Used to be that if you wanted an affordable computer on board to handle marine navigation software, a laptop was an obvious choice, primarily because it was small, portable, and power efficient. All that is changing with the introduction of a new generation of small, power-efficient components that can be incorporated into a fairly rugged PC that will fit on an average cruiser.

We tested Acer’s AOpen Pandora Mini-ITX (6.5” x 6.5” x 2”), powered by a Pentium M chip.

Loaded with digital charts, armed with the latest navigation software and connected to modern peripherals such as Automated Identification Systems (AIS), weather fax, and radar, a computer can effectively function as the heart of the navigation center, offering more versatility than any conventional multi-function display. …