Android Tablet With GPS

[Heckler]

Looking for an android tablet with GPS to run Navonics and Memory map charts on but can only find androids 2.3 (gingerbread) tablets with built in GPS, wanted Android 4 to take advantage of the Navionic HD charts. Question is has anyone run a gps bluetooth receiver on a tablet running version android 2.3 or greater and if so, can u recommend a bluetooth receiver or an alternative option ? thanks

be careful with navionics on a small screen, i got caught out, the properties tag goes beyond the edges and you cant adjust its size and cant see the done button. i got a refund
stu

 

[srbs61]

I use mine for work all the time, it's useful for white boarding, typing notes, Internet research and email. It's also considerably lighter to carry on the journey into London than my laptop bag which Has started to give me various aches and pains due to weight. I can also read the yachtie mags on the train journey without actually carrying the mags.

+1

I use my Lenovo ThinkPad tablet all the time. 10.1"screen, Android 3 Honeycomb, GPS and the one feature lacking on the iPad and most other tablets - a capacitance Stylus - make ideal for taking free hand notes and for handwriting recognition.

I've yet to try it on the boat though. And it won't run MS Office. :-(

Steve

 

[TeamSpirit]

Have run Galaxy Tab for last year, have navionics as back up to on board CP and when GPS packed in recently worked a.treat. Battery life not the greatest but invested in extra long power lead to ensure charge on deck. Aqua pack and cheap windscreen holde.

 

[viago]

Have run Galaxy Tab for last year, have navionics as back up to on board CP and when GPS packed in recently worked a.treat. Battery life not the greatest but invested in extra long power lead to ensure charge on deck. Aqua pack and cheap windscreen holde.

yes the galaxy 8.9" has gps which will even work inside. i paid about £270
and thats about the right money. its not 3g compatible which is great for me but might not suit everyone.
it has a better, more responsive screen and sharper graphics than the ipad. also you dont get taken for a ride by apples marketing division. all of my apps are free.
the android honeycomb o.s. is an improvement but apple still have the edge, still it will easily run all your requirements.
i really wanted a 7" but that was just too small so this is bang on in terms of size.
i have a usb gps as a spare but not yet plugged it in, cost a couple of quid on ebay.
difficult to find at that price but should be possible.

 

[Pasarell]

To confirm what GoG said earlier, I have an Asus Transformer that was running Android 2.3 when I bought it. Updated itself to Android 3 almost as soon as I switched it on, then sometime later to Android 4 which it is running on now. No problems, no hassle, it just asked me to confirm I wanted the change and it happened.
I had a Samsung Galaxy 7 before which I liked the size of but it was a complete disaster and eventually Samsung refunded me. After the experience with their support operation I wouldn't buy anything of theirs again.
As a complete non technical person I looked at the Ipad but decided I was more confident in compatibility between Android and my PC. No idea if that was a fair assumption but based on sales talk from several outlets and reading all the reviews I could find.
I use my Asus tablet pretty much everyday for work and it's with me anytime I go out for reading newspapers and magazines during spare moments. It also runs Navionics without any problem. Battery life is fantastic

 

[lustyd]

+1

I use my Lenovo ThinkPad tablet all the time. 10.1"screen, Android 3 Honeycomb, GPS and the one feature lacking on the iPad and most other tablets - a capacitance Stylus - make ideal for taking free hand notes and for handwriting recognition.

I've yet to try it on the boat though. And it won't run MS Office. :-(

Steve

The bamboo stylus works on any capacitive touch screen. It's what I use for whiteboarding with penultimate app. The Apple office apps are almost 100% feature complete compared to office, the word equivalent is only missing document review functions so I end up writing most of my documents on the iPad now too.

 

[srbs61]

The bamboo stylus works on any capacitive touch screen. It's what I use for whiteboarding with penultimate app. The Apple office apps are almost 100% feature complete compared to office, the word equivalent is only missing document review functions so I end up writing most of my documents on the iPad now too.

The Bamboo Stylus is similar, but does't have the precision of the ThinkPad pen, which relies on special features of the tablet's touchscreen. It makes for very quick and precise note taking and diagramming.

http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/tablet/thinkpad/#tab-1

I'm no expert on iPad, but I've yet to find on MS Office compatible app on any platform that is a genuine alternative to the 'real thing'. Having said that, rumours are that Office may be available on iPad soon.

l still wouldn't swap my Android tablet for an iPad - Just as, I assume you wouldn't swap your iPad. Vive la difference.

Steve

 

[lustyd]

Thanks wasn't aware of that stylus. Looks a bit like the galaxy note one which I found very good indeed.
Pages is really surprisingly good, I use quite advanced Word functionality and it's not let me down so far.

 

[wotayottie]

It's not silly money at all, otherwise they wouldn't sell them in the millions and have massive market share.

Of course they would - same psychology that applies to expensive trainers or Musto oilies or Aga cookers. Fashion. Keeping up with the Jones-es. You wouldnt want to be seen on the tube with a downmarket IPad equivalent would you - think what it would say about you, your job and where you are on the corporate ladder!

THink about it rtationally. Compare the engineering and facilities that go into an IPad with those of a lappy and then try to convince yourself that the extra price reflects extra cost and not extra margin. Better still look at Apple's accounts .

I should add that having played with my son's IPad, I do think its an impressive piece of kit. Just over priced.

 

[lustyd]

Of course they would - same psychology that applies to expensive trainers or Musto oilies or Aga cookers. Fashion. Keeping up with the Jones-es. You wouldnt want to be seen on the tube with a downmarket IPad equivalent would you - think what it would say about you, your job and where you are on the corporate ladder!

THink about it rtationally. Compare the engineering and facilities that go into an IPad with those of a lappy and then try to convince yourself that the extra price reflects extra cost and not extra margin. Better still look at Apple's accounts .

I should add that having played with my son's IPad, I do think its an impressive piece of kit. Just over priced.

It's not overpriced, just that you don't value your time as highly as I do mine. I can work on the tube, read technical manuals without carrying boxes of books (the books in my discipline are several inches thick). I can use it to give presentations and to diagram solutions which are then sent directly to the client for consideration. My time is worth £1250 per working day, if I get 2 hours of extra work time while on the train it would justify the cost in 2 days for the highest spec iPad. Ask any professional who charges by the hour and you'll get a similar response.

As for thinking rationally, you clearly haven't researched much. Apple are one of the few companies who design from scratch their system boards. They have custom engineered memory modules to save space, electricity and improve performance. They have the cost of developing their own operating systems as well, and included with the iPad is a lifetime subscription to iCloud which backs up the device. Add to this the most advanced screen available and incredibly high demand that vastly outstrips supply and the price seems pretty reasonable to me.

 

[srbs61]

... I can work on the tube, read technical manuals without carrying boxes of books (the books in my discipline are several inches thick). I can use it to give presentations and to diagram solutions which are then sent directly ... if I get 2 hours of extra work time while on the train it would justify the cost in 2 days for the highest spec iPad. Ask any professional who charges by the hour and you'll get a similar response...

Now, if only you'd replace the word "iPad" with the words "professional tablet" I'd be in full agreement. It's the same logic I applied when buying my tablet. Basically, you get what you pay for - whatever the manufacturer.

I've worked in IT for 35 years (I can remember programming the first Macintosh) and there has always been two camps ('engineer'/'techie', 'artist'/'user') trying to argue that their chosen device is the best. I'm just glad to see all this competition amongst manufacturers finally giving reality to the idea of a device that can be held in a hand, be used intuitively and truely replace the cumbersome laptops and workstations I normally use.

Steve

 

[lustyd]

Now, if only you'd replace the word "iPad" with the words "professional tablet" I'd be in full agreement. It's the same logic I applied when buying my tablet. Basically, you get what you pay for - whatever the manufacturer.

I've worked in IT for 35 years (I can remember programming the first Macintosh) and there has always been two camps ('engineer'/'techie', 'artist'/'user') trying to argue that their chosen device is the best. I'm just glad to see all this competition amongst manufacturers finally giving reality to the idea of a device that can be held in a hand, be used intuitively and truely replace the cumbersome laptops and workstations I normally use.

Steve

Yes true, whichever device you use the price can be justified if you use it a lot. The two camps you mention have changed recently though (in my eyes). There is a set of users who buy the device and use it, probably keeping it for many years. There is the set of users who keep upgrading the device because the new one has more memory, better CPU etc. This second set rarely do anything with the device aside from web browsing and telling people it's better than other devices.
Techies and artists are in agreement these days that the best device is the one that does what you need in a simple manner.

 

[viago]

It's not overpriced, just that you don't value your time as highly as I do mine. I can work on the tube, read technical manuals without carrying boxes of books (the books in my discipline are several inches thick). I can use it to give presentations and to diagram solutions which are then sent directly to the client for consideration. My time is worth £1250 per working day, if I get 2 hours of extra work time while on the train it would justify the cost in 2 days for the highest spec iPad. Ask any professional who charges by the hour and you'll get a similar response.

As for thinking rationally, you clearly haven't researched much. Apple are one of the few companies who design from scratch their system boards. They have custom engineered memory modules to save space, electricity and improve performance. They have the cost of developing their own operating systems as well, and included with the iPad is a lifetime subscription to iCloud which backs up the device. Add to this the most advanced screen available and incredibly high demand that vastly outstrips supply and the price seems pretty reasonable to me.

put like that....
at that price, i'll take 2
oh no i forgot, my time is worth £12.50 per working day. ho hum back to android.

 

[spiderplant0]

consideration. My time is worth £1250 per working day, if I get 2 hours of extra work time while on the train it would justify the cost in 2 days for the highest spec iPad.

There are 2 types of people who buy apple..
1) technophobes
2) more money than sense.

You might be a very sensible chappie, but I still know which category you fit into.