Archive for November 2007

• 14 November 2007
  DIGITAL YACHT INTRODUCES THE AIRO HAND-HELD PC, COMBINING CHART PLOTTER, GPS AND GSM COMMUNICATIONS, PLUS A DISTRESS BUTTON
  

  Digital Yacht, the Bristol-based manufacturer of marine PC systems and software has introduced a new hand-held PC system with chart plotter, GPS and GSM communications device all incorporated into one compact and rugged hand-held unit. The unit is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, features a sunlight-viewable 2.8″ colour touch screen display and full function keypad.

  It is totally waterproof, drop resistant (to Mil Standard 850F compliance) and comes complete with a long life Li-Ion rechargeable battery pack and AC/DC charger. The unit incorporates a GPS, and full range of C-Map marine electronic charts is available to plug directly into the unit’s mini-SD slot. It can be used with an existing SIM card, so there’s no need to purchase a new one, and will also operate with Maptech charting or any other software designed for the Windows Mobile platform.

  Maritime safety is at the heart of Airo’s operation. The unit includes a distress button which, when activated, sends a distress message over the GSM network with the last GPS position directly to a Digital Yacht call centre, which offers 24-hour monitoring. Messages can be sent in voice, text or email format to the user’s specification.

  The operating system is based around the familiar Windows Mobile format so incorporates all the normal functions such as web browsing, email and cut-down versions of Microsoft Office products, including Word and Excel.

  Digital Yacht will launch a series of push data services in 2008 including automatic delivery of weather and navigation information to Airo users, together with a polling function so that the unit can be tracked and the device’s position displayed through a secure web interface. An optional onboard fitting kit is available together with external antenna and cradle. The Airo Pocket PC sells for £599 including VAT, and will be available from January 2008.

  For further information, please contact:

  Digital Yacht Ltd., Digital House, Unit 10 City Business Park, Easton Road, Bristol BS5 OSP, UK.

  Telephone: 0870 121 3080.

  Email: www.digitalyacht.co.uk

• 6 November 2007
  DIGITAL YACHT LAUNCHES THE WORLD’S FIRST MARINE SOLID STATE PC
  

  Digital Yacht, the Bristol-based manufacturer of marine PC systems, is introducing their CF60 solid state PC.  Unlike traditional PCs which have a magnetic hard drive, this new CF60 utilises a patented solid state, flash memory device which effectively makes the PC impervious to any data loss through vibration or rapid movement such as a boat crashing off a wave. 

  The solid state hard drive also brings other benefits including faster boot-up and operation speeds, reduced power consumption and tolerance of a wider range of operating temperatures.  The CF60 is designed to be powered directly from the boat’s DC (12V) battery system without the need for an inverter or AC generator.  It utilises a state-of-the-art Intel mobile processor and the machine comes pre-loaded with Windows XP as a standard operating system.  Vista is an option but many electronic chart manufacturers do not support this technology as yet.  It has all the normal PC-type connectivity including connectors for USB, Fire Wire and a traditional RS232 type connection for NMEA devices.

  Thanks to a heavy dicast chassis, the CF60 does not require any extra internal cooling fans, as heat is dissipated through its enclosure.  This greatly improves reliability as salty, moist air is not drawn through the machine for cooling purposes.

  The unit ships with 515Mb of built-in RAM and a CD/DVD drive suitable for loading software.  Digital Yacht can pre-install popular chart plotting programmes such as Nobeltec’s VNS or Raymarine’s Raytech navigation software and a range of LCD monitors are also available from 12” to 24”.

  The CF60 is priced at £999.00 including VAT, ships complete with a cordless keyboard and mouse, and is available immediately.

  For further information, please contact:
  Digital Yacht Ltd., Digital House, Unit 10 City Business Park, Easton Road, Bristol BS5 OSP, UK.
  Telephone: 0870 121 3080. 
  Email:
  www.digitalyacht.co.uk

• 6 November 2007
  Garmin strengthens its marine sales team with the addition of two new key personnel, Chris Boyle and Nigel Craine
  

  Garmin is pleased to announce two new appointments to its marine sales team - Chris Boyle joins as Marine Product Director while Nigel Craine takes on the role of Marine OEM Sales Manager Europe.  Both Boyle and Craine bring significant experience to Garmin’s dedicated marine team.

  Boyle said, “I am delighted to be joining Garmin at this exciting time in the company’s development; they have a great line up of products aimed to meet the needs of the marine industry”. Prior to Garmin, Boyle worked at Raymarine and Navico and has more than 20 years experience in the boating industry.

  Craine, said, “I’m looking forward to further increasing Garmin’s impact on the OEM market throughout Europe, ensuring it continues to deliver a first class service to customers.”  He is also ex Raymarine and Navico and has extensive OEM sales experience across the European markets.

  Commenting on the appointments, Sean Biddlecombe, Garmin’s Europe, Middle East and Africa General Manager said, “In today’s environment, simply having excellent products isn’t enough. You also need top quality people who have an in-depth understanding of what the customers want and the ability to provide the service they require. That’s why we’re so pleased that Chris and Nigel have decided to join us. By investing in the right people, Garmin will continue to grow and be the preferred choice for customers and boat builders throughout Europe.”

  Boyle and Craine complement Garmin’s existing marine sales team led by Dawn Ramsey, UK Sales Manager for automotive, outdoor and fitness and marine sectors. Other key members are Rich Thoroughgood - UK OEM Sales Manager, Bob Fry - Marine OEM Product Support Manager, Dick Stanger - UK Marine Retail Sales Manager and Kevin Lott - Ireland Marine Retail Sales Manager.

  Dawn Ramsey said, “With Chris and Nigel joining our highly-talented marine team, Garmin’s presence in the marine electronics market is set to increase even further over the coming months and years”. 

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