Friday, March 27, 2015

The Last Leg

If you've ever been a part of a sailboat race, then you know the feeling of rounding the last mark before you get to the finish line. It's a strange feeling. On one hand, it's feels good and exciting to know you're on the last leg, the finish line is in sight, and that you're getting to the end. On the other hand, you know that this leg can be the most important of the whole race, and that you're going to need to do your absolute best until you get to the finish line if you want to do well.

This feeling of excitement and rising intensity is exactly how we feel about Water Pilot.
As of this past week, we've gotten past what we think will be the last major technical hurdle in building Water Pilot. From this point onwards, our focus is going to be on polishing up the app. We'll be focusing on making the user interface better looking, making the app more pleasant to use, and ultimately making sure that the app we create is something you'll be happy to use.

This isn't to mean that from this point on we'll be kicking back and taking it easy. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Much like the last leg during a sailboat race, we're incredibly excited to see the finish line, but we're taking it just as seriously, if not more so, than the rest of the entire process. 

Don't forget to stay in touch.
We truly can't stress enough that we want to create an app that you want to use. If you have ideas, thoughts, or comments on any aspect of this app, we want to hear from you. You can get in touch with us in the following ways:
Don't hesitate to contact us, and make sure to check back here soon for more updates on Water Pilot.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Hello World!

Allow me to introduce you to the app that we've been working hard on - Water Pilot

What is Water Pilot? 
Water Pilot is an app that allows you to turn your Pebble Smart Watch into a GPS for navigation. Water Pilot will soon be available for your iPhone, and with it you will be able to get all of your navigation information on your Pebble Smart Watch.


What does Water Pilot do?
Water Pilot provides you with all of the information you would gain from a normal GPS, except it provides it to you on both your iPhone, and your Pebble Smart Watch. What information does Water Pilot give you?
  • Speed
  • VMG
  • Heading
  • Bearing
  • Time to Next Waypoint
  • Distance to Next Waypoint
  • Current position
  • And more
In addition to simply providing you with this information, Water Pilot can provide you a map of where you are, where you're going, and where you've been. This feature is great for planning your course, as well as seeing how the path you've taken compares to the path as originally planned.


How does Water Pilot do all of this for you?
Water Pilot works by making use of the GPS in your iPhone. Using that, you can have access to all of the same information you would have in a standalone handheld GPS, except without the clunky, and often difficult to use interface of a typical GPS. Using this is as simple as using an intuitive, well designed app on your phone. In addition, if you have a Pebble Smart Watch, then you can receive all of this information on your watch. All of your GPS information can be presented to you in a clean, easy to read way, without you having to look for your phone or a GPS, from anywhere on your boat. Right on your wrist.


Who is Water Pilot for? 
Water Pilot is for people who love to be on the water. 

It is for sailors, regardless of if you are on a relaxing cruise and don't want to be bothered with pulling out a GPS, or if you've just crossed the starting line with ten other boats, and can't spare the distraction of pulling out your normal GPS. When you're sailing, you want to be sailing. Not fumbling with a GPS and navigation equipment. Water Pilot allows you to avoid all of that, and allows you to get that information with a quick glance down at your wrist.

It is for jet skiers. The Pebble Smart Watch is water proof. Your phone is not. With Water Pilot, you can keep your phone safely inside a dry container, and still have access to all of your GPS information safely, and without worry.

It is for canoers and kayakers. When you're in a canoe or kayak, less is more. If you already have a watch and a phone with you, now you have a GPS too. Navigating through rivers, lakes, near coastal waters, and anywhere else you can imagine is easier with Water Pilot. No more hassling with unnecessary GPS units, and no more worrying about the possibility of getting your phone wet. Keep the phone in it's dry container, and let Water Pilot guide you.

It is for boaters of any capacity, big or small, old or new. Eliminate the hassle of getting up and installing GPS equipment on your vessel. Setting up and using Water Pilot is as easy as putting on your watch and tapping a button.


Why should you be interested in Water Pilot?
The entire team that is responsible for Water Pilot has done two things for their entire lives - boat, and create software applications. We've engaged in nearly every form of boating, such as sailing, jet skiing, canoeing, power boating, and more, as well as every type of software development, such as desktop applications, mobile applications, and web applications. What this means is that we've taken the two things we're best at, and created an app that is the culmination of that experience. We're boaters - we know what is enjoyable to use, what isn't, and what can be done to make the entire boating process better. We've combined that with over 35 years of software development experience to create an app that will make your boating experience even better. Water Pilot is an app that takes GPS navigation to the edge, in a new way, that once you use, you'll wonder how you've ever managed to live without.

When can you get it?
We're getting very close to being able to release Water Pilot, and we want it to be in your hands as quickly as you do. We'll make sure that we make more details known to you as soon as we can.

What can you do until then?
We'll be updating you regularly with details and news of Water Pilot's development and release. We've made it so that there's plenty of ways you can stay informed:
Stay in touch with us and get involved - feel free to message us on any of these platforms and let us know what you think. Have an idea for a feature? Let us know. See something that we post about the app that you don't like? Again, let us know. We want to hear from you, as we strive to make an app that will ultimately be useful to you, and be something that you can get plenty of use out of.