Smart Phone & Tablets

I'm not up on Smart Phones or Tablets. Can someone tell me if I can run most of the Aviation apps on Android smart Phones & Tablets. I really don't want to go into the Apple brands. What are the better Android brands. I want to treat myself to a Xmas present.

I guess it depends on what type of apps you'd like to run on the tablets. For me, somthing like Foreflight was high on my list. They really don't do much on the Android side of life. Check out the forums for the individual apps to see how well the various OS versions of the apps are supported.

Like you I didn't want to give into Apple for the cockpit. However, I finally broke down and bought an iPAD. The best aviation apps and support are written for the iPAD.

Samsung probably produces the best Android tablets curretnly if you're looking for full features, although the Nexus 7 has nice features for the price.

Bob

I was reluctant to go with Apple too, but I must say I am very pleased with Foreflight running on my New iPad (aka iPad 3). I have friends who like WingX Pro on the iPad, also.

I can't comment on the Android apps, but I did notice recently that the head of the company that provides Foreflight said they would be Apple only.

That's my 2c worth.

I still haven't forgiven Steve Jobs for stealing, er copying, Xerox PARC's mouse driven user interface.

I am quite pleased with my 600 nit display Asus Transformer Infinity. I run Garmin Pilot, which is very rapidly approaching Foreflight in capabilities, has a nice user interface and supports Garmin's ADS-B; also have fltplan and all of the usual Android apps. The display on the Asus is very readable in direct sunlight.

For Android tablets, I highly recommend staying with Google. The Nexus 7 or Nexus 10. They are always first to get updates, and you can almost guarantee a developer will be using them to develop on.

--Bill

Thanks everyone. I guess I'm heading toward Apple.

bigbill25 said:

For Android tablets, I highly recommend staying with Google. The Nexus 7 or Nexus 10. They are always first to get updates, and you can almost guarantee a developer will be using them to develop on.

--Bill

Click to expand...

I agree, with one exception. If you need SD memory card capability the Nexus devices don't support them. If you don't need SD then the Nexus' (Nexi ?) are probably among the top choices.

avilution

Avilution is very nice on android. I can't compare it to the iPad apps as I have never used them.

I recommend the IPad mini. The smaller size makes it more cockpit friendly while still providing a useable size display.

Choosing the device really comes at the end of the decision tree. You are already asking what app(s) you want to use. You may also be thinking about ADSB devices. Most of them only work with one vendor's software. Collectively, those may push you to Apple. However, here is a thread that shows Android can be a good (and affordable) option.

In full disclosure, my day job is mobile computing and I have Apple devices.

Android

I have been running Naviator on my ASUS android for 6 months. I use both the VFR and IFR charts. I have not had any issues with the tablet or the software.

Nice $135 Samsung tablet

Mini-Review here

Nice size, plenty of power, expandable memory.

I like mine.

newtech said:

I agree, with one exception. If you need SD memory card capability the Nexus devices don't support them. If you don't need SD then the Nexus' (Nexi ?) are probably among the top choices.

Click to expand...

Another vote in favour of the Nexus tablets here. I bought my wife a Nexus 7 for an early christmas present, and she loves it. I borrowed it and took it flying and find that it's much easier to read in the cockpit than my Garmin Aera.

As for apps on iOS vs. Android... Typically developers will target iOS first, because it's a larger market. With enough demand, they will port to Android next. Most of the aviation-related apps are available on both, but the feature set may lag the iOS version slightly. AirNavPro, which I have on my iPad and iPhone and like quite a bit, is available for Android with most of the features.

Note that not having an SD slot isn't really an issue... I don't know many people who use more than the base 16GB storage level on their tablets/smartphones anyway. If you're worried about it, buy the 32GB version. Move your data to the cloud (anything you can, anyway), and you won't need storage on your device.