Almost 3 years ago, we posted an article, out Captain Fixit’s invention, the “docking assistant“.  This was our way of being sure to get back in our dock without mishap when it was windy(always) and no friends were at the dock.  Recently, we received a press release from a company that is selling another landing solution.  Maybe we should have gotten a patent for our own “docking assistant.    The Landing Loop looks a little more versatile than our “free solution“.

The Kindle 2 I ordered for Captain FixIt for Valentine’s Day arrived!  It is a beauty!  Not only is is thin and lightweight, but it is super easy to read and very adjustable.  After about 3 minutes, you know how to use the controls and you are totally immersed in reading.  This should work very well on the boat as we mentioned in this post.  We have carried canvas bags of books up and down the docks each summer.  Not this year!   Be sure to watch the videos on the site to see the Kindle in action.

We previously told you why you should have an iPhone or iPod Touch – all the functionality and the apps!  Now, our two favorite apps have a great marriage.  Tweetie, the all time best app for Twitter, now has plugins for Instapaper.  Tweetie 1.2e has features to load more tweets (up to 100), and a great swipe feature.  You swipe over a tweet and you can reply or see info about the tweeter.  Tweetie is the fastest twitter app and has trends, search and nearby in addition to regular features. You will need to go to settings to change from bubbles to a standard view which fits many more tweets on the page/screen.

Our second favorite app, Instapaper, converts websites that you save on your computer or iPhone/Touch into very readable documents to read later(on the computer or iPod/iPhone).  Tweetie allows you to bookmark a link from within a tweet into an Instapaper entry.  Fabulous!!!

If you have an older version on Tweetie, be sure to upgrade to the new version (free upgrade if you own the $2.99 app).  Also decided to upgrade to the pro version of Instapaper, and so glad!  It allows you to rotate the page to landscape, and to tilt to scroll as well as many customizing features.

The iPhone or iPod Touch are both fabulous for boaters.  You get a tiny device that is essentially Apple’s version of a netbook and more.  I use the iPod Touch since still on Verizon through work for phone (BB Curve), but definitely looking to switch.  With the iPod Touch you can do most of what you can with the iPhone, but obviously can’t make calls or get on the internet unless in wifi range.  Of course most marinas have wifi these days.

The Touch is one of the greatest gadgets ever, and worth every penny.  You can listen to music while you are reading your email, playing a game, or surfing the internet.  On top of that, you can watch crystal clear videos or use many productivity tools.  There are tons of apps (applications) that download in seconds from iTunes and many of them are free.

My favorite apps are:

Tweetie, Facebook, SpeedBrain, CliqCliq Colors, Tap Tap Revenge,  Wifinder, ebay mobile, Instapaper, and Price Is Right.

2nd String includes AOL Radio, LinkedIn, Backgrounds, Urban Spoon, Speedtest, Google mobile, Flixster, and Acid Solitaire.

Obviously being a Twitter power user, I have tried other twitter apps like Twitterific, TwitterFon, Twittervision, and Twittelator, but Tweetie is my all time favorite as recommended by Rob Bloggeries Twitter (Bloggeries) and Sharlyn Lauby.

Here are some faves from twitter friends:

Sharlyn Lauby likes Tweetie, Pandora_Radio, Bonsai Blast, and Neko . Twitter (sharlyn_lauby)

Brian Hoff likes evernote. Twitter (behoff)

Burlington Boatyard likes Powerboat Challenge and Flick Fishing. Twitter (anchored_in_vermont)

Rich Lazarra likes twitterific, facebook and sportstap. Twitter (rlazarra)

Tom Carmony says he likes TwitterFon, Trip Cubby (for tracking business mileage), and Simplify Media (for streaming home iTunes to his iPhone)    Twitter (TomCarmony)

Nicki Black says her fave is Pandora – hands down. Twitter (NikiBlack)

Veronica Domeier likes Things, CameraBag, Instapaper, CliqCliq Colors & Shazam!

Twitter (ronicadesign)

Ron Hekier loves Thumbtacts.  Twitter (ronhekier)

Arbrining likes twitterific, myspace and facebook. Twitter (arbrining)

Ken Brand is fond of Google voice activated search.  Twitter (KenBrand)

Versa Dave likes Ocarina. Twitter (Versadave)

Ekkie likes Fring.  Twitter (Ekkieboy)

Try some of these out, especially the free ones and leave a comment with any faves you have so we can all add them to our repetoire.  And if you are a Twitter user, follow some of my Tweet buddies. 

Were you waiting for that Apple announcement of the $800 laptop that didn’t happen?  They retained 1 white Macbook for $999, and added new aluminum Macbooks and Macbook Pros and a display.  But, we are going to make your day!  Here is the Apple MacBook for $869 with free shipping.  There is a $75 rebate to get you to this price which expires on October 27, so don’t delay.