Bluetooth fish finder?

What does everybody make of these new bluetooth fish finders I've been hearing about...  I read about this one in a hot new gadget for next year type article..

http://www.fishhunter.com/

They work through an app on your smart phone.  I'll be honest, I'm kind of into the whole photo sharing app element of it because frankly it looks kind of cool and fun, but I obviously still want it to work well enough as a fish finder.  It says it's the "world's smallest military grade sonar".  So should be decent enough in sonar department right?  Right now I'm not using anything.  And this price point is very good.  (200 bucks). 
Does anybody have any experience with them?

How would you mount the sonar device and the phone on your kayak?  Would you hold the sonar device in the water with one hand, and your phone with the other hand?  I think you'd be better off putting the $200 towards a standard fish finder. With fish finders, as with most outdoor gear, I've found that it doesn't pay to buy cheap gear.  I just end up with crappy dissatisfying gear.  I prefer to spend enough money to get gear which I'm going to be happy with on a long term basis.  If you aren't familiar with fish finders, paddle along next to a friend and watch their fish finder, or borrow their kayak for half an hour, so you can get an idea of how fish finders work and their different features. 

And what is "military grade sonar?"  Perhaps it means "Sonar which can locate submarines, but not necessarily fish." 

Might be time to re-visit this idea.

Here's a thread from earlier this year about the topic:
http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=9840.msg108587#msg108587

After spending extensive time on the water this year with a waterproof phone, I have to say that touchscreens suck in the presence of water.  Any drops on the screen makes them totally unusable.

-Allen

After spending extensive time on the water this year with a waterproof phone, I have to say that touchscreens suck in the presence of water.  Any drops on the screen makes them totally unusable.

-Allen

+1 it's seriously sucks

Also, phone screens are SMALL.

Got a weather proof phone?  If not, eventually the cheap sonar will end up costing you the price of a new phone.

Bluetooth may be an appropriate technology for transducer to graphic head communications. However, transducers also need the power to produce a strong sonar ping. Not sure you could do that for long with a couple of AA batteries.  If it is possible, a rechargeable graphic head linked by bluetooth to a battery powered transducer would eliminate all the cabling and external batteries.

Also, phone screens are SMALL.

Or use a tablet.

Got a weather proof phone?  If not, eventually the cheap sonar will end up costing you the price of a new phone.

But you get a new phone too!  Or you get a waterproof case for much cheaper.

Bluetooth may be an appropriate technology for transducer to graphic head communications. However, transducers also need the power to produce a strong sonar ping. Not sure you could do that for long with a couple of AA batteries.  If it is possible, a rechargeable graphic head linked by bluetooth to a battery powered transducer would eliminate all the cabling and external batteries.

You can't get the power from a couple of AA's.  But transducer designs don't need to use AA batteries.  The current wave of bluetooth devices are addressing a different market with a self contained unit.  It's not too much of a design stretch to have a bluetooth transducer supplied by external power (bigger battery!).

-Allen

I'm kindof surprised there isn't a quality product that uses a phone or tablet as the FF head (or is there)?

I end up using my iphone on the water (navionics) all the time. For me, there's no good reason to have a totally separate, expensive unit that only offers the additional benefit connectivity to a transducer.  Everything else can be done better on a smartphone/tablet I'd be willing to bet that ff heads will be a thing of the past very soon. Well, hopefully anyway.

I'm thinking of something that is essentially a docking station that provides power to the device and interfaces to a transducer. I don't think bluetooth is necessary. Single power source ideal.

Smartphone/tablet as the ff head seems like it could be a really interesting idea.  I think one of the bigger challenges is the heterogeneity of inputs for smartphones.  That is the advantage of Bluetooth--one standard format.

Assuming you could sort out the interface issues, there are some real advantages to this setup.  Relying on the phone for GPS could keep cost down.  Potentially use the transducer battery to supplement the phone's power.  It's certainly a setup I'd consider as a causal fisherman.

I'm kindof surprised there isn't a quality product that uses a phone or tablet as the FF head (or is there)?

I end up using my iphone on the water (navionics) all the time. For me, there's no good reason to have a totally separate, expensive unit that only offers the additional benefit connectivity to a transducer.  Everything else can be done better on a smartphone/tablet I'd be willing to bet that ff heads will be a thing of the past very soon. Well, hopefully anyway.

I'm thinking of something that is essentially a docking station that provides power to the device and interfaces to a transducer. I don't think bluetooth is necessary. Single power source ideal.

Did you read the other thread Spot linked to?   

-Allen

Haha, I did way back in January but I should've reviewed. Still a bit surprised tho, that a year later there's still nothing.

Waaaay back in about 1980, I was reading a report to Congress on the telecommunications industry, and I came across a prediction that telephone technology and computer technology would converge or overlap.  I thought "Huh?", because at the time I had never used a computer, and had no clue what that might involve.  The prediction in the report obviously has proved to be accurate.  So perhaps the next convergence or overlap will be telephone/computer technology and fish finder technology. 

Of course that fishfinder is looking right at you ... integrate a wide angle video camera!!!

-Allen

Of course that fishfinder is looking right at you ... integrate a wide angle video camera!!!

-Allen

lol yeah and what about a remote and our mouse type apparatus so you can mount your screen farther away as to reduce clutter and better footage.


-Rodney-

Of course that fishfinder is looking right at you ... integrate a wide angle video camera!!!

-Allen

lol yeah and what about a remote and our mouse type apparatus so you can mount your screen farther away as to reduce clutter and better footage.


-Rodney-

Hah ... the "head unit" would be a pad.  The remote is your phone.

-Allen