Other than IPad

[rotorman]

I'm interested in anyone's experience with tablet map displays other than IPad. There are a fair number of reviews on Stratus and IPad but not so many about android products and the GPS/ADS-B that input into them. So if there is anyone using Android please let me know which products you are using and how you like them.

[wishboneash]

I am using a Nexus 7 with Garmin Pilot (GP). The GDL-39 drives this with traffic and weather. It works quite well although I have heard that the Android version of GP does not have all the features as the iOS version. For situational awareness only, Avare and Fltplan Go work fine. One will need to get a different ADS-B rx to work with Fltplan/Avare. Fltplan Go has free georeferenced plates and taxiway diagrams. Avare currently has taxiways georeferenced and planning on plates soon. I prefer the Fltplan Go user interface to Avare. At some point, I may dump GP and stick with one of the free versions. I can get weather/traffic on my Garmin 696.

[Marauder]

I used Garmin Pilot for about a year on a Nexus 7. Like wishboneash points out, the Droid version of Pilot lacks features like dynamic maps. BTW, this is a dynamic map:

I like the Nexus, but it also wouldn't run ForeFlight. You can't beat the prices of the Nexus series. I also found they were a bit brighter than my iPad.

[Hank]

I've been playing with Avare on my Galaxy 7 tablet. A newer one would probably work better. I'm not yet equipped for ADS-B, so no advice on that.

[ChrisH]

Don't have ads-b, but for android I've tried a lot of the apps, and iFly seems the nicest, free 30day trial for you nexus owners.

[bd32322]

check out flightpro.com

 

Use on any android tablet - i'll probably get myself a newer tablet with one of the latest intel processors.

[Z W]

I just replaced my iPad/Foreflight setup with a Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 android tablet and Garmin Pilot.  I never got a Stratus, and have not purchased the GDL 39 for Garmin Pilot to add ADS-B and synthetic vision.

 

I have no complaints.  It's different, but I had it figured out in about an afternoon.  Equally capable.  It's missing a few minor features I liked - there is no "Imagery" tab to look at prognostic charts and winds aloft.  Also, it does not have the "altitude finder" that gives you head and tail wind numbers at each altitude.  You have to plug in each altitude and compare your estimated time in route to get the best height.

 

It has some other features I like better.  The TAF/Winds Aloft displays, I find are better.  It is very easy to reference approach charts for your current flight plan, which is nice.  

 

I've been an Android convert for a long time and had only kept the iPad for Foreflight.  Now that Garmin Pilot exists, there is no reason not to switch over.  It's about $175 per year with geo-referenced approach plates.  The tablet is cheap ($250.00 with a 2-year data plan contract), well built, and very powerful.  Battery life is great.  The on-board GPS seems to work better than my iPad's.  Nobody has to "approve" my apps, and I can finally uninstall iTunes.

 

The iPad is nice if that's your thing, but the other options today are pretty good.

[Marauder]

I don't think you can go wrong with a Droid for flying. Like Zane, I thought the learning curve was not too long and the battery life on the Nexus was great. What I like about the iPads is that my stuff is synchronized between my Apple devices. Also find it easier to share things with the family.

If Garmin Pilot on Droid wasn't lagging so far behind the iOS version, I would have kept the Nexus just for flying.

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[rotorman]

Zane,

I'm not fully understanding this. Are you using the Tab 2 GPS with no other external nav source to navigate? And are you using a Serius subscription to receive inflight weather?

[Hank]

I ran Avare yesterday on an old WiFi 7" Galaxy tablet using only its internal GPS. It matched my 430W pretty darn closely, for being a 2-year-old $200 device. Great backup for situational awareness.

[Z W]

Zane,

I'm not fully understanding this. Are you using the Tab 2 GPS with no other external nav source to navigate? And are you using a Serius subscription to receive inflight weather?

Yes on the internal GPS. It seems to work better than the iPad's. Just a very subjective, non-scientific observation. It would be fine for VFR navigation.

I have a 430W in the dash and a 496 on the yoke with XM weather so I really just use the tablet for flight planning and charts. I may add the GDL and ditch the XM weather now.

[TTaylor]

I have been flying with the Nexus 7 2013 version since December.  I paid $160 for a 32 Gb version on cyber Monday and have been totally happy with it, you can get them most times for around $220 to $240 on sale.  The 7" size fits nicely on a yoke mount, plenty of brightness if needed and uses standard USB plugs for ease of making cables in the plane.  I have tried several of the software packages and all work well for basic VFR flight.  Nice to have everything at your finger tips.  The internal GPS has been rock solid and I love the GPS overlay on airport diagrams in Avare for taxi position (for free).  Overall I can't say enough about the Nexus, great tablet at half the price or less of an equivalent iPad. 

[rotorman]

Great discussion. Thanks all for the great input. I have seen so much about the IPad/Foreflight/Stratus it's enlightening to see what others are doing.

[carusoam]

Prices on everything and iPads continue to drop while they improve! How about that!

A phone, a graphical display, a GPS, a back-up that fits in your pocket, and affordable.

We technically live in interesting times.

Best regards,

-a-

[Bob - S50]

Another to look at is Naviator.

 

http://naviatorapp.com/

 

$35/year.  Geo-referenced plates for another $75.  I don't pay the $75.  I should be looking at the instruments, not the moving map.

 

I don't have ADS-B in or out, but it is supposed to work with:

 

iLevel SW/AW, Dual XGPS 170 and NavWorx WxBox

 

Free 30 day trial.

 

Flight planning has a few quirks, but I use DTC DUAT for that anyway.

 

Bob

[Cabanaboy]

Anybody still use floppy discs out there?? cant wait to hear all about it......

[midlifeflyer]

I'm one of those who doesn't join the Apple/Android wars. I use an iPad with ForeFlight as my primary EFB but also have a 7" 32Gb Asus MeMo Pad as my backup. I haven't quite made a final selection, but the free and surprisingly good Avare, FlitePro (nee Avilution), and plan to give the iFly app a test drive soon.

 

No ADS-B for the Asus, however. ForeFlight remains my app-of-choice (for now) and Stratus doesn't work with anything else.

[midlifeflyer]

Anybody still use floppy discs out there?? cant wait to hear all about it......

 Interesting comment in a discussion of apps and hardware  on the leading edge...  

[Marauder]

Anybody still use floppy discs out there?? cant wait to hear all about it......

Which size? I started off on 8", then moved to those wonderful 5 1/4" and finally the 3 1/2". Great technology back then -- right up there with the invention of the lighter (and I was getting pretty good at rubbing sticks together)

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[Hank]

I started with a cassette deck, writing down the counter to get to the right position on the tape to load from. THEN went to 5¼ floppies. The 3½" plastic disks were a great improvement. Now I have an old Droid 7" tablet with Avare and an iPad mini that I'm still looking for a good, free app for.