Heckler
Well-Known Member
I have bt smart talk on my ipad, made phone calls with it from portugal the other day!
S
Tablet confusion
- Thread starter Sarnia
- Start date
S
Could last another 25 pages!!!
Can the i4 work with android, wasnt aware it could, how do I get the TV on it? When I have hotspot on not sure how to use the bluetooth yet.
DaveRo
Well-Known Member
Yes, you can make VOIP calls from any internet-connected computer. But you can't make ordinary mobile calls from a 3G iPad as you can with an iPhone, despite it having the necessary hardware.
grumpy_o_g
Well-Known Member
Mine's been rinsed under the tap after having slat water on it on many occasions, also after having coffee and Guinness thrown over it (accidently and totally) so that hasn't been my experience at all. Nephew's xperia phone has been underwater without problem too. I have seen a couple of comments about it failing waterproofing but they have involved either being unable to use the tablet underwater (you can't really as the touch screen gets a little confused). It's also not meant for more than a couple of feet not for salt water. Having said that I've dropped mine into the bottom of the cockpit and had it totally immersed in salt water and it washed off fine. It's been out in the open and got salt water on it many times and had the salt washed off at the end of the day on a lot of occassions and worked every time (except when salt water covered the screen, when a fresh water or a quick wipe fixes it.
grumpy_o_g
Well-Known Member
One other thing I'd strongly recommend is to try the tablets in bright daylight if you can. It's surprising how dim some can seem even on a dull day out in "sunlight".
Andrew41
Active Member
Navionics charts - Try before you buy
Thanks to Sarnia for pointing out that the Navionics Boating apps for Android have returned to Google Play.
I have a Hudl mk1 and it had the Navionics Boating HD app installed but, without buying any charts, it has only the base chart which has no detail at all and is useless.
I opened the app yesterday whilst connected to the Internet. Selecting the "Charts & Upgrades" option on the menu gives the user an option to try a 1 day trial of the UK, Ireland & Holland chart (normally £38). I managed to do this without accidentally buying the charts.
OK it's not quite as good as a real plotter but it's probably the next best thing. If you zoom out the detail gets lost a bit and zooming in to the most detailed scale the detail doesn't seem as good as my plotter which has Navionics Gold. There are fewer soundings however the Sonar charts feature brings detailed soundings in and provides a contour map of the seabed. Advanced Map Options £2.99 has the ability to fiddle around with how depth contour/soundings are displayed.
The Nav Module £2.99 is a great tool and turns the app into a plotter as it allows you to easily set up a route of waypoints and plan, navigate and track or modify just by touch and drag. It also calculates distance, ETA, fuel etc.
Anyway the free one day trial is a great way to try the app out for real. At first I didn't like it but after a few hours of playing with it I was very impressed.
I noticed that for offline work you had to download the charts of the area you wanted to work on to get full detail. I highlighted the West coast of Scotland and the download worked out at about 100Mb.
The Google maps satellite pictures and photographs features are quite useful but I presume it needs an Internet connection.
Although I still prefer my plotter I am tempted to buy the charts just for the good tidal data and as a plotter backup. I have Total Tide but it's easier on a boat to fire up a tablet or smartphone than a laptop.
I have taken some screenshots of the Hudl running the HD app. I just used a low-res camera phone so the quality isn't perfect. I have also added screenshots of a free app called 'GPS Essentials' which is really cool and works very well with the Hudl's GPS.
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/9xkf88oydzqlf5e/AAAVRuDQYYBrCogYEAcOX2qka
Thanks to Sarnia for pointing out that the Navionics Boating apps for Android have returned to Google Play.
I have a Hudl mk1 and it had the Navionics Boating HD app installed but, without buying any charts, it has only the base chart which has no detail at all and is useless.
I opened the app yesterday whilst connected to the Internet. Selecting the "Charts & Upgrades" option on the menu gives the user an option to try a 1 day trial of the UK, Ireland & Holland chart (normally £38). I managed to do this without accidentally buying the charts.
OK it's not quite as good as a real plotter but it's probably the next best thing. If you zoom out the detail gets lost a bit and zooming in to the most detailed scale the detail doesn't seem as good as my plotter which has Navionics Gold. There are fewer soundings however the Sonar charts feature brings detailed soundings in and provides a contour map of the seabed. Advanced Map Options £2.99 has the ability to fiddle around with how depth contour/soundings are displayed.
The Nav Module £2.99 is a great tool and turns the app into a plotter as it allows you to easily set up a route of waypoints and plan, navigate and track or modify just by touch and drag. It also calculates distance, ETA, fuel etc.
Anyway the free one day trial is a great way to try the app out for real. At first I didn't like it but after a few hours of playing with it I was very impressed.
I noticed that for offline work you had to download the charts of the area you wanted to work on to get full detail. I highlighted the West coast of Scotland and the download worked out at about 100Mb.
The Google maps satellite pictures and photographs features are quite useful but I presume it needs an Internet connection.
Although I still prefer my plotter I am tempted to buy the charts just for the good tidal data and as a plotter backup. I have Total Tide but it's easier on a boat to fire up a tablet or smartphone than a laptop.
I have taken some screenshots of the Hudl running the HD app. I just used a low-res camera phone so the quality isn't perfect. I have also added screenshots of a free app called 'GPS Essentials' which is really cool and works very well with the Hudl's GPS.
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/9xkf88oydzqlf5e/AAAVRuDQYYBrCogYEAcOX2qka
Stemar
Well-Known Member
I'm very seriously considering a Hudl 2, but this is one thing that's making me hesitate. Navionics on my phone is practically unusable in bright sun, would the Hudl be any better?
ronsurf
Well-Known Member
My gf's Android phone had a very dim display which was making the thing unusable in bright sunlight. A quick check of the settings found the display brightness turned right down, presumably to save battery. Turned it up and hey presto! It's so bright it's like an iPhone now...
Try before you buy is a good way to evaluate the Navionics HD app, I already have it on my i4, also on a laptop, it works with TIKI very well, could need updating had it a while now, will do what you have when I return to the boat in Greece end of January, rather try it out with the GPS showing my position as you have, will also check out the GPS essentials to. The screen shots show quite well what the HUDL will do.
Bright sun is always a problem for screens, someone mentioned earlier the shades you see in war films on the bridge of warships, but I think the convenience a pad or tablet provides at the wheel makes live easier and probably safer to.
Bright sun is always a problem for screens, someone mentioned earlier the shades you see in war films on the bridge of warships, but I think the convenience a pad or tablet provides at the wheel makes live easier and probably safer to.
VicMallows
Well-Known Member
Thanks for posting the review.
It's also worth noting that if all you want to do is study the charts, they are available free at
http://webapp.navionics.com/?lang=en
(The page opens close in on London......just pan out to wherever you want. Seems to work worldwide, and sonar details available).
Do you know if it works with the GPS provided on tablets/pads
grumpy_o_g
Well-Known Member
I'm afraid I can't help you there. I have no real experience with it - I've just played with one for a short time indoors. I've seen reviews saying it's great in sunlight (Recombu) and saying it's rubbish in sunlight (The Independent) so I'm not even aware of a consensus there. None of the current crop of tablets, including the premium priced ones, come near a plotter in terms of sunlight viewability though they are getting closer. Unfortunately resolution is seen as more important on a tablet than other factors, such as brightness, so any advances in graphics and display technology tend to be more around resolution, contrast and colour range/accuracy, etc.
ghostlymoron
Well-Known Member
The main drawback with tablets as plotters is the viewability of the screen which is less good than a dedicated plotter. With a tablet/mobile you can however orient/angle it to enable the screen to be viewed.
I'm not sure if you can display AIS on a hudl/ipad perhaps someone could enlighten us on that.
I'm not sure if you can display AIS on a hudl/ipad perhaps someone could enlighten us on that.
RichardS
N/A
I have an AIS receiver, splits with the radio antenna, it shows on my Navioncs run by TIKI navigation, but it is hardwired by a USB connection, how can I get that over wifi, itsn't it a different system.
Andrew41
Active Member
Hudl battery life
The Navionics link VicMallows provided is a very good taster to the Boating app, what it doesn't show is how good the extra features of the Nav module are for routing.
This review continues to confirm that the Hudl is still a market leader for price/features/performance http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/tablets/tesco-hudl-2-1267726/review.
However it does criticise the battery life. I've had a Hudl mk1 for 18 months now and don't use it a lot but I have noticed the battery life has dropped off markedly and it wouldn't be able to navigate all day without access to charging. If the brightness is turned up to improve sunlight vision then of course it'll use more battery.
Certainly battery life is a thing to consider when buying a 2nd hand tablet as batteries always drop off after time and aren't generally replaceable.
I loaded two excellent free apps called Clean Master and Battery Doctor which allow you to optimise the tablet and get rid of unwanted load and files. They do get rid of an amazing amount of trash.
I suspect having brightness up and the GPS on all day will significantly impact battery life. A 12v charging USB flylead in the cockpit may be an option.
I have an inverter under the chart table to charge up gizmos from 240V.
I've now gone the plotter in the cockpit route but I will be using my Hudl when down below 'having a wee lie down' just to keep an eye on things while the crew sit on watch during windless motoring passages under autopilot, draped along the cockpit seats, backs to the coachroof, facing aft, playing with those infernal iphones!
If only lobster pots had AIS transponders...
The Navionics link VicMallows provided is a very good taster to the Boating app, what it doesn't show is how good the extra features of the Nav module are for routing.
This review continues to confirm that the Hudl is still a market leader for price/features/performance http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/tablets/tesco-hudl-2-1267726/review.
However it does criticise the battery life. I've had a Hudl mk1 for 18 months now and don't use it a lot but I have noticed the battery life has dropped off markedly and it wouldn't be able to navigate all day without access to charging. If the brightness is turned up to improve sunlight vision then of course it'll use more battery.
Certainly battery life is a thing to consider when buying a 2nd hand tablet as batteries always drop off after time and aren't generally replaceable.
I loaded two excellent free apps called Clean Master and Battery Doctor which allow you to optimise the tablet and get rid of unwanted load and files. They do get rid of an amazing amount of trash.
I suspect having brightness up and the GPS on all day will significantly impact battery life. A 12v charging USB flylead in the cockpit may be an option.
I have an inverter under the chart table to charge up gizmos from 240V.
I've now gone the plotter in the cockpit route but I will be using my Hudl when down below 'having a wee lie down' just to keep an eye on things while the crew sit on watch during windless motoring passages under autopilot, draped along the cockpit seats, backs to the coachroof, facing aft, playing with those infernal iphones!
If only lobster pots had AIS transponders...
alant
Well-Known Member
Would you recommend upgrading from a hudl1 to a hudl2?
Have you used a micro sd card to expand memory & if so, did it affect performance?
RichardS
N/A
Yes, you need an AIS unit that can broadcast over wifi. You might well be able to connect a tablet to an AIS unit using a wired USB connection as well but that does not sound very flexible.
Richard
Andrew41
Active Member
Yes the live app works with the device's built in GPS.
No the online demo isn't an app so doesn't know your location but you can move the cursor to any part of the UK and zoom in.
I can't say, it depends on whether the increase in screen size is worth it. Go to Tesco and have a play with the Hudl2, they're always on display.
The Hudl2 is £129 and I read that the Hudl1 was discounted to £79 which is a bargain so I guess they'll be gone by now.
If you shop at Tesco and buy their fuel then Clubcard points and vouchers can get you a Hudl2 much cheaper as the vouchers' value gets doubled when you buy electonic goods under the Boost offer (to a max discount of £65 I think).
Good comparison here http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/tablets/3575189/tesco-hudl-vs-hudl-2-comparison-review/
A 3 times faster CPU could eat up the amphours and the Tesco spec even admits to one hour less battery life than the Hudl1.
Certainly Tesco user reviews have mostly rated the Hudl2 5 stars, averaging at 4.7 from 4,100 reviews so they like it so far.
For yachties the on board GPS is the killer spec for a tablet this cheap, and it's got an HDMI port so it can plug into a TV and run iPlayer shoreside. I have also connected it to my phone and accessed the Internet as my tariff allows tethering (v. slow but it works).
I haven't used up the onboard storage so haven't tried the card slot but it shouldn't make any difference to performance it's just sometimes a bit clunky to point the app at the correct data path as it's not a Windows device so it's all a bit different. Don't try to stick your Navionics chart card into the slot <smiley face wink wink>
I would say that battery life, screen readability in sunlight and physical damage will be the main issues for any tablet in the cockpit. If you're actually going to use the Hudl to navigate seriously then the Hudl1 screen is probably a bit small. The Hudl case is very good protection but obviously not from water.
Anyway I've just bought a lovely Raymarine chart plotter from one of our fellow forumites to fit next to the helm so my Hudl will be Hudl'ing down below.
"I haven't used up the onboard storage so haven't tried the card slot but it shouldn't make any difference to performance it's just sometimes a bit clunky to point the app at the correct data path as it's not a Windows device so it's all a bit different. Don't try to stick your Navionics chart card into the slot <smiley face wink wink>"
I have a Navionics card which works via a reader to my laptop, it is an earlier version, unlike the new ones which are downloadable now, it links to my TIKI nav software. Is it possible to link it into the micro HDMI port on my HUDL2 via the reader.
"Yes the live app works with the device's built in GPS.
No the online demo isn't an app so doesn't know your location but you can move the cursor to any part of the UK and zoom in."
I know the apps works with the GPS, I was refering to the free worldwide one you mentioned, is that the demo one as above?
I have a Navionics card which works via a reader to my laptop, it is an earlier version, unlike the new ones which are downloadable now, it links to my TIKI nav software. Is it possible to link it into the micro HDMI port on my HUDL2 via the reader.
"Yes the live app works with the device's built in GPS.
No the online demo isn't an app so doesn't know your location but you can move the cursor to any part of the UK and zoom in."
I know the apps works with the GPS, I was refering to the free worldwide one you mentioned, is that the demo one as above?