Tablet PC

[purplerobbie]

I have just been looking on ebay and came across this and was wondering

Would this type of thing be any good for charting software?
I could mount it on a bulkhead by the chart table and use it for weather faxs too.
Even stick a gps mouse on it?

Any thoughts?
Rob

 

[knightvision]

I use a Panasonic Toughbook Tablet PC, with Maptech and EuroNav charting. I'm very happy with it.

I would check you could get good replacement batteries for it, also remember given it isn't waterproof keep it dry, and out of sunlight, as you may not be able to read the display otherwise.

It looks to me the spec will support both EuroNav and MapTech and so GPS and other things would work with it.

 

[Jonny_H]

I use an IBM X60 Tablet at work - its a normal laptop but the screen swivels to make it a tablet.

Screen v poor for daylight viewing. Also - using it in tablet mode means using the 'pen stylo' thingy as a mouse; this is easy to loose, and hard on a moving train etc so would be hard on a boat I would imagine (try writing on a moving wall - thats what using the stylo would be like on a bulkhead mounted tablet).

Also - I wouldn't recommend mounting it permanently - when you power it up you need it in 'normal' laptop mode to log on (you can use a touchscreen keyboard - but see issue above re Stylo).

I would spend less on a simalar spec'd laptop instead - you can also then get an external monitor and keep your laptop in the chart table out of the way of any dampness etc.

Jonny

 

[purplerobbie]

[ QUOTE ]
I would spend less on a simalar spec'd laptop instead - you can also then get an external monitor and keep your laptop in the chart table out of the way of any dampness etc.

Jonny

[/ QUOTE ]
You have never seen the inside of my chart table!! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
I think the water runs down the inside of the hull behind the panel and it ends up as a couple of inches in the chart table
Plus i can only open it a couple of inches as the last owner put a bilge pump switch in the way
It would all be very funny if it was not true, or someone else's boat

Rob

 

[Jonny_H]

Oops! Is your boat back in Liverpool now or is she still residing in the Gib?

Regardless of the state of your chart table - I personally find tablets hard to use on a moving platform, and would suggest buying a couple of normal laptops for the same price.

Jonny

 

[ex-Gladys]

I hav a Compaq TC1000, and whilst there are somea dvntages to them, the general issue is that they are a compromise device. The TC 1000 has only 256MB ram and a 20 GB hard drive. I wouldn't fancy using one on a boat...

 

[jfkal]

I am contemplating one of those as well. However I am not certain about their true daylight performance. True daylight viewable displays are pretty expensive. Good thing about those is that you can buy a so called Otterbox which is truly watertight. Check them out in a store first before you buy.