Presented by XMWX Satellite Weather

Furuno Unveils Pinch and Swipe Navigation

The New NavNet TZtouch takes getting where you’re going to a whole new level 

By L.J. Wallace, Jr. 

It’s not every day that you sit down for a breakfast press conference at the Miami International Boat Show and actually enjoy an hour and a half presentation. But that was precisely the case when the folks at Furuno unveiled their latest effort—the NavNet TZtouch. I doubt that bolstering the helm station re-fit industry was a primary motivator in the development of this new system, but that will surely be the case as more and more consumers have a chance to demo this equipment and decide they just have to have it.

The demo during that press conference—expertly presented by a man I used to share an office with half a lifetime ago, Furuno’s Marketing Manager, Dean Kurutz—could only provide a thumbnail sketch of this system’s capabilities in the time allotted. But in that time it was easy to visualize the command, usability, flexibility and customizations of the displays that the NavNet system provides.

Utilizing its proven TimeZero technology, Furuno has provided the first multi-touch multi-display, which results in controlling the system just as you would your smartphone or smartpad, both of which can be used as additional displays and controls via an onboard WiFi network. (Plans to expand to Android and other smart phones and tablets are in the works, and a black box version of the TZtouch is expected to debut by the end of this year.) Just pinch/swipe with your fingers and you’re navigating on the cutting edge of 21^st century technology. For the traditionalist or when the sea state isn’t conducive to precise touches, Furuno has even included a rotary knob (RotoKey™) to manipulate most functions.

In terms of display customization, the possibilities are almost endless between onboard systems and functions, radars, depth sounders, fish finders, chart plotters, AIS, weather fax, cameras, Sirius satellite weather, temperature and even C-Map vector charts and high-resolution satellite images. Furuno employed a bonded LCD to ensure the display will never be affected by water condensation (fog-free), and the screen is also “polarized friendly,” meaning it will never black-out on you when wearing polarized sunglasses, and is visible from virtually any angle.

At the heart of things lies an Intel Sandy Bridge Dual-Core processor and the system operates in an extremely logical, intuitive and user-friendly manner.  At the outset of the press conference in Miami, Kurutz stated quite matter-of-factly, “We wanted a simple and effortless operation, using a common-sense interface. Our ultimate goal was to provide total control at your fingertips and I think we accomplished that goal.”

And you have done just that, old friend!

Furuno offers two sizes of touchscreens for this system: a 9-inch WXGA display (TZT9) which carries an MSRP of $5,695; or a 14.1-inch unit (TZT14) with an MSRP of $7,695. furuno.com