Nobeltec has been tweaking their original version of Visual Navigation Suite for a long time now.  Version 8 was a fairly drastic upgrade and came along to compliment Microsofts revolutionary Windows XP operating system, but, save for feature enhancements and bug fixes, the program hasn't changed all that much over the years.  This is by design as Nobeltec is proud that much of their loyal and passionate customers know the familiar graphical user interface like the back of their hands and there's no good reason to change for the sake of changing.

We are currently working with version 9.2, so you would think the next big leap forward would be VNS 10.  But don't hold your breath, it's not coming. 

You read it here, there won't be a Nobeltec VNS 10 or Admiral 10 ever. 

OK, there is a new version coming out soon, but to distinguish the truly different software package from all the previous incarnations, Nobeltec is calling it VNS MAX Pro or Admiral MAX Pro.

If you have been paying attention, you can probably guess where Nobeltec and C-Map owner Jeppesen are taking this.  Can you say synergy?

Nobeltec will no longer support Passport Deluxe or even the free NOAA S-57 charts!  In another nod to the flourishing 3-D charting trend, and to combine products from sister companies, C-Map Max Pro charts will be the base cartography.

Jeppesen claims there are 30,000 Max PRO charts available to Passport's 12,000.  You will be able to buy the charts new or upgrade older ones. 

JeppesenC-Map Max Pro

You can also now rent charts for four months at a time.  This is an interesting program never seen before to the best of my knowledge.  Think about buying a chart for a one time trip only to sell it for a few bucks a few weeks or months later on ebay.  Now you can just rent it and be done.  Good idea, we'll see how it works out.

VNS Max Pro will offer Sirius Weather support in addition to the existing XM Weather pack.  It will also have an improved Sailing Plus pack for racers and cruisers which includes an oft demanded weather routing feature conspicuously absent from previous versions.

Besides the new cartography, the other big change is that USB dongles will be required to operate the software.  If you have international charts or Admiral, you are probably well aware of the dongle.  If not, it is a licensed key that plugs into your USB port which allowed access to certain features on previous versions.  It's not a big deal and helps Nobeltec with customer service, licensing and piracy.

VNS MAX Pro will also be Microsoft Vista compatible.

Look for the new version in the 1st quarter of '08.