Help nonGeek make Mini-tablet choice

[LarryT]

It's me, LarryT again. These responses have been great and I am learning a lot.

Am I correct that some of the tablets do not have convenient ways to import photos? The photos taken by investigators in my line of work tend to be large file sizes. Therefore they do not e-mail well. It would be really inconvenient to e-mail 318 photos to my tablet one at a time :-(

To store photos, I would need a tablet with either a USB port or SD port. Which tablets does that eliminate? Or conversely, which ones do I still consider?

[Stu McCurdy]

Originally Posted by LarryT

It's me, LarryT again. These responses have been great and I am learning a lot.

Am I correct that some of the tablets do not have convenient ways to import photos? The photos taken by investigators in my line of work tend to be large file sizes. Therefore they do not e-mail well. It would be really inconvenient to e-mail 318 photos to my tablet one at a time :-(

To store photos, I would need a tablet with either a USB port or SD port. Which tablets does that eliminate? Or conversely, which ones do I still consider?

For the Nexus 7, just use the provided plug to hook it to your home computer to make it an external hard drive and copy/paste from one to the other. It also has Bluetooth to transfer files from cellphone to Nexus.

Also, install Google Drive on all your devices. You then transfer files on one device into Google Drive and they are then available on all your devices.

[LifeofReiley]

Sounds like the Nexus 7.2 is the way to go.

[DougJ]

Originally Posted by Noah

Is the software available for the Android devices anywhere near as good as Foreflight, especially for IFR - meaning georeferenced Low Alt IFR Charts and Plates, being able to enter a text-based IFR route with intersections, VORs, and IR routes and have it lay out a course line, etc? Foreflight does so much else for you, it's more than just a chart viewer.

Are there any good, full-featured IFR solutions for android apps people would recommend?

Garmin Pilot does all of this. You can just type in your route of flight in the active flight plan, to include departure and arrival procedures.

I'm very interested to see if Fltplan go makes it to the android market. I've used fltplan.com for years; it started off good and has become a fantastic tool. Much of my military flying is similar to corporate type work, and the tools available, ease of use and smart phone compatibility make it almost irreplaceable.

Doug

[morganjp]

IPAD Mini with stratus 2 ADSB and foreflight pro
Combine with a Seasucker Vacuum mount and a screen protector and you are good to go with good screen visibility all the time!

John Morgan

[Capflyer]

Originally Posted by Noah

Are there any good, full-featured IFR solutions for android apps people would recommend?

Yes, either Naviator or Avilution. Both use the same Seattle Avionics georeferencing that Foreflight uses and both have all the IFR charts and approach plates. Not sure about the other Android apps but would imagine that Garmin Pilot has IFR functionality as well.

Regarding moving large files such as pictures you can either hook up the tablet directly to your computer or use a cloud service or both. I happen to like Dropbox which enables you to upload files and send a link so others can see and download it if they wish. Google Drive is very similar but since I don't use it I'm am not sure what the differences are.

Sounds like Android is getting more votes here! I guess they are no longer the black sheep and that title now goes to the new Windows tablets. Love their commercial vs. iPad though. Kinda payback for the Apple vs. MS commercials where Apple always won a few years ago.

[rzbill]

Originally Posted by Noah

I like Foreflight, but I'm not crazy about the IPAD options for a lot of reasons. Would prefer a small Android Tablet like the Nexus, but Foreflight is not available for anything but Apple. Is the software available for the Android devices anywhere near as good as Foreflight, especially for IFR - meaning georeferenced Low Alt IFR Charts and Plates, being able to enter a text-based IFR route with intersections, VORs, and IR routes and have it lay out a course line, etc? Foreflight does so much else for you, it's more than just a chart viewer.

Are there any good, full-featured IFR solutions for android apps people would recommend?

Check out Avare, Noah. I'm running it on a Samsung Galaxy 7"
All charts and plates. IFR or VFR. FREE and easy to download.
Its not a flight planning tool (yet). It is a tool for after that is done and you want ref in the cockpit.

You can input text based flight plan and it will draw the course lines and do much more.
Current weather requires WIFI Internet.

They are working on ADS-B so I expect it in the next few months. Unfortunately I don't have the puck to drive it.

I did not post it for the OP because I find the Android tablets to still be a little geeky for some users.

[bhassel]

Originally Posted by LarryT

It's me, LarryT again. These responses have been great and I am learning a lot.

Am I correct that some of the tablets do not have convenient ways to import photos? The photos taken by investigators in my line of work tend to be large file sizes. Therefore they do not e-mail well. It would be really inconvenient to e-mail 318 photos to my tablet one at a time :-(

To store photos, I would need a tablet with either a USB port or SD port. Which tablets does that eliminate? Or conversely, which ones do I still consider?

iPad can grab the photo's when hooked up to your computer via the iTunes app.

I bought an iPad just because of Foreflight and at the time Garmin wasn't available on anything.

Bob

[mtnclimber]

Really like the free Avare APP. The addition of Grand Canyon Corridor will be hugely useful. Additional features are being released almost daily, and ADSB will be online very soon.

Works great on my Samsung tablet. I can usually download the weather with Verizon 3G.

Roger

[swordtail]

If you want to drive an autopilot then try the Ifly 720 or the Helm 650 which is 1200 nits screen that you can read in full sunlight. I use the Helm with Aviationsafety.com, True Flight software and it works great. This unit is smaller than the tablets and dedicated to this purpose only. It has usb ports and dedicated128 gig of solid state memory.