Which netbooky/ipady thing? Suggestions please

[Quidi Vidi]

My understanding is that to get full GPS capability in IPad you need the 3/4G model as the GPS chip is incorporated in the sim doobri.

I am told that you don't need a SIM card in the machine to have GPS function.

Am about to remove my sim and report on the truth of that...edit on way.

With no sim full function GPS;

Terrific, thanks for your response, I should think a lot of forumites will find that of use as I've never seen anyone give a definitive a answer to that question before.
Any info on the ipad mini, anybody? Ie. does that need to be 3G too?

 

[Quidi Vidi]

Hi to all,
I'm using an Asus Google Nexus 7 32GB wi-fi only cost €245 (sayStg 199 perhaps?)
Tethers to iPhone4s easily and repeatedly.
GPS built in does not rely on anything else, just works.
Navionics Europe NOT available.
c-Map Jepperson Plan2Nav is available and seems ok apart from the inability to lock screen north up as yet.Charts cost maybe about €45 or so for Med area to Corfu or thereabouts.
Dropbox for cloud storage seems the biz.
Spotify premium for music is really good, especially if you have broad tastes in music and like stuff going way back as well as modern.
screen side camera for facebook/skype etc.
No camera per se.not missed as iPhone is fine.
only micro usb connection, no other sockets.
Some say the battery is easily user replaceable with some care.
Might be a plus in years to come.
Puffin browser is good for flash items, and has useful trackpad on its screen.Inexpensive to buy.
VLC player useful for odd video formats.
Some other file management apps are easily available from Google Playstore.
Android 4.2.2 is stable and fast on the quad core processor.Going back to XP on the Asus EEEPC 900 is like a bad dream now!Not worth upgrading with the present price of android tablets.
There is an office suite also, not tried it yet, as undecided about burdening myself with a bluetooth keyboard, kind of ruins the simplicity?

Can you get a waterproof case for it and how long does the battery last in navigation mode? As far as I know none of these devices can be plugged into a power supply once inside a waterproof case so battery life is a very important consideration.

 

[Vara]

Any info on the ipad mini, anybody? Ie. does that need to be 3G too?

Yes, essentially the innards are the same.
Haven't used one but my sister has one and is delighted with it, she finds the smaller size handy.

 

[Fantasie 19]

I opted for a Windows netbook because it allows me to do:-
Offline passage planning using the chart chip out of my chartplotter in exactly the same way as I do it at home.
Play all of my music.
Surf for weather etc and send receive emails using either built in WiFi (local pub) or 2G/3G dongle

Video on board isn't of interest
Battery life is up to 9 hours
Everything is standard
Waterproofing is not needed - a small chartplotter is carried in the cockpit - never the netbook.
3G is useless in our rias but might be more use Pompey way

Another major plus is that if it should go overboard or be stolen I lose no data and 'only' £200.

I'll get off quickly to hide from the onslaught of the TOWIAs

Not from me - I did exactly the same... Plus bought a USB GPS (£20'ish), and also run OpenCPN (free) to give me a plotter...

 

[LadyInBed]

If you are an I . . . User then probably that is your best choice, but at a price!
Whatever you get, I would say that 10" screen is minimum for nav plotted app.
I have just bought an android to use at home which has gps but no 3g, though I can connect it via wifi to my 3g dongle, but no good for me on the boat as I am an opencpn fan so I use a s/h windows notebook, with a usb gps on the boat, as a backup to my 'proper' chart plotter and for 3g internet - mail, grib, etc. I have onboard power to keep it going.
Waterproofing a tablet isn't a problem - put it in a self sealing clear polly bag!
You have to make up your mind what you want to use the device for and buy appropriately and to your budget.

 

[Quidi Vidi]

Thanks for your input everyone, I have just bought a 2nd hand ipad off fleabay after considering all your comments. Not sure if I'm doing the right thing but have decided to stop dithering and take the plunge! Hopefully this thread has also helped and informed a lot of other readers, I'll put an update on later and let you know the results.

 

[Rivers & creeks]

A wise choice. we run two on board, both bought 2nd hand on ebay, one via Tesco's returns dept and the other a £295 iPad 3 from Cash Converters on ebay. Both 3g but never had a SIM in them, running Navionics as the only onboard plotter for the last year and they work well. An iPhone acts as a wifi hotspot so both iPads can be used to watch TV & Netflix. All incredibly simple to run, you have to buy into the "Apple way or the highway" approach but it works for us. Now I'm adding AIS via a COMAR NMEA to wifi converter and a £17 NASA AIS box bought on the forum. Those two add £190 to the budget but still all less than a plotter with a screen half the size and with a fraction of the functionality.

 

[Quidi Vidi]

A wise choice. we run two on board, both bought 2nd hand on ebay, one via Tesco's returns dept and the other a £295 iPad 3 from Cash Converters on ebay. Both 3g but never had a SIM in them, running Navionics as the only onboard plotter for the last year and they work well. An iPhone acts as a wifi hotspot so both iPads can be used to watch TV & Netflix. All incredibly simple to run, you have to buy into the "Apple way or the highway" approach but it works for us. Now I'm adding AIS via a COMAR NMEA to wifi converter and a £17 NASA AIS box bought on the forum. Those two add £190 to the budget but still all less than a plotter with a screen half the size and with a fraction of the functionality.

I bought the Ipad 1 as it was cheap and I wasn't too sure which way to go, wish I'd seen your reply earlier as it would have put my fears to rest and I could have spent more with confidence. Oh we'll I can always upgrade later when I've learnt more about it. I intend to use navionics I think but that's probably a subject for another thread! Do you have your ipad in the cockpit? Do you use a waterproof case? Another minefield that I am looking into.

 

[Rivers & creeks]

No difference in functionality at all between 1 & 3 on Navionics except the clearer screen on the 3 but we run both and hardly notice it. We have a wheelhouse yacht so no waterproof case needed and in any case they affect the cooling so there are issues to consider if it's in sunlight. Decide now if you want AIS integrated as that means buying inavx for AIS overlay, but we don't bother, we just show the targets on a RADAR type screen. Navionics is an awesome program on the ipad and you get free chart updates for life on the ipad which saves hundreds on chart updates on a plotter; buy the £2.99 plotter add on for full routing functions.

 

[Ric]

If you already use an iPhone then it makes sense to get an iPad. Many of the apps are common, and it is just more pleasant to stay with the same operating system.

I use an iPad2 in a waterproof Lifedge case on deck. I have Navionics charts on it, plus three or four weather apps.

By far the most useful feature is the ability to view and control my Raymarine E7D display from the iPad (and indeed from the iPhone). I can view the charts, radar, AIS, sounder on the iPad, and control the autopilot so I can even steer the boat. I can also control all music played through the boats stereo system from the iPad in the cockpit or on the deck.

 

[Mrnotming]

Can you get a waterproof case for it and how long does the battery last in navigation mode? As far as I know none of these devices can be plugged into a power supply once inside a waterproof case so battery life is a very important consideration.

Hi Bower 15,
ATM the device is fairly new on the market so I am waiting a little until the likes of Navionics get around to providing charts for the Nexus 7.Jepperson Plan2Nav seems useful but not an ECS or an ECDIS.The Jepperson name says it all.If I was depending on a system for full navigational capability I would ship the mac mini on board with iNavX or Macenc and a nice big monitor.However the mac-mini is busy doing work at home!
A Nexus 7 would not be even splashproof I would venture, so youtube will have a video of a guy operating same within a ziplock bag.A sort of condom like arrangement with those inherent risks!Upside, there is only the micro usb inlet on the Nexus, so soon a good cover that clamps the glass by way of a seal will emerge!Of course on the Nexus 7, the glass is bonded to the display screen so a good bang will have you plotting on something else quite quickly.Dropped the Lorenz 7" last year, bits of the screen inside fell off and now I have extra rocks and islands, though it still works!No idea how long the battery lasts except that in music streaming mode/surfing it lasts about 14 hours.At the price one could buy two and swap them during the passage if that was an issue.
The Lorenz plotter was the bees knees in its day, but the redraw speed is slow since c-map charts cards went superwide, so palpitations can occur whilst the latest screen struggles to come into view!If you have somewhere to keep the paper chart dry or have waterproof ones, so much the better?

 

[Birdseye]

Is the navionics an ECS or an ECDIS and why does this matter when you arent a SOLAS vessel? I am leaning towards either the Nexus 7 or the Nexus 10, neither of which are compatible with navionics.

However, like the OP I am trying to decide which tablet to buy and in my case size matters. Seems to me that the 7 inch is a far better size to take on deck, but is 7 inch an OK size for all the daily use at home where it will replace booting up the PC to check emails, browse the forums etc?

 

[Richard10002]

Is the navionics an ECS or an ECDIS and why does this matter when you arent a SOLAS vessel? I am leaning towards either the Nexus 7 or the Nexus 10, neither of which are compatible with navionics.

However, like the OP I am trying to decide which tablet to buy and in my case size matters. Seems to me that the 7 inch is a far better size to take on deck, but is 7 inch an OK size for all the daily use at home where it will replace booting up the PC to check emails, browse the forums etc?

SWMBO has a Nexus 7 and, on the occasions I use it, I like it. A lot!

I have a 1st gen iPad which is fine but, if something went wrong with it, I'd be getting a Nexus.

Not tried it for Nav as its hard to get lost on the canals - and Google Maps is fine

 

[grumpy_o_g]

Is the navionics an ECS or an ECDIS and why does this matter when you arent a SOLAS vessel? I am leaning towards either the Nexus 7 or the Nexus 10, neither of which are compatible with navionics.

However, like the OP I am trying to decide which tablet to buy and in my case size matters. Seems to me that the 7 inch is a far better size to take on deck, but is 7 inch an OK size for all the daily use at home where it will replace booting up the PC to check emails, browse the forums etc?

I've got a Nexus 7 and a Asus Transformer (10" tablet) and I also have a PC on in the living room pretty much whenever I'm at home. I wear glasses for reading and have a separate pair for computer work (they are designed to focus at 2 or 3 feet instead of the 12-18" of the reading glasses). I'm 57 with the sort of eyesight most my age have. I'm fine with the 7" Nexus if I'm wearing my reading glasses but will either get the tablet or use the PC if it's for more than 10 minutes or so. Having said that I love the portability and will use the Nexus for long periods when travelling without any real problems. If I'm on the 10" tablet and not in the living room it's rare I will go and use the PC in preference unless there's audio involved. So I guess the answer is, if your eyesight is up to newspapers, you'll be fine with the 7" but you will be scrolling more and can see less of a page at a time usually. 10" is undoubtedly better but it's not as portable. iPad has an 8" which is OK - the extra size is noticeable but it won't go in a pocket unlike the Nexus 7 - I may as well have a 10" screen in that case as I have to carry it all the time anyway.

Mixing Android and Apple isn't such an issue these days. If I didn't have access to iThings at work I'd probably get one just to stay conversant with both interfaces. Although Google/Android are constantly improving they're also becoming more desirous of your information and keener to manipulate you into doing what they want in the way Apple does.
.

 

[Cappen Boidseye]

I have an iPad 3, the 3G one so that it has the GPS installed. No need for 3G reception as I use charting packages with installed maps, Watermap I think, or the other major one which isn't Navionics. The same software also runs on my iPhone 4. which tends to get used more often.
Both of them have armoured and shower proof cases, the iPhone was in a waterpof bag thing last year but I wanted it to be better protected against physical damage. When I get home tonight I will find out the make of these cases and post it. The cases are awkward to fit and a bit bulky because of the silicone padding to protect against shocks and vibration. However there are plugs which are part of the case which can be opened so you can plug cables etc. in to the ports on your device.
Still, the shiny toy will still be a functional shiny toy after a hard season of use.
I have tried using a laptop and a netbook, both with Seapro lite, which is an excellent package, unfortunately foldy uppy lid/screens and heavier weights make them rather vulnerable and the battery life is terrible compared to an iPad.
The iPad will last 8 to 10 hours on battery and I can run it while plugged in to stop it discharging (It won't charge on my boats 12v but it will use external power). Most of the time the iPhone is used, plugged in to the 12v socket, the screen is useable if small, bright enough for most days and the new case should protect it well. The iPad seems to be less useable in direct sunlight and I feel better with it on the table inside where I won't accidently sit on it!

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

I have an iPad 3, the 3G one so that it has the GPS installed. No need for 3G reception as I use charting packages with installed maps, Watermap I think, or the other major one which isn't Navionics. The same software also runs on my iPhone 4. which tends to get used more often.
Both of them have armoured and shower proof cases, the iPhone was in a waterpof bag thing last year but I wanted it to be better protected against physical damage. When I get home tonight I will find out the make of these cases and post it. The cases are awkward to fit and a bit bulky because of the silicone padding to protect against shocks and vibration. However there are plugs which are part of the case which can be opened so you can plug cables etc. in to the ports on your device.
Still, the shiny toy will still be a functional shiny toy after a hard season of use.
I have tried using a laptop and a netbook, both with Seapro lite, which is an excellent package, unfortunately foldy uppy lid/screens and heavier weights make them rather vulnerable and the battery life is terrible compared to an iPad.
The iPad will last 8 to 10 hours on battery and I can run it while plugged in to stop it discharging (It won't charge on my boats 12v but it will use external power). Most of the time the iPhone is used, plugged in to the 12v socket, the screen is useable if small, bright enough for most days and the new case should protect it well. The iPad seems to be less useable in direct sunlight and I feel better with it on the table inside where I won't accidently sit on it!

Why won't your iPad charge on 12v? Mine does.

 

[Cappen Boidseye]

It runs and uses the 12v supply, but says it is not charging, it is the same when plugged into my pc, I think it will take a charge when not lit up and doing things, when active I think it uses the 12v to run, or maybe it has a fault. It will charge and run from it's own mains charger off 240 volts. Seems a bit odd, but the thing is a damn good toy to have around. Pity they charge up so slowly, that isn't just mine, they seem to take as long to charge as they do to run down, which is ludicrous, but hopefully the battery will last years.

 

[BrendanS]

It runs and uses the 12v supply, but says it is not charging, it is the same when plugged into my pc, I think it will take a charge when not lit up and doing things, when active I think it uses the 12v to run, or maybe it has a fault. It will charge and run from it's own mains charger off 240 volts. Seems a bit odd, but the thing is a damn good toy to have around. Pity they charge up so slowly, that isn't just mine, they seem to take as long to charge as they do to run down, which is ludicrous, but hopefully the battery will last years.

It does charge when on usb but they are very cautious in the warning, as you can be running it down faster than it can charge. It will def charge if screen dark, but slower than if plugged into mains. If you are on usb and running apps, screen on, you can be using battery faster than it's charging, which is why you get the warning.

Bower15, the definitive answer about 3G and GPS chip in the iPad, but not needing a sim card for this, has been given many many time on ybw forums.

 

[Cappen Boidseye]

As promised, the protective carapaces for both my iPhone and iPad are Griffin Survivor Military Duty cases, not cheap but they do give military grade protection to the valuable shiny things inside. I can put up with the weight when on board. I also like the grippyness the cases give the Apple toys, which when naked have such a nice shape and nice finish that they can be like trying to hold a bar of soap!
The iPad case also has a click out stand at the back to prop it up to a veiwing angle. The iPhone case does make the phone less pocket friendly, it doesn't slip in or out as easily but at least if it did get dropped it would just laugh it off!

 

[Rivers & creeks]

Why won't your iPad charge on 12v? Mine does.

You need a special charger for the ipad, it demands higher power than the iPhone. If I use USB charging for both iPads and the iPhone from the same 3 way charger the iPads will often say "not charging" - they're basically in battery saver mode where they take enough to not deplete the battery. Then you need to hook them up to an ipad charger like the Griffin, most cheapos on eBay and Amazon don't put out enough amps.