14 March 2011 – 14 March 2024, a birthday (¹) which does not fall round, but a performance worth saluting ! What was just a Startup in the early days of the use of tablets and smartphones in navigation is now a company with a long history (²). Dominique Gauthier, its founder and manager, has participated for more than ten years in securing our iPads by becoming the exclusive importer for France of the famous cases aiShell (Originally “iPad Case”). Designed and manufactured in Germany, Waterproof and robust properties that no longer need to be demonstrated, with a wide range of supports and accessories to meet all needs at sea. Read more …
Category : Accessories
Heat wave ? How to refrigerate your iPad
My friends Christiane and Jochen Lührs are the proud owners of a superb classic ketch German building, Socorro, with which they regularly cross the west European coasts. Fully built of solid woodin 1951, they maintain her with meticulous care, after many navigations from Norway to Scotland, and Europe to the West Indies.
In stopover a few days ago in Vannes, I had the great pleasure to visit them. I knew Jochen when he was the German translator of iNavX, now a fan of Weather4D. I finally got to visit their magnificent boat, which attracted more than a glance along the quay, with its perfect polish, its gleaming stainless steel, its masts Spruce, and impressive wheelhouse. I have also discovered an amazing invention… Read more …
Navigate with mobile Hi-Fi music
If you navigate with an iPad and enjoy mobile navigation, and if you like listening to music for dancing on the waves, you may be interested in Mobile Hi-Fi.
The well-known manufacturer Bose designed small Bluetooth speaker, the SoundLink MicroBT, compact and fully waterproof, perfectly suited for mobile use, and therefore the boat. I tested and adopted.
Christmas shopping at the Nautic Paris
For the first time since 5 years I'm not moving to the Paris Nautic boat show. And for the first time I do so not "stuck" ten hours per day on a stand of 9 m². And so for the first time I take the time to be interested - remotely, without jostling, without air conditioning, without Paris pollution - to products having a relationship with my field of investigation and which have caught my attention.
Some relate to security, other useful accessories, all have to do with mobile devices, smartphones or tablets, and some are truly innovative.
Read more …
Garmin and gadgets for geeks
In 2013 recreational GPS leader has designed the Quatix®, a GPS watch waterproof allowing boaters to display on their wrist all data of their navigation devices, Garmin of course, equipped with Wi-Fi/Bluetooth owner hot-spot. This nice thing, provided with a 3-axis compass, a barometer and altimeter, was particularly innovative. I do not know if it is all the rage among users of the brand devices, but the fact is that the concept was precursor - it was a time before the arrival of the Apple Watch - and that walk on his wrist in all location of the boat data from the instruments, with a neat graphic display and vibration alerts, may be safe. And more, the Quatix ® gives the time !
Still stronger, Garmin recurrence in the range of the connected objects in announcing the display Nautix™ In-view Display, comes featured a pair of glasses to display data on the edge of the glass. Not yet of augmented reality, but on approach.
Recharge mobile phones on board
This summer, It's decided, We rent a large catamaran in family ! Finally, would be better to say "in extended family. : four adults, two older teens + their respective boyfriend-girlfriend + a child of 11 years ago. It has thought of everything : journey, victualling, clothing, Sun creams, sunglasses, caps, masks and snorkels, fishing lines… about ! A week before our departure, the skipper has whispered :
-You thought to charge phones ?
There, a silence, then the response :
-UH, isn't it, what for ?
-You will be new on board, It's been so many smartphones and certainly half of tablets… and there are only two plugs cigarette lighter on the boat !
-Damn…
iPadNav.fr devient iTabNav.fr
The 14 March 2011 I had announce the opening of an e-commerce website focused in accessories, mounts and connexion devices dedicated to iPhone and iPad for marine navigation : iPadNav.fr. Since then, its founder and I have maintained a close collaboration, our complementary actions to make an effective response to all new users of these wonderful tools suitable for nautical activities. Many of you were able to meet me on several occasions on his stand, both the Grand Pavois de La Rochelle and the Paris Nautic boat show.
After three years of existence, Dominique Gauthier company has grown considerably, at the point of wanting to expand its offer to other users than boating : outdoor sports, hiking, trekking, fitness, and all the leisure time activities for which many targeted applications are now available, so much for Apple devices than for the market growth of Android devices.
Thus, iPadNav has announced in a press release the change of name of its website in iTabNav.fr July 1 2014, in a desire to open his offers to all useful accessories for tablets and smartphones, regardless of brand or operating system, and for all leisure activities.
Hope that this new extended offering meet the same success as for leisure boating and sailing, because iTabNav.fr will offer on a unique french website of the specialized products scattered on multiple foreign websites. With service and a local french support as a bonus.
Protections for iPad (4)
I've already written the greatest good that I think about waterproof casesaiShell by Andres Industrie for iPad(¹). It remains for me the top of the protection in all weather conditions, at sea and ashore. Bulky and quite expensive, certainly, but added to the cost of an iPad will always remain 3 up to 5 times cheaper than a chartplotter for navigation, therefore useless for anything else. iPad, itself, continue to serve you home, and prepare future trips.
I can not resist the urge to spread this video by Dominique Gauthier during our trip to the Balearic this summer. For iPadNav not only sell accessories, he tests it ! Used as test our many tablets taken on board for three weeks cruise, No worry !
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(¹) Protections for iPad (2).
The aiShell waterproof case for iPad Mini
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The aiShell waterproof case for iPad Mini
This time, it came up ! The new waterproof case for iPad Mini by Andres Industries, to whom we owe the famous iPad Case, is finally available.
Smaller, lighter, more discreet, but equally robust, it is ideal for protecting your iPad Mini on boat, on beach, under the rain or in the desert (¹). With this funny name " aiShell " , literally "Shell Andres Industries", The manufacturer offers a box containing all the tricks of the big brother for iPad : a waterproof power connector, windows for cameras, adaptation to existing REM mounts. He even added two retractable legs for easy use on a flat surface. A very German design. Read more …
Mirror iPad screen… in the cabin. [Update]
Hey yes, this is the world upside down ! At the beginning of iPad use in a boat, the tablet was used to capture the screen of a PC fixed to a chart table for display applications such as MaxSea in the cockpit. The solution was - and still is - widely used. But since I'm working with some colleagues to show that the iPad is capable of providing a fully autonomous navigation solution (¹), these tablets are increasingly installed in a fixed position in the cockpit.
Once attached and connected to a power tight, on a wheel column or close to the tiller, disassemble the iPad may seem tedious to spend a few minutes inside the cabin. The solution would it not mirror its screen to display on a single PC screen via WiFi, in order to monitor the progress of the boat on the electronic chart while we are active in the galley ?
[Update 24/08/2020]