[fsae99]

These were just announced. When it is time for a new machine I might switch from Humminbird now that Lowrance has SS and GPS built in.

http://www.lowrance.com/en-US/Products/HDS-Gen2-Touch/

 

[cvilt]

I shoulda waited :'( I just picked up an HDS7 and have touched the screen intuitively several times LOL. Oh well

 

[firecat1981]

At those prices it better buy me dinner first

 

[cutrunner]

At those prices it better buy me dinner first

Your a cheap date lol.
For $3500 it better &$^%{+}%{¥~> me.
It does look nice tho.
But thats also what a 5212 goes for.
Have you ever seen a 5212 flushmounted to a skiff console?
I have, and it looks bad azzzzz

 

[firecat1981]

Sure it's pretty, but it just seems like overkill to me. On a 24ft dusky maybe, but a 15ft skiff?

 

[fsae99]

At those prices it better help me catch more fish. I've really only enjoyed 2 things in life fishing and sex and the older I get the more I like fishing.

For me the touch screen part is not my favorite of the new HDS. The usability enhancements, the all integrated electronics, from reading the website I believe the units have either wifi or blue tooth in them but not utilized yet, and the Insight Genesis mapping (lets you record soundings and have chart created) that is what I like.

The 7" model could easily be moved from a flats boat to a kayak to an offshore boat. With the integrated electronic of the new models it only requires a power wire and transducer wire and you have all the very latest in sonar/chart plotter technology. With the BT/WiFi opens the possibility for andriod/iOS apps this would let you view unit from anywhere on the boat. Have local lakes not mapped by the big companies, the Insight Genesis mapping would allow you to create a detail 1'ft contour chart over time as you fish the lake. For 1600.00 that is a lot for the money to me.

 

[Creek Runner]

I have been looking at the new HDS7 for my Boggy creek I'm building, and getting an extra power wire and bracket to use on my gigging boat at night (Just the GPS don't need sonar while gigging) I to think $1600 is a pretty good value for what you get.

A garmin 720/740 would be the same price after you buy the transducer etc, etc, Even though I'm a Garmin guy (there GPS/map is the best out there) I really like the new lowrance products.

Not sure what I'm going to do, going to head over to West marine this week and play with both.