.

We've got the iPhone side for testing covered but could use about 5 testers for Android/Droid devices. If you have one of these devices, would like to try out the new capability in the upcoming weeks, and have at least 100 points in ActiveCaptain, please write to:
jeff@activecaptain.com



A Captain Gets Ready to Abandon Ship
==========================================
Captain Doug Gould recently read the list of ditch bag items we have aboard aCappella:
http://www.activecaptain.com/articles/misc/ditchBag.php

This prompted him to send us an article he had written about preparing to abandon ship with the suggestion that we might want to add some additional items to our list. We found the article so informative that we asked permission to include it on the ActiveCaptain site. Doug graciously agreed.

You can find Doug's full article at:
http://www.activecaptain.com/articles/misc/abandonShip.php


We have certainly enjoyed our time in Miami Beach. There's always plenty to do and lots of excitement. With the boat show over we plan on heading to the Keys for some quieter time. Don't hesitate to hail us on the VHF or knock on the boat when you see our logo. We'd love to hear from you. To find out what Dyna and Dylan are up to check out our blog:
http://takingpaws.com

Wishing everyone 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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