iPhone aviation applications, what do you recommend & use?
Of course, in the good old days ('Back in the day' to use the argot of yoof-speak) 'PDA' meant something far more enjoyable.....
Talking to an IT wise-head the other day, he told me that people turned away from last year's fad, the 'netbook', when the iPad appeared. But it's no use for work and the e-mail applications are poorly thought out. Pretty for web surfing, but that's about all.
Talking to an IT wise-head the other day, he told me that people turned away from last year's fad, the 'netbook', when the iPad appeared. But it's no use for work and the e-mail applications are poorly thought out. Pretty for web surfing, but that's about all.
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BEagle, couldn't agree more, I seriously looked into buying one and realised that while it is very good at what it does AND looks absolutely gorgeous, it wasn't fit for my purpose. Doesn't stop me wanting one though
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Just Toys?
@ Beagle
[QUOTE]but these iPhone and iPad things are really just pretty toys, to be brutally honest. [QUOTE]
Have to disagree on that one. I got fed up carrying full size laptops around and tried six different net books (hopeless every one of them). Thought long and hard about an iPad. My argument against is that there is no proper file management system and that printing is not as easy as it should be; along with being tied to another computer. My arguments for are: that I am able to create documents, edit documents, create and manage work flows, manage emails, calendar, manage meetings and minute taking, create sketches and drawings as required, carry out presentations, task management and prioritisation, hazard management, risk management, read and create pdf documents, "do" dictation, read the Times newspaper and do the odd math thingy here and there. All with FTP uploads and much, much more. I use the iPad for work and for play (web browsing, crosswords, music and very rarely movies). On top of all that it has an 8 1/2 hour battery life and is light. Many many civilian business also find the iPad a godsend.
I do not regret my iPad purchase for work. I do regret that it is so attractive to children. Some little horror managed to scratch the screen when the iPad was only a few weeks old. Fortunately the scratch is barely noticeable.
So, not a toy.
Hval.
Edited for spellinj errur
[QUOTE]but these iPhone and iPad things are really just pretty toys, to be brutally honest. [QUOTE]
Have to disagree on that one. I got fed up carrying full size laptops around and tried six different net books (hopeless every one of them). Thought long and hard about an iPad. My argument against is that there is no proper file management system and that printing is not as easy as it should be; along with being tied to another computer. My arguments for are: that I am able to create documents, edit documents, create and manage work flows, manage emails, calendar, manage meetings and minute taking, create sketches and drawings as required, carry out presentations, task management and prioritisation, hazard management, risk management, read and create pdf documents, "do" dictation, read the Times newspaper and do the odd math thingy here and there. All with FTP uploads and much, much more. I use the iPad for work and for play (web browsing, crosswords, music and very rarely movies). On top of all that it has an 8 1/2 hour battery life and is light. Many many civilian business also find the iPad a godsend.
I do not regret my iPad purchase for work. I do regret that it is so attractive to children. Some little horror managed to scratch the screen when the iPad was only a few weeks old. Fortunately the scratch is barely noticeable.
So, not a toy.
Hval.
Edited for spellinj errur
Last edited by hval; 3rd Jan 2011 at 23:18.
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Apps
Personally, I get the most use from:
Train Times (particularly good to track connections if you're changing en-route)
Aeroweather
Tripadvisor
Met Office
Amazon UK
...and you can forget Angry Birds, Fragger is the way ahead!
Train Times (particularly good to track connections if you're changing en-route)
Aeroweather
Tripadvisor
Met Office
Amazon UK
...and you can forget Angry Birds, Fragger is the way ahead!
OK, perhaps 'toy' was being a bit harsh...
I've always used small laptops and a 'normal' mobile phone. Dell Latitude LT (too fragile - plugs and sockets in particular) with Win95 for about 3-4 years, then Latitude X200 with WinXP Pro which is still going OK after 7 years on the road, but is pensioned off for home use now due to low speed (930 MHz) and limited memory (632 Mb RAM, 28 Gb C-drive). My primary system is now a Dell Vostro 3300 (2270 MHz; 2920 Mb RAM, 298 Gb C-drive) which is fine for all usual requirements. I'm still with WinXP SP3 although the system can be 'upgraded'
to Win7... Connection to the Internet is normally by home WLAN or on the road WiFi - but I also have a Vodafone 3G dongle if really necessary (or if the WiFi connection fee is a rip-off!).
'2.5G' GPRS never really caught on; I had it for aviation weather but that was about all. I haven't found that I need to be 'Blackberry contactable', although I accept that many people swear by the things.
Touch screen GPS is fine; I'm happy with the Garmin nüvi 600 I've had for 4 years now, but the screen needs to be cleaned reasonably often. Sticky little fingers on an iPad screen must be a nightmare, but how easy is it to clean off normal fingerprints?
iPhones seem to have reasonably easy to clean screens - but you'd be surprised how many business users still cling on to the excellent Nokia 6310i which has been out of production for 5 years now. As I do! The phone has such a loyal following that people will still pay £100 for a fully refurbished one from a specialist provider - no other mobile phone in history has ever been so popular.
I've always used small laptops and a 'normal' mobile phone. Dell Latitude LT (too fragile - plugs and sockets in particular) with Win95 for about 3-4 years, then Latitude X200 with WinXP Pro which is still going OK after 7 years on the road, but is pensioned off for home use now due to low speed (930 MHz) and limited memory (632 Mb RAM, 28 Gb C-drive). My primary system is now a Dell Vostro 3300 (2270 MHz; 2920 Mb RAM, 298 Gb C-drive) which is fine for all usual requirements. I'm still with WinXP SP3 although the system can be 'upgraded'
to Win7... Connection to the Internet is normally by home WLAN or on the road WiFi - but I also have a Vodafone 3G dongle if really necessary (or if the WiFi connection fee is a rip-off!).'2.5G' GPRS never really caught on; I had it for aviation weather but that was about all. I haven't found that I need to be 'Blackberry contactable', although I accept that many people swear by the things.
Touch screen GPS is fine; I'm happy with the Garmin nüvi 600 I've had for 4 years now, but the screen needs to be cleaned reasonably often. Sticky little fingers on an iPad screen must be a nightmare, but how easy is it to clean off normal fingerprints?
iPhones seem to have reasonably easy to clean screens - but you'd be surprised how many business users still cling on to the excellent Nokia 6310i which has been out of production for 5 years now. As I do! The phone has such a loyal following that people will still pay £100 for a fully refurbished one from a specialist provider - no other mobile phone in history has ever been so popular.
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Beagle,
That is an interesting opinion regarding the iPad, but doesn't fit my experience. Looking over the lists further up, you find numerous utilities for iPads and iPhones that increase productivity many times over. All the world's approach plates at your fingertips on the iPad, various calculators, great battery life, the e-mail interface is fantastic, especially if you have several accounts...they ALL come up, without having to use a browser!
I do have a couple entertainment Apps, but for the most part it is work-related and the built in screen keyboard, shifts for me from Nordic, German and English keyboards with a single tap. Absolutely brilliant and I find that I need the "real computer," only about 15% of the time. In addition, I now also have a library of books with me in iBooks, can convert PDFs to "books" and have vast amounts of useful reference materials in a searchable format in a smallish shoulder bag.
But heh.....there is a charm to pen and paper, vintage motorcycles and antiques, so use what works and makes your day.
That is an interesting opinion regarding the iPad, but doesn't fit my experience. Looking over the lists further up, you find numerous utilities for iPads and iPhones that increase productivity many times over. All the world's approach plates at your fingertips on the iPad, various calculators, great battery life, the e-mail interface is fantastic, especially if you have several accounts...they ALL come up, without having to use a browser!
I do have a couple entertainment Apps, but for the most part it is work-related and the built in screen keyboard, shifts for me from Nordic, German and English keyboards with a single tap. Absolutely brilliant and I find that I need the "real computer," only about 15% of the time. In addition, I now also have a library of books with me in iBooks, can convert PDFs to "books" and have vast amounts of useful reference materials in a searchable format in a smallish shoulder bag.
But heh.....there is a charm to pen and paper, vintage motorcycles and antiques, so use what works and makes your day.
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Missed the post about fingerprints and the detailing of your gadgets. To the practical, I have this incredible black cloth, no idea what it was called....bought at the Apple Store.....cleans the screen in a flash, from all my fingertip marks. No idea how it works so well, but continues to surprise me, that it does.
Glad to see that you are not a complete Luddite, which I suspected....
As we have 3 iPhones and iPad in the house, aside from all the various larger computers, it was also "interesting" to experience, that when I bought GPS programming, I could load it into ALL the devices. So we all have GPS with us all the time and including North American and European databases, so we have a known format available when-ever we set ourselves in the rental car. In many cities, I can use the map function included to tell me the local bus/underground connections, including "walk 80 meters XX direction, where the number 35B bus will arrive in 12 minutes" That never ceases to amaze me and I can get around like a local in new places.
I guess I am hooked.....
Glad to see that you are not a complete Luddite, which I suspected....
As we have 3 iPhones and iPad in the house, aside from all the various larger computers, it was also "interesting" to experience, that when I bought GPS programming, I could load it into ALL the devices. So we all have GPS with us all the time and including North American and European databases, so we have a known format available when-ever we set ourselves in the rental car. In many cities, I can use the map function included to tell me the local bus/underground connections, including "walk 80 meters XX direction, where the number 35B bus will arrive in 12 minutes" That never ceases to amaze me and I can get around like a local in new places.
I guess I am hooked.....
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iPad
@ Beagle
The iPad screen does get marked quite easily. Same as FerrypilotDK I have an antibacterial microfibre cloth that I carry arround to regularly clean the screen. I did try a screen protector for a couple of months, but this took away from the screen quality so I removed it. just don't eat any greasy pies when using iPad.
Before my iPad purchase I used my iPhone for much of what I do (have posted a list of programmes I still have on it in this thread). The ability to carry out phone call conferences easily is a big plus. I also find that I am able to text much quicker than people who do not have an iPhone.
The iPad screen being so much larger is a godsend for me. Makes my life so much easier. To assist with typing large documents I have a blue tooth keyboard that means that I then have all the screen for a document. It is great. I also have a stylus (bought in Canada) that I some times use. The iPad is not perfect, but it beats carrying a laptop around. Yes, it does not have a full operating system, but that is to its' benefit. The reason I disliked netbooks so much was the fact that they all have a full Windows OS, which the processors and RAM are unable to cope with. I agree with Ferrypilot DK about emailing. The calendar is also brilliant.
I have just received an 11" Macbook Air to trial. Have not had much opportunity to use it as yet, but is is a smart bit of kit. Unfortunately battery life is about 5 hours. I wish I could install some of the iPad apps on it. Have also enjoyed using the Macbook Air so far.
I agree that the Nokia 6310i is a good phone. If you want more from a phone though it is not able to match the iPhone. Having said that, different people utilise their phone/ pdas etc in different ways and have differing requirements. The iPhone and iPad nearly meet my requirements.
Hval
The iPad screen does get marked quite easily. Same as FerrypilotDK I have an antibacterial microfibre cloth that I carry arround to regularly clean the screen. I did try a screen protector for a couple of months, but this took away from the screen quality so I removed it. just don't eat any greasy pies when using iPad.
Before my iPad purchase I used my iPhone for much of what I do (have posted a list of programmes I still have on it in this thread). The ability to carry out phone call conferences easily is a big plus. I also find that I am able to text much quicker than people who do not have an iPhone.
The iPad screen being so much larger is a godsend for me. Makes my life so much easier. To assist with typing large documents I have a blue tooth keyboard that means that I then have all the screen for a document. It is great. I also have a stylus (bought in Canada) that I some times use. The iPad is not perfect, but it beats carrying a laptop around. Yes, it does not have a full operating system, but that is to its' benefit. The reason I disliked netbooks so much was the fact that they all have a full Windows OS, which the processors and RAM are unable to cope with. I agree with Ferrypilot DK about emailing. The calendar is also brilliant.
I have just received an 11" Macbook Air to trial. Have not had much opportunity to use it as yet, but is is a smart bit of kit. Unfortunately battery life is about 5 hours. I wish I could install some of the iPad apps on it. Have also enjoyed using the Macbook Air so far.
I agree that the Nokia 6310i is a good phone. If you want more from a phone though it is not able to match the iPhone. Having said that, different people utilise their phone/ pdas etc in different ways and have differing requirements. The iPhone and iPad nearly meet my requirements.
Hval
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I will add a few apps that I find to be very useful.
Torch
Starmap
Met office
Redlaser (this is a price comparison app that works using bar codes, and saves me a fortune)
Memory-map
Decibel
Documents 2
Ebay
TrafficEye (allows you to see the display from motorway traffic cameras all over the UK)
TankScope (very amusing)
Wikihood
Tunein Radio
eCompass
Plus a selection of bird, tree and fungi guides for outdoor use.
Edited to add: I use a military grade (whatever that is) scratch proof cover on my iphone, and this is VERY effective, as well as being an anti glare cover at the same time. I use a rubber case to protect the phone in daily use, but will switch to an Otterbox armoured case when backpacking etc.
Torch
Starmap
Met office
Redlaser (this is a price comparison app that works using bar codes, and saves me a fortune)
Memory-map
Decibel
Documents 2
Ebay
TrafficEye (allows you to see the display from motorway traffic cameras all over the UK)
TankScope (very amusing)
Wikihood
Tunein Radio
eCompass
Plus a selection of bird, tree and fungi guides for outdoor use.
Edited to add: I use a military grade (whatever that is) scratch proof cover on my iphone, and this is VERY effective, as well as being an anti glare cover at the same time. I use a rubber case to protect the phone in daily use, but will switch to an Otterbox armoured case when backpacking etc.
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Which iPhone Case?
@Barnstormer 1968.
Is the Otterbox the military grade case you mentioned, or the rubber case? If the rubber case, may I ask which one do you use? If the Otterbox, how do you find it on the iPhone?
@ Beagle
Something I forgot to include in my previous posting is that my wife is a complete techno luddite. She keeps losing or breaking mobile telephones that I give her; normally in the middle of some god foresaken peat bog. When I gave her my old iPhone she asked why. After a few days use, she told me that she wished that she had taken me up a lot sooner on my offer to buy her an iPhone. She loves the ease of using the contacts list for making calls, loves the text messaging software and loves the email and calendaring functions. She has also seen how I utilise my iPad and is tempted in taking mine off me when the new one comes out. The wife believes that the iPad might be a useful tool for her.
Hval
Is the Otterbox the military grade case you mentioned, or the rubber case? If the rubber case, may I ask which one do you use? If the Otterbox, how do you find it on the iPhone?
@ Beagle
Something I forgot to include in my previous posting is that my wife is a complete techno luddite. She keeps losing or breaking mobile telephones that I give her; normally in the middle of some god foresaken peat bog. When I gave her my old iPhone she asked why. After a few days use, she told me that she wished that she had taken me up a lot sooner on my offer to buy her an iPhone. She loves the ease of using the contacts list for making calls, loves the text messaging software and loves the email and calendaring functions. She has also seen how I utilise my iPad and is tempted in taking mine off me when the new one comes out. The wife believes that the iPad might be a useful tool for her.
Hval
Suspicion breeds confidence
Ive been an iphone user from day 1, I also have an ipad which is the most useful thing ive ever bought. My iphone has been retired to secondary duties and been replaced by an HTC Desire which has a vastly superior browsing experience.
Best iphone app: Gymbabes
Best iphone app: Gymbabes
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I'll throw my appreciation for the iPhone and iPad in here. I've been an enthusiastic user of the iPhone through 3 different versions now, each better than the last. Being exclusively an Apple computer user, it all just works together. None of this virus checking, malware protection, constant system updates, OS crashes etc. The foundation of it all is UNIX, whether it be a phone, iPad or Mac. A proper, secure, multi-user, multi-tasking operating System. Add to that the Aqua GUI of the Mac and the iOS GUIs on the phone & iPad, together with some very innovative industrial designs, and you have a winner. They do cost a bit more, and they're not absolutely perfect, but do you want a Mercedes-Benz, or are you going to settle for a Ford?
Looking forward, I've been putting some effort into getting to grips with iOS application programming. I'm looking for some ideas for simple apps, like reference and calculations perhaps. Anyone have a need for an app that they'd like, but isn't available? Or perhaps an existing app that doesn't quite do what you need? I'd be interested to hear, and may be able to help.
Looking forward, I've been putting some effort into getting to grips with iOS application programming. I'm looking for some ideas for simple apps, like reference and calculations perhaps. Anyone have a need for an app that they'd like, but isn't available? Or perhaps an existing app that doesn't quite do what you need? I'd be interested to hear, and may be able to help.
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hval
Sorry, I was not clear enough in my post, but I was referring to a screen cover.
The Otterbox case I use is the 'Otterbox impact case'. This is not waterproof, but is fairly thick and has built up corners with impact absorbing ribs inside (so it is not just solid). The only problem I get with this case is that it is harder to touch the extreme edges of the screen, and especially so when wearing gloves, as the case is fairly thick either side of the screen. For full waterproofness, and with an ability to still use the phone, I keep it in an Aloksak (as I would with all gadgets).
The screen cover was bought over the internet, and was sold as being non reflective and highly scratch resistant. One month after fitting the screen cover, a framed picture fell from a wall in the house, bounced down the stairs which broke the glass on the front, and then this broken glass hit the screen of my iphone! The glass fell at least one and a half metres, and landed sharp edge on to the screen. I did have to pick some small shards of glass from the surface of the cover, but otherwise it was fine. I replaced the cover (they came in packs of three), and the original screen underneath was still perfect.
As a further comment on my phone use, I keep the phone charged (when away from home) using a power monkey explorer charger. This has world wide plug adaptors, a 12v car charger, adaptor tips for my other electronic devices, a reserve battery giving one and half full charges as well as a remote solar charger. The solar charger has powered my phone for several weeks at a time, even in the cloudy British weather!
Sorry, I was not clear enough in my post, but I was referring to a screen cover.
The Otterbox case I use is the 'Otterbox impact case'. This is not waterproof, but is fairly thick and has built up corners with impact absorbing ribs inside (so it is not just solid). The only problem I get with this case is that it is harder to touch the extreme edges of the screen, and especially so when wearing gloves, as the case is fairly thick either side of the screen. For full waterproofness, and with an ability to still use the phone, I keep it in an Aloksak (as I would with all gadgets).
The screen cover was bought over the internet, and was sold as being non reflective and highly scratch resistant. One month after fitting the screen cover, a framed picture fell from a wall in the house, bounced down the stairs which broke the glass on the front, and then this broken glass hit the screen of my iphone! The glass fell at least one and a half metres, and landed sharp edge on to the screen. I did have to pick some small shards of glass from the surface of the cover, but otherwise it was fine. I replaced the cover (they came in packs of three), and the original screen underneath was still perfect.
As a further comment on my phone use, I keep the phone charged (when away from home) using a power monkey explorer charger. This has world wide plug adaptors, a 12v car charger, adaptor tips for my other electronic devices, a reserve battery giving one and half full charges as well as a remote solar charger. The solar charger has powered my phone for several weeks at a time, even in the cloudy British weather!
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The iphone has a few glitches but as an all round work tool I find it impossible to beat.
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Frankly the BB's 480 x 360 pixel screen is only suitable for email.