Smart Phone Technology - A new opportunity for ice fishing electronics?

[bk_MN_iceman]

Guys, I've had this thought before, Just wondering if anyone else thinks this would be cool.

So we have GPS on smart phones allowing us to access tools such as Navionics Lake Maps. I wonder how far out being able to attach a camera or ducer to your phone and running an app for those as well?

Could a smart phone (or tablet) be the next universal tool for ice fishing?

[brian6715]

There already is a floating transducer made for smart phones. You toss it out in the summer and it gives you the depth, I think it's used mostly by shore fishermen.

My main concern with any of this technology is that they need to improve battery life greatly before it is actually a legitimate option

[Shane Z]

I own the Navionics US/Canada app on my iPhone and I absolutely love it. Updates on various lakes seem frequent, and the ability to mark spots, and create routes is just plain awesome (especially for the price). I doubt we will ever see the day for a sonar/underwater camera capable phone due to the amount of "juice" it takes to run them. The Navionics app chews my phone battery up pretty fast, especially if the battery gets below room temp. Just my 2 cents anyways.

[amateurfishing]

love the idea but 3 musts first

1. improve battery life

2. make device work in sub zero conditions

3. make device waterproof

[MNCPRGUY]

Battery life will improve and already is. I just upgraded to the Droid RAZR Maxx HD and the battery life is insane! I am easily getting 12 hours running GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi and a ton of apps.

Waterproof is as easy as an Otter case. They have made them for cameras for years.

As far as the temps go, I haven't had any problems but I'm generally in a porty.

Seems to me like the technology already exists. Just need some entreprenurial mind to make it happen!

[brian6715]

Battery life will improve and already is. I just upgraded to the Droid RAZR Maxx HD and the battery life is insane! I am easily getting 12 hours running GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi and a ton of apps.

The only reason the MAXX gets good battery life is the actual physical size of the battery as compared to a standard RAZR... it's really not an actual improvement in technology

[CJH]

The only reason the MAXX gets good battery life is the actual physical size of the battery as compared to a standard RAZR... it's really not an actual improvement in technology

But its an improvement in design. The physical size of the phone is only slightly thicker than the normal one. Give Motorola credit on doing it when no one else is. As mentioned, the battery life on that phone is almost double the average phone. All the concerns mentioned above are all current issues that are/will be addressed in time. To get all of it in one phone, it would be pretty costly right now.

I've had the thought and as metioned, think it will happen. It definitely help the size/weight issue when pulling a porty by hand!!!

[amateurfishing]

Battery life will improve and already is. I just upgraded to the Droid RAZR Maxx HD and the battery life is insane! I am easily getting 12 hours running GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi and a ton of apps.

Waterproof is as easy as an Otter case. They have made them for cameras for years.

As far as the temps go, I haven't had any problems but I'm generally in a porty.

Seems to me like the technology already exists. Just need some entreprenurial mind to make it happen!

need an actual waterproof phone....u cant use the phone (or apps) when inside a hard plastic case

[DTro]

I fully expect to one day be able to use my phone as an underwater camera and or flasher.

I don't think its too far away.

[Ishikawa]

love the idea but 3 musts first

1. improve battery life

2. make device work in sub zero conditions

3. make device waterproof

This would be correct for smartphones. Biggest power draw on your phone is screen usage followed by CPU/GPU usage. If you think your phone has awesome battery life try watching movies on it and see how long that will last. Better yet, run a stress test and leave the screen on and see how long your battery lasts. Also, capacitive touch screens stop working once they are cold enough along with your cold fingers. It would be awesome to use your phone in this way, but probably not going to happen anytime soon. I'm sure it could be done currently but the costs wouldn't make sense. Would need a different screen tech to work in the cold and different battery than lithium that could hold enough capacity in such a small package.

[20lbSloughShark]

I just got cabela's recon fish app. I have not tried it on a lake yet, but it was accurate when I tried it in the yard like a geocache gps. It has most lake maps on it, and its free. As far as I know it does just as much as Navionics which is $11 just for the U.S version.

[Freedom81]

I saw it advertised the other day...

There's a company on the West coast that is using nanotechnology to make phones practically waterproof. Water beads off it. You can dunk it in water and then make a phone call.

You have to ship it to them and pay $60 for the coating. Check it out. Name's a combination of liquid and repel.

[ozzie]

my brother was just telling me about this waterproofing thing....send it (your phone) to them and in a week it is back and waterproof

[CAMAN]

Do some research on liquipel before doing it. Not everybody has had a positive experience with it. And there is a huge caveat, if the phone gets wet you STILL need to remove the battery and let it dry out for a day or two. Also how long does it last and when do you know it's worn out?

A 5cent Ziploc seems more reliable.

[amateurfishing]

I saw it advertised the other day...

There's a company on the West coast that is using nanotechnology to make phones practically waterproof. Water beads off it. You can dunk it in water and then make a phone call.

You have to ship it to them and pay $60 for the coating. Check it out. Name's a combination of liquid and repel.

this stuff was on news year ago or so.....personally i dont trust that and certainly not worth $60 with no gurantees of longevity...

[Hardyboy]

And if you look at the advertising it says it makes it "wetproof" not waterproof. I can get that with an otterbox and not have to ship my phone anywhere! seriously a week without my phone ya might as well just shoot me! LOL

[bk_MN_iceman]

I definitely agree with everything that has been said here to this point. And thanks for discussing the Cabela's app I hadn't seen that yet might work well with my Navionics app.

Battery life is on the horizon, I read somewhere they developed a new technology for batteries that will allow much more superior longevity on a single charge. It's coming, just a matter of when.

I wasn't aware of a ducer for a cell phone that was already in production, does anyone have more info on that?

Think how simple it would be to have 1 single device that serves as many, and can pack up small. Perfect for ice fishing and portability.

[walleye977]

check this out for i phone and android

http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/15/insert-coin-deeper-sonar-fishfinder/

[TruthWalleyes]

I installed Cabelas Recon...Doesn't seem like there will ever be a need for me to purchase the navionics. Plus, i've got my HBird with me MOST of the time.

[Sota2Florida]

Not sure of the details on how it works but a company by the name of Zeal optics has a pair of ski goggles with GPS and a camera that records in 1080p. I guess you can send your video wirelessly to your phone/laptop and combine it with things like Google Earth to document your backcountry trips. Anyway if they can do that I am sure you could wirelessly view the lake bottom on your phone somehow.

[graf703]

I was curious about this with the gopro hero helmet cameras. They have a waterproof housing for scuba diving and a wifi attachment that lets you view the image remotely and toggle the power. It turns out that the wifi signal doesn't travel in water well at all.

[PurpleFloyd]

First they need to make a phone that floats so when it drops and ends up in the hole you don't lose it to the mermaids.

[govikes211]

I downloaded the Cabelas Recon app and played with it for awhile. It is definitely not as detailed as the Navionics app but its nice that it is free. It doesn't carry as much lakes and the contours are in increments of 5' compared to the navionics app which is in increments of 1' usually. The cabelas app was noticeably slower to load and zoom in compared to the Navionics app.

Overall, Its a good app for new anglers on a budget.

[bk_MN_iceman]

Agreed in regards to the Cabelas app. It's just not as good. For someone on a budget, free trumps. Get it, use it but don't expect the best results. It does look like you can purchase more detailed map packs for a subscription price ($30?) which I have not yet checked out. I really like what Navionics has to offer and have been using it for 2 phones now for a few years and it has been helpful. I think the Cabelas app would work well if you have a paper map as well so you can use both to mark positions.

Right now i just can't wait to get on a lake!

[BartmanMN]

Where did you find it for free? Cabelas Recon fish in AppStore for iPhone is 4.99.