Sorry I'm so late. PC issues. THE FUGAWI LIVES!
Further apologies for the bad pic, but if you zoom in, you will see I was in the middle of a speed run. Only 28.8 mph today.
Here's the rundown on the software. I have been using it for 4 or 5 outings so far.
Positives:
Reasonable price.
Easy to learn. Simple install.
GPS fix has been bulletproof so far, even in a brutal storm (another story). It kinda saved my bacon that day.
Takes any chart (Navionics Gold, Platinum, Platinum Plus, free NOAA charts, Fugawi charts and more)
3D capabilities are amazing for the fishing fanatics. I'll post a shot when my PC is happier.
Nice big screen compared to the expensive GPS units.
Mouse operation ruled compared to punching thru menus. Even my touchpad was better than tapping buttons all day.
Also, if you zoom in, you will see a miniature window of Windows Media Player. I now have about 3000 albums of R&R on board. Time to start making some playlists.
Last but not least, I am running a PC on the boat! I get WiFi at a few of the resorts, so expect some live updates.
Negatives:
Screen on my cheapie netbook was a bit dim in the bright sunlight. Note I built a hood for it and it is now quite acceptable. The hood easily folds down and stows neatly on the netbook. Ductape and Velcro rule!
Some of the goodies that I loved on my old Lowrance unit are unavailable. Things like selectable data, data size, data transparency, data location. To translate, this means putting a large speed reading or clock wherever I want on the screen and making it opaque so that I can still see the map right thru them.
Refresh rate wasn't perfect, but my eeePC netbook (1G speed, !G ram, XP) is kind of at the bottom of the line. The map mostly kept up when I made fast maneuvers, but I was spoiled on the Lowrance. It never was so bad that I drove off the map, so I can live with it. A quicker machine would probably solve it. I think it also depends on the complexity of the chart, and I am running Navionics platinum which has INCREDIBLE detail.
I am concerned about vibration on the netbook, so I am going to put some sort of shock absorption under it.
Overall, I give it an A-This partly because of cost savings.
If I had to rate it strictly on the software, I would give it a B+
Now you know.
