Another Tablet Q. Sorry.

[A Leron]

I need to replace my iPad mini with a similar sized tablet. Recognising that there will be as many opinions as there are pilots, my question is simple. The purpose of a replacement is solely to run SkyDemon - nothing else (the GPS packed up on my iPad after dropping it again).

Does the replacement tablet really need to have cellular capability? I have an iPhone for downloading weather, so is a simple wi-fi tablet around £100 going to do the business and what capabilities will SD lose without cellular?

Just askin'...

Ta.
A.Leron

[artschool]

there is a new iPad Pro coming out next week. I am waiting for that.

[BoeingBoy]

I have also been looking at Tablets solely for SD and have drawn the conclusion that for now anyway I'll stick with my Tesco Hudl II which does a fabulous job and has never let me down. It's only problem is that it's no longer supported and sooner or later it will not run modern apps. They are still available on eBay.

As I am primarily looking at Android over Apple my options seem to be the Samsung S3 8" which is the same size as the iPad mini (so your mounts should work) or an old Nexus 7. There is a nice Huawei 5 8" which seems ideal until you read that you can't run apps from the SD card.

Everything I've read about running iPad's for SD seems to be hassle. From overheating to not having built in GPS people still rate them and I'm sure their fine if you are prepared to put up with that but for me I'll stick with Android.

[22/04]

iPad Mini 2 has always worked just fine for me with SkyDemon (version with a sim card has GPS). An alternative may be to use an external GPS source- Pilot Aware seems ok for this for example.

[artschool]

Everything I've read about running iPad's for SD seems to be hassle. From overheating to not having built in GPS people still rate them and I'm sure their fine if you are prepared to put up with that but for me I'll stick with Android.

what usually puts people off buying apple products is that they are expensive.

[Ebbie 2003]

I run Garmin Pilot on a Samsung tablet.

The tablet cost US $150 about three years ago - it has developed in the past year a habit of over heating and restarting which can be a pain, so it is going to get replaced.

[A Leron]

Thanks for the interesting answers chaps, none of which address the questions: Does the replacement tablet really need to have cellular capability? Secondly: what capabilities will SD lose without cellular?

@ artschool: I have to agree with you. That's why I'm replacing Apple with something else...

Keep it up! I'm listening (or maybe reading) with interest!

Ta.
A.Leron

[TheOddOne]

I have a 5-year old Samsung 8" tablet which is still working just fine, and a new Samsung 7" with a slightly better screen quality. I prefer the 7" as it is more compact. It fits on my thigh just perfectly, just like a kneeboard or I have a yoke mount. I like using it in portrait mode with 'track up' but works just as well 'North up'. Unlike the horribly bulky larger tablets I see, it doesn't obscure any of the instruments OR the outside view. I just hate to see tablets stuck up where you can't see traffic coming. SkyDemon is a VFR product and when using it, 90% of your attention ought to be outside the aircraft, with the occasional glance at the GPS to confirm your position. If you're IMC, then you should be doing something different, principally keeping your scan going. If your tablet is obscuring your instruments, then you're not flying IMC properly.
In terms of battery life, the Samsung 7" gets me 2 x 2.5 hour flights easily without need of an external power source or leads. The internal GPS is just fantastic inside a metal aircraft. I can use my phone to give a mobile capability to the tablet, but have never felt the need in flight.
Leads all over the place are another pet hate of mine. Apparently, there was a guy who ditched a PA28 near Alderney. Last seen by his passenger, allegedly he was struggling with a load of wires and was unable to get out.
The best solution is to panel mount the device.


TOO

[Prop swinger]

Does the replacement tablet really need to have cellular capability? Only if you want an iPad with internal GPS. Non-mobile/cellular iPads will have to use a external GPS device connected using wifi or bluetooth. Non-cellular Android tablets will have an internal GPS.

what capabilities will SD lose without cellular? None, use wifi to connect to the internet for data/weather updates or filing a flight plan, use the iPhone as a hotspot if necessary.

[Piper.Classique]

You don't need either cellular or a built in GPS. What you do need is a really bright screen, and Bluetooth. Then you can hotspot from your phone to the tablet's WiFi, and put your GPS somewhere convenient with a good sky view. I find seven or eight inch tablets running Android work fine. Don't add anything beyond what you need to make the GPS work.
or you can just put your phone on an A5 kneepad, but the external GPS is still a good idea. You can add a battery pack if you want, the GPS should run longer than your flight will last.

[Nurse2Pilot]

A.Leron, how did you mount your iPad in the cockpit? I assume that when you mentioned you dropped it, that it fell off the mount while inside the cockpit? Thanks!

[ChickenHouse]

there is a new iPad Pro coming out next week. I am waiting for that.
You may be dissappointed if it turns out to be FaceID and your infrared sensors in cockpit go mad ... happened to me when a PAX was using his X ...