Ipads, Androids and GPS
 

Anyone usied a tablet with GPS in place of a chartplotter or conventional GPS ?

Not in place of, but for back up. (several times) I dont think itll be long though before they have a dash mount for the ipad or other tablets

you can't see the ipad good in sunlight.

I cant remeber the boat but the owner had them build an ipad into the dash. It looked real sick. I think it was to control the music.

Yes, my ipad as back up using the inav app

windship has the ipad mounted on the dash. I just downloaded navionics for my iphone, I am going to it a go tomorrow crossing lake ontario and see how it does

The Navionics App on the iPad and iPhone work great. Only problem is seeing the screen in the sunlight or while bouncing around. You will need a plug adaptor as the battery drains quickly with the GPS active.

Let us know how it worked please.

heres my thing on IPAD, whats the purpose. I mean you have your lap top which isnt much bigger, and then your phone which can do everything. To me I cant justify buying it because its a useless inbetween device IMHO.

I have the Navionics app on my Motorola droid phone. Great app and beyond worth the money for at least a backup.

But like everyone else is saying, you can't see it for crap in the sunlight. It might be better if I had bimini top, but I don't, so it is just tough to read.

I have had it mounted with the car mount on the dash and it is semi helpful, but the real GPS is way easier to read because of that coating on the screen (purplish tint stuff). I wish you could get that coating in film form so I could put it on my phone.

I was just thinkin about this over the weekend. I know very little about the i pad but my thought was that a $500 ipad could replace a $7000 navigational device

You really need to try one. It will replace about 85-90% of what you do on a PC and as for the phone, it's great in a pinch but a 3-4" screen is still way too small to do anything serious.

Form factor of a tablet just blows away a laptop. That's why they are selling them faster than they can make them.

I can see both the iPad and iPhone under the Bimini on my wifes boat. My open cockpit Skater it is almost impossible to see in direct sunlight. The solution is to locate it in such away that it does not get direct sunlight and turn it to max brightness.

I downloaded the Navionics app for my iphone a couple of weeks ago... very impressive and a fantastic back-up for the $10. I like that you can DL just about any map/area you want and it's a resident on the phone/ipad so lack of cell service is not a show stopper. The down side is the visibility of the screen, battery life using teh GPS (as noted above), and the lack of water resistance.

The reason I started this thread is my very expensive chartplotter died and I don't have an extra 2K laying around to replace it. Thinking I could use my Garmin handheld GPS with a tablet. The Garmin would be the true marine GPS but the tablet would display the charts and gps data. Even if the tablet failed the handheld is still working.
At my age the tiny handheld is a bit challenging with a 1.5 x 2 screen !
ed

I use my Ipad 2 with "Lakes East HD" for full navigation w/ all markers, marinas, water depths, bouys, etc. Works absolutely great and it can play my playlist or pandora.

I will take a screen shot real quick and post.

Laptop? So 90's! I never use a laptop anymore when traveling. iPad all the way. I can use it for hours longer than a laptop, add a Bluetooth keyboard if I want, a gagillion applications, I can access my office DeskTop unit if I need more via Gotomypc. Amazing.

Viewing size is 7 3/4 x 5 3/4
http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._1058546_n.jpg
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._1232591_n.jpg

I also use my phone. I added another app that drops a bread crumb trail down with my speed at each point of the trip. LOVE that feature.

You guys complaining that the Ipad is hard to read in the light: Put on polarized glasses and rotate it 90 degrees. Works for me.

Thing is when i am out in the boat I dont need to get on the internet do facebook and everything else. I am of the younger generation and just feel this is stuff is senseless, not saying its not cool. When Im at home im on the computer and at work if Im inbetween a phone will suffice in a pinch. I can see applications for business and such. But to have an Ipad, garmine and phone all the same time in aboat is way overboard. Again I just see this device as a inbetween that serves no real purpose besides cool factor. although I think it will push R&D and will drive cooler and better things in the future

You are definitely missing the boat on tablets. Sorry, but a useless device does not sell in the 10's of millions . . .

Good for avoiding weather, real time radar is nice.

Does anyone make a water proof or resistant housing for the ipad? My phone is a great back up, but it's too small for full time use on the dash. An ipad would certainly work, I wouldn't want to trash one the first time the saltwater spray gets on it!

Okay, now a way to mount in on the dash AND keep it protected...

Just add this.

http://ducttape.umwblogs.org/files/2.../duck-tape.jpg

I see a business opp for you Nort...

Seriously, I do see an opportunity for one of the case makers out there, but I can also see someone sticking a $500 price tag on them too. Until then, I might have to consider Nort's technology. :drink:

Does it pass the NEED test or more of a WANT?? Im not doubting its helpful or cool. But just seems like a more cool to have thing

Honestly we are saving tons of money because of ipads. We are no longer buying our salesman laptops. A laptop was costing us about $1500 and they had to be somewhere wireless or wired for it to be of any use. Not to mention it was a pain for them to get through an airport with. We are now buying our salesman pc's for under $500 and putting a $500 3G ipad in their hands. They can connect to their PC to get any data they need; they have connection everywhere they go; and airports are a breeze. We try and be an innovative company and we are even offering credit card transactions that run through a third party plug in device to the ipad. For us laptops are a thing of the past a long with thumb drives, cd burners, etc.

OK, now make me smart please. Can I use a tablet, not necessarly Ipad, and slave my handheld Garmin into the tablet ( if it does not have a gps in it) , download the charts I want and be on my way ?

I'll crawl back in my cave and await your responses.
ed

No, and it won't make coffee either. :drink:

I can hardly see my Garmin with the polarized shades on, is the iPad different in the sun? I'm currently adding iPads to my consulting business, and doing integrations with a partner.

They have a screen cover that integrates with the water proof otter box defender that is an antiglare

Navionics on the Ipad does not have the chart detail of a full chartplotter. Also, I know everyone say that Navionics has all these cool features like real time weather and tides, etc, but I haven't figured out how to find all that on the program. All I have accessed so far is the basic maps.

For me, this is not a replacement to a chartplotter. I use it to plan my route, or study my course, before I get on the boat. That way when I'm cruising I'm already familiar with the area and any possible obstructions, vs. seeing it for the first time on a chartplotter at 70 mph.

The INavX charts are detailed in my area (attached)... They are exactly like the paper charts...

Why would you need to slave your GPS to the tablet?

Take your glasses and tilt them 90 degrees and you will be able to see the stuff again. ;) By turning the Ipad you get the same effect.

Only if the tablet did not have an internal gps receiver.

I'll admit I'm challenged by some of todays technology. Could someone help me out ?
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