When I first published a review of AstroNavigatorII last week, there were some interesting discussion that happened between the readers of this blog and the developer of the software. While I seldom do updates for reviews, I felt this was necessary to highlight some of the points missed in the earlier post.

Digital Compass

This was something that was highlighted in the review but I was unable to get it working on my device. After some pointers from Konstantin, I managed to. With this in place, you do not have to worry where each stars are located because your screen is locked on your position and you can only view the stars within your vision. If you turn to the left or right, then the digital compass would respond accordingly and show you the sky that you should see.

Digital compass activated.	Digital compass not activated.

To get this function to work, you would need to be using a newer GPS chip with built-in digital compass. The Eten Glofiish X500 works so I presume all Glofiish devices after the X500 should work too. I am not too sure about other devices but one way to test this out is by turning on your GPS in AstroNavigatorII. If you see a small compass at the bottom left of your screen, it means you have the digital compass feature. Tap on the compass and it will turn red which means your device is now locked to your viewing direction. You will only be able to scroll up and down and not side to side. If you are unable to get to this step, then chances are, your chip does not have the digital compass built in.

Viewing Eclipses

When I asked Konstantin about this feature and how AstroNavigatorII is able to predict such phenomenons, he says that it’s because all these bodies have their own paths and as such, it is possible to see them happening. However, for this to be possible, you would need to know the time, date and location of where this phenomenon is viewable from. Without these information, you would not be able to see them on your screen. However, such information are widely available and it is just a matter or googling to get your data. Below are some screen shots of the latest eclipse that happened in September.

Start of eclipse	During the eclipse

Sunrise/Sunset

You can find out the times of sunrise and sunset and again this is by trial and error. Based on your location, you look for the position of the sun to just cross the 0(zero) mark as you see from the screen shot below.

This shows the sun just rising from the horizon which signifies sunrise. As you see the sun start to go pass this mark, it would be sunset. From this method, finding out the times of sunrise and sunset can be a real pain but it is possible. Maybe VITO Technology might want to consider adding this feature in future versions?

Usability

I am no expert in the field of star-gazing and based on the discussion, it does appear that this program is not on the same playing field as other more professional software out there. But the thing is, AstroNavigatorII is not competing with these professional or even semi-professional software but instead is catered for the beginner like me. It is really easy to use and I could figure out almost everything that the software does without having to read the manual. The interface is also really pleasing to the eye, not to mention easy to use.

Conclusion

Is VITO AstroNavigatorII for you? Only you can answer that question accurately. If you have been following the discussion in the review post, you might realize that AstroNavigatorII does have its shortcomings. However, since they have a free trial for the software, why not give it a shot and see.

Tags: commercial software