Remember when you first got your smartphone or tablet and discovered a whole world of apps to make your device do neat things? Instant access to boating weather, tides, and charting and navigation, and lots of great stuff like race games and simulations! Now there are so many boating apps out there that it's hard to sort out the good ones. Worse, businesses and associations are increasingly producing apps primarily for self-promotion, rather than focusing on what the user gets out of the experience. Yesterday I wrote about the America's Cup game app, and today I reviewed the American Sailing Association's app. Other apps have been put out by the glossy magazines, race organizations like the Volvo Ocean Race, etc. None of them, in my humble opinion, have had much real value for sailors, and in many cases their features and functions pale compared to the best boating apps already on the market. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.
