iNavX Marine Navigation Mobile App v4.7.4
$49.95, chart prices range from $9.99 to $249.99; www.inavx.com
● The makers of the iNavX marine navigation mobile app have improved its function and practicality to make the data that boaters need more accessible. The app, introduced in 2008, brought a variety of cartography sources to Apple iOS iPhones and iPads.
● Much of what’s improved about the app is something boaters will never actually see: the back-end software architecture has been modernized and streamlined. This is noteworthy because it means the program will run more smoothly on the device and provide a more fluid experience.
● One of the features that has always set iNavX apart from other mobile navigation apps is its ability to use a variety of cartography sources, including Navionics, X-Traverse, Explorer, and Theyr.com, and that continues in the latest version. The new app will offer a real-time update to the list of available X-Traverse charts, a response to feedback from users.
● The background tracking and recording functions have been improved, resulting in better performance, according to iNavX. As always, users can manipulate the charts by panning, zooming, and rotating.
● The app also can incorporate NMEA data via TCP/IP, meaning a boater can use an external GPS, and connect and display data from an AIS transceiver and onboard instruments.
Benefit Analysis: As navigation apps improve, the smartphone or tablet that boaters bring on board becomes a navigation tool and a backup system. The computing power, GPS source, and network connection are all there already, why not use them?
This article originally appeared in the October 2016 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
