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Why no Windows or Android based in Flight Map System


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I am hard pressed to understand why I can't get a good, reliable and reasonalbly priced Flight Map and Approach system for one of the lower cost tablets now available.  Why do WingX and Foreflight limit themselves to Apple products?   The tablets I like best are some of the Surface and Galaxy products.  If I am going to have a product like a tablet I want to be able to do Windows Office and have a detachable or Blue Tooth keyboard.  Am I missing something that is available out there??

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Ipad is Apple and is much pricer than other tablets, and does not work with WIndows Office and does not provide a real keyboard. Garmin is never reasonably priced on anything. More please.

Logitech makes a very nice keyboard that is Bluetooth. It also serves a cover when closed, I've been using the keyboard for 2 years now. There are also apps that will create,save and edit office compatible documents. I resisted buying the ipad for the same reasons you mentioned for about 2 years. I use it exclusively now and don't even travel with a laptop anymore, it's probably the most used purchase I have made in the last 2 years. The computer at home might get used once a week now.

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/ultrathin-keyboard-cover

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I am hard pressed to understand why I can't get a good, reliable and reasonalbly priced Flight Map and Approach system for one of the lower cost tablets now available.  

 

You shouldn't be so hard pressed. It's pretty simple business stuff.

 

But what is it you don't you like about Garmin Pilot, Avilution and Navigator?

Why do WingX and Foreflight limit themselves to Apple products?   The tablets I like best are some of the Surface and Galaxy products.  If I am going to have a product like a tablet I want to be able to do Windows Office and have a detachable or Blue Tooth keyboard.  Am I missing something that is available out there??

 

Android and iOS development differ. It's difficult for small companies like Hilton and ForeFlight to develop a product that sophisticated on both platforms at the same time. So, the principals of ForeFlight decided to go with iOS (the only thing available in tablets at the time) and while there is in theory a WingX for Android, it's not even deserving of the name. 

 

Why iOS first? Could be the almost 2-years they were on the market before a viable Android tablet ever existed. 

 

I know ForeFlight has not ruled out the possibility of an Android version in the future. And the fact that there is a WingX for Android at all suggests neither has Hilton.

 

But don't hold your breath. If you don't like the Android offerings, you'll have to wait quite a while or start dunking for Apples.

 

Windows tablets? Too new, too little market share generally, too little interest. 

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Ipad is Apple and is much pricer than other tablets, and does not work with WIndows Office and does not provide a real keyboard.  Garmin is never reasonably priced on anything.  More please.

 

What's the difference in the price of Garmin Pilot (with one license for both platforms) compared to WingX and ForeFlight? I think you'll find its about the same. 

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How about some more information on Avere and how to access is for Charts and flight info. I tried to Google it and go lost.

Go to Google Play (my new widget says 'Play Store' instead), go to Apps and search for "Avare" which they pronounce av-air. It runs very well using the GPS in my Galaxy phone and tablet. "AviationMaps" (no space) is good for charts and plates. I still prefer paper, whose subscription doesn't expire, batteries don't run down and have good daylight visibility. I'm trying to learn to use digital, but so far do so primarily during preflight.

Not sure how much you'll find out googling the name. It's free, download it and give it a try.

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Check out http://www.seattleavionics.com Voyager product.  I have used it for years.  However I have just now switched to the FlyQ (also produced by Seattle Avionics)  and the IPad mainly in order to run the Xavion software as my non craft powered ADS-B backup.  

 

I have a Skypad and WAAS GPS with Voyager and XM weather receiver that I would be willing to sell at a very, very low price if you or anyone is interested.  I will tell you that no Windows platform I have ever used is as stable as the IPad for EFB operations.  I too went kicking and screaming to the IPad for my EFT as I am a systems integrator and have some first hand knowledge with software and hardware.  I have my Skypad setup exclusively for Voyager, I dont email, don't download, dont load other software or search the web with it just EFB!

 

Good luck, let me know what you come up with,

Lacee

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I've also used Voyager for years on a Motion tablet and it has worked reliably uty Seattle Avionics doesn't seem to be too interested in supporting it anymore and any glitch or question can literally take weeks before the one tech guy can/will answer.

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newegg.com is selling refurbished 1st generation 32GB Nexus 7 tablets for $140 with free shipping. This is the one I have. I love the internal GPS. Picks up satellites better than my aviation GPS.

I picked up a 32 gb Nexus 7 Gen 2 this week for $160 at Staples. Testing all the packages listed above. GP is the most refined, but I like Naviator for the price point and just trying Avare now.

All depends on which features you want. I want moving map, good in flight data, airport diagrams, etc. Several of the programs do all of these and I didn't have too pay the Apple tax.

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I use Naviator on my Samsung Android product.  I am mostly happy with it.  Not perfect but does what I need.

 

http://naviatorapp.com/

 

You can have a 30 day free trial.

 

$35/year gets you sectionals, low charts, high charts, and approach plates.  It even includes the Grand Canyon chart.  Moving map works on sectionals, low charts, and high charts.  You pick which charts/plates you want.  The more you pick, the longer it will take to update at each revision. If you want moving map on approach plates its another $75/year for a subscription with Seattle Avionics.

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I have an iPad.  It is true that word processing is not truly convenient if you have and are used to Office on your desktop, but there are many apps that allow you to access and process Word docs.  As far as Outlook goes, I use Good and it is not only seamless, it is secure.  I can access all of my Outlook stuff, calendar, email, tasks, etc. seamlessly on my iPad.  I use to drag my laptop around, but no need anymore.  I have a small Brightline bag that I keep my iPad in, plus the small amount of aviation related stuff I need over and above the iPad to fly the plane, and carry that with me pretty much all the time. 

 

I think the reason there is not a flood of people moving to Microsoft or other products is that we never have to reboot our iPad because the OS screwed something up.  Rebooting is an irritation on the ground, but if you are flying an approach and your pad decides it needs to be rebooted in the middle of it, you have a problem. 

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Rebooting your iPad on approach is why it's neither certified nor legal to use as a primary navigation source. It's really good at providing situational awareness, but you should be able to complete the approach if the battery dies, the unit falls on the floor or you accidentally touch the screen and it changes to show something else.

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Well, just to be clear, I have owned three iPads so far, the 1, the 3 and now the 4, and I have never had to reboot any of them (other than to install an OS upgrade).  I have had to restart Foreflight on occasion, but that takes seconds.  Rebooting the iPad just doesn't happen as with Microsoft products.  Mind, I have and use many Microsoft products, I got my first IBM 386 desktop in 1986, I am not anti-MS.  But rebooting the whole machine is a fixture with MS, and not something you want to be doing in the cockpit.

 

I have also never had an iPad stop because of overheating, that is an issue I hear mainly about from people who don't like the iPad, have never used one, and need to have a flaw to talk about.

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Garmin Pilot+Nexus 7+GDL39=Perfection

 

Garmin Pilot (GP) + Nexus 7 + GDL39 + Garmin 696 = heaven!

I have Avare as well, and plan to use that for IFR approaches once they have the geo-referenced plates working. I will keep GP with the basic subscription as it's currently more complete than Avare. The GDL-39 only works with GP for ADS-B traffic and weather, and I like that on the Nexus 7.

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Garmin Pilot (GP) + Nexus 7 + GDL39 + Garmin 696 = heaven!

I have Avare as well, and plan to use that for IFR approaches once they have the geo-referenced plates working. I will keep GP with the basic subscription as it's currently more complete than Avare. The GDL-39 only works with GP for ADS-B traffic and weather, and I like that on the Nexus 7.

I had Garmin Pilot running on a Nexus 7 until this past month when I switched to an iPad Mini. What really irked me about Pilot on the Android was that it was not the same product as it was on my iPad 2. The Android version was always lagging in features. When I left that platform they still hadn't gotten dynamic maps done yet.

A dynamic map:

post-9886-13870385059885_thumb.jpg

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