Tablet Questions

Tablet questions, I am thinking of getting a tablet in the future.I would like to have Microsoft office on it and I use Active captain a lot so it seems like it would be a Windows unit probably 10" screen. But, I don't know which if any of the Windows tablets have a true built in GPS chip capability. I have read that the plug in GPS receivers have not worked well with some Windows tablets. I also plan to have some charting program installed Navionics? or similar that I use would for route planning and a stand by unit at the helm? I am not planning to have it operate on a cell phone contract but would use it off line and have it connected to wifi where available and if need be to my cell phone" hotspot" via bluetooth.
Any and all suggestions, experiences, and comments are welcome.
Thanks!

Hello there, I have several tablets around my house and would recommend the Ramos i10Pro. Its a pure tablet with touch screen, internal GPS as well as an Intel quad core processor. Critically, the tablet accepts a SIM card when wifi isn't an option. having bluetooth, you can add a wireless keyboard and mouse if required.
Cheers!
Video: Ramos i10 Pro - Dual Boot Android & Windows Bay Trail Tablet - Mobile Geeks

Similar to the above I have a Samsung 12.2"

A bit big, but I do watch movies on it now also.

I have the navionics, AC, all work well.
I like the SIM option when Wifi is not available, but it raises the monthly cost int he US

One neat thing that I neglected to mention is that this tablet is a dual-boot machine. Whenever you cold-boot, ie. start from completely shut down, you have a choice to boot into Windows or Android. You can load all of your Android apps on the one OS, and your Windows programs on the other.

Wxx3 is right on the Samsung too though, they make a good PC.

Steve said:

Tablet questions, I am thinking of getting a tablet in the future.I would like to have Microsoft office on it and I use Active captain a lot so it seems like it would be a Windows unit probably 10" screen. But, I don't know which if any of the Windows tablets have a true built in GPS chip capability. I have read that the plug in GPS receivers have not worked well with some Windows tablets. I also plan to have some charting program installed Navionics? or similar that I use would for route planning and a stand by unit at the helm? I am not planning to have it operate on a cell phone contract but would use it off line and have it connected to wifi where available and if need be to my cell phone" hotspot" via bluetooth.
Any and all suggestions, experiences, and comments are welcome.
Thanks!

Click to expand...

Apple is supposedly working on a 12-13" iPad which should be coming out this year. The iPads have built in GPS. Navionics works real well on the iPad and the maps are beautiful with the Retina display which I currently have with an iPad Air. There is also ActiveCaptain for the iPad which I have but have felt it needs a little more polish. Microsoft now has MS Office for the iPad if you buy the annual subscription with 5 device installs which I have for my 2 Pcs and the Admirals iMac. The problem I have with MS Office on Apple products is "the cloud". Apple seems to want to store everything on iCloud and Microsoft wants to store stuff on OneDrive. I haven't worked through how to resolve the cloud issue and have not installed Office on my iPad.

Also be aware that there are some great advantages of having USB 3 and Bluetooth 4 with your tablet. Most newer tablets from Apple and Samsung should have both.

I really would like to say something nice about the Surface but just can't get there yet. As far as I know, the latest versions still lack GPS and you would need the external GPS. Microsoft just doesn't get it.

Never previously heard of the Ramos i10.

Microsoft Surface.

Essentially all the features of a full size PC, in a tablet size. I hook it to a touchscreen monitor (Acer) and store all my charts in PDF files. I can open any chart on the large monitor and move around, zoom in or out, at the touch of a finger.

Drake said:

Microsoft Surface.



Essentially all the features of a full size PC, in a tablet size. I hook it to a touchscreen monitor (Acer) and store all my charts in PDF files. I can open any chart on the large monitor and move around, zoom in or out, at the touch of a finger.

Click to expand...

Steve said:

Tablet questions, I am thinking of getting a tablet in the future.I would like to have Microsoft office on it and I use Active captain a lot so it seems like it would be a Windows unit probably 10" screen. But, I don't know which if any of the Windows tablets have a true built in GPS chip capability. I have read that the plug in GPS receivers have not worked well with some Windows tablets. I also plan to have some charting program installed Navionics? or similar that I use would for route planning and a stand by unit at the helm? I am not planning to have it operate on a cell phone contract but would use it off line and have it connected to wifi where available and if need be to my cell phone" hotspot" via bluetooth.

Any and all suggestions, experiences, and comments are welcome.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

My iPad meets all of these parameters and I run your desired programs trouble free. No SIM card installed so connectivity is via wifi hotspot only.

I messed about for a few years with other windows based tablets and my sons gave me the iPad as a Father's Day gift. Glad they did as the iPad just works intuitively for this luddite without any fiddling around.

I'll just be sitting here in my flame proof suit awaiting the replies of the "anybody but Apple" crowd.

Wifey recently got a Dell 2-in-1 notebook/tablet, with Windows 8.1. We're still experimenting with it.

As far as I know, it didn't come with an internal GPS sensor, but I haven't checked (and that feature wasn't on her shopping list for this one, at the time). It does have Office on it. If this one doesn't have GPS, maybe some of the other units they offer might.

Aside from Win 8 being a little weird (for me, takes getting used to), and I dunno what useful apps might be available... the system seems to work OK.

-Chris

I don't understand what the tablet format offers that a cheaper laptop does not unless you are reading books.


I am looking at the next surface because of solid state memory but the detachable keyboard doesn't offer much as I would always keep the keyboard attached.
I just sold my ipad because I found it frustratingly difficult to use the weird keyboard apple insists on using from their iphone. I am a mouse and key board fan and I hated moving the #$%ZXYX blue line around to edit something.

bayview said:

I don't understand what the tablet format offers that a cheaper laptop does not unless you are reading books.


I am looking at the next surface because of solid state memory but the detachable keyboard doesn't offer much as I would always keep the keyboard attached.
I just sold my ipad because I found it frustratingly difficult to use the weird keyboard apple insists on using from their iphone. I am a mouse and key board fan and I hated moving the #$%ZXYX blue line around to edit something.

Click to expand...

I use both a Windows laptop and an iPad in different situations. The Windows laptop is a little long in the tooth now and I plan to replace it soon but when I price out a new Windows laptop with the features I want, they turn out to be more or as expensive as the Apple Macbook Air.

I have no particular love for Apple products and would prefer a Microsoft Windows solution but you just can not find a Windows laptop with GPS, 4G LTE, decent screen resolution and a SSD without paying an outrageous price.

The problem with the Windows PC and laptop world is everything is based on the cheapest price point and not the technical features of the device. In many cases, the manufacturers almost try to hide the complete specifications of their computers. Probably 98% of the customers don't care and just want a cheap laptop. Its almost to the point where I want to give up the PC/Windows environment I have strongly supported and used for almost 30 years now and give Apple all my business. Very sad situation IMHO.

Thanks for all the replies!

Is the surface tablet availabe with and internal GPS? If not are surface users getting good results with a plug in if so which GPS device?

And, Are windows or Android users able to use the Active Captain website features as available on a windows unit? are they using a third party app, which one?
Thanks Again!

bluetooth gps receiver

I use a Lenovo Yoga 11 inch laptop and Win 8.1

It converts to a tablet using a very clever hinge. 11 inches is a great size for both uses. Full function keyboard and mouse. Full function multi-touch touchscreen. Full function multi-touch touchpad. Best of all worlds.

Nuno full function Nav software using downloaded public domain NOAA charts automatically updated so always fully up to date, with Active Captain overlay fully integrated and updated. Any other electronic resource or reference is just a shortcut away. The software plans and saves routes, waypoints, tracks, as well as provides tools to add lines and measure distances.
Windows file folder architecture allows user to organize routes and all other info in folders, so really really easy to use and find your stuff.

Search EBay for bluetooth gps receiver to add to the system and you have a full function plotter.

Computer has a SSD so boot time is around 5 seconds. I use a Rikaline Bluetooth GPS or a Microsoft USB GPS. Both are very accurate and perform flawlessly.

Add a wireless hotspot and buy a Skype phone number plus Skype credits and you can use the system to call any phones and receive calls from any phones. I use Virgin mobile pay-as-you-go data plan activated when we are boating, dormant otherwise. Works great.

Good luck with your search.

We have both an iPad which we use for navigation and has all the helpful apps and you can use google docs. In addition we have a Galaxy 4 and I like that equally, best thing is go to a place you can play with them and see what you like.

We use iPads but they do not run MS Office as the OP desires. There are apps that fool an iPad into opening Word and Excel documents at which point you can do some editing and whatnot, but it's not the same as having a full-up Office suite. Unless there is something new I'm not aware of.

Boeing is standardized on Windows. I use my iPad for work when I'm on the road and I load my project Info, interview questions, shooting scripts, etc on it from my work PC laptop. It's fine for referencing the material and making minor changes but it's not the same as using my Boeing laptop. It's a lot lighter, though.

I have been an Apple user at home since the Mac first came out. I bought the third one sold in Seattle for a book project and have stayed with Apple ever since. But Boeing, after flirting with Apple for a bit, settled on PCs so I had to get used to those, too.

If one decides to get an iPad for use on a boat, it's very important to get one with cellular capability. You don't need a cellular account, but the cellular models are the only ones with a stand-alone GPS/GLONAS receiver in them. So you don't need connectivity for the GPS to work anywhere on the planet. With the wifi-only models, you need connectivity for GPS-type positioning.

I don't know if this is still the case with the current iPad Air models, but it was with the earlier models.

We have a the full suite of Office on the iPad, works fine except it still does not support Google drive which is my cloud service of choice.

Like many I use my laptop, desktop and iPad for a different situations, the iPad is great for navigation and weather apps such as Weathertrack. I can also broadcast my Furuno screens to the ipad, nice for piloting from the flybridge or watching the fish finder from the cockpit.

Steve I feel your pain I am currently looking for a similar set up. Bayview I too I am a mouse and key board fan. I will have to learn my way around the touch screen.

The Surface Pro will have a stronger processor, but the Ramos mentioned earlier does indeed have built-in GPS as well as 3G cellular data.

Edit: I use a Lenovo Yoga 13 which is both a touch-screen tablet & clamshell PC. This is excellent as both, but doesn't have your internal GPS. Oh, and it's lighter then a Macbook Air )

Marin said:

If one decides to get an iPad for use on a boat, it's very important to get one with cellular capability. You don't need a cellular account, but the cellular models are the only ones with a stand-alone GPS/GLONAS receiver in them. So you don't need connectivity for the GPS to work anywhere on the planet. With the wifi-only models, you need connectivity for GPS-type positioning.

I don't know if this is still the case with the current iPad Air models, but it was with the earlier models.

Click to expand...

Yep, forgot about that. I take the cellular model for granted. It is possible to get GPS on the wifi models via triangulation but you probably won't have wifi access while cruising. Also, even if you have cellular, if you are in a dead zone, you won't be able to download the maps. That same issue is likely an issue with Android. With a Windows laptop, you should be able to download the maps onto the hard drive prior to cruising and having them when there is no internet connectivity, cellular or wifi.

Really, the best way to go is a chartplotter or dedicated GPS.

Good point about downloading charts, etc. One needs connectivity for that regardless of what kind of iPad one has. But once the charts are loaded, connectivity is not needed to use them or track one's position. with the cellular iPad.

We use Navimatics on our iPad because it makes searching around on the charts a very fast process with just some finger swipes. Much faster than one can zoom in and out and pan around on the displays on an actual plotter. Navimatics postions us on the charts without connectivity, and it supports Active Captain directly on the charts which is great.

But I agree with Dosan in that for actually navigating our boat, we believe in stand-alone chart plotters with their own GPS antennas. In our case, they are units from Furuno, Echotec, and Standard Horizon. We don't use laptop navigation if for no other reason than I don't want the navigation of our boat in lousy visibility dependent upon anything the Microsoft Kids over in Redmond had anything to do with.

Steve said:

Tablet questions, I am thinking of getting a tablet in the future.I would like to have Microsoft office on it ....

Click to expand...

If you want to run genuine Microsoft Office on it-- Office actually by Microsoft-- an iPad will not do it.

I just went through the whole Apple App Store looking for anything by Microsoft and there isn't anything. There are lots of apps by other developers like Masalasoft that will read Office documents and let you create them after a fashion and transfer them to other devices, but if you want to be able to use the genuine article you'll have to get a Windows-based tablet.

It's too bad as I use MS Word on my Apple laptop to write with. But if I want to write on my projects with my iPad while I'm on the road I have to convert my Word documents to Pages which runs great on the iPad (and my laptop).

Then when I get home and want to update my Word documents to include what I've written on the road, I have to convert the Pages document on my iPad to a Word document on the laptop.

So I was really hoping that Microsoft had finally written Word for the iPad so I could stay in Word on both platforms but no such luck.

Marin said:

If you want to run genuine Microsoft Office on it-- Office actually by Microsoft-- an iPad will not do it.

I just went through the whole Apple App Store looking for anything by Microsoft and there isn't anything. There are lots of apps by other developers like Masalasoft that will read Office documents and let you create them after a fashion and transfer them to other devices, but if you want to be able to use the genuine article you'll have to get a Windows-based tablet.

It's too bad as I use MS Word on my Apple laptop to write with. But if I want to write on my projects with my iPad while I'm on the road I have to convert my Word documents to Pages which runs great on the iPad (and my laptop).

Then when I get home and want to update my Word documents to include what I've written on the road, I have to convert the Pages document on my iPad to a Word document on the laptop.

So I was really hoping that Microsoft had finally written Word for the iPad so I could stay in Word on both platforms but no such luck.

Click to expand...

Marin, search the App Store for "Office 365". Do not search on "Microsoft". It is there. I just re-verified it. Office 365 is MS Office but it is via an annual subscription service from Microsoft that allows installation on 5 devices (Pcs, Macs, iPads, whatever) for $99/yr and provides all updates including versions. You will have to download the individual components on an iPad such as Word or Excel instead of the whole Office enchilada.

Donsan said:

Also, even if you have cellular, if you are in a dead zone, you won't be able to download the maps. That same issue is likely an issue with Android. With a Windows laptop, you should be able to download the maps onto the hard drive prior to cruising and having them when there is no internet connectivity, cellular or wifi.

Click to expand...

Our tablet and laptop nav apps use charts downloaded in advance; no need to download again except for occasional updates, no Wi-Fi (or cellular) connectivity required for navigation.... just the GPS.

-Chris

Marin said:

We don't use laptop navigation if for no other reason than I don't want the navigation of our boat in lousy visibility dependent upon anything the Microsoft Kids over in Redmond had anything to do with.

Click to expand...

That would rule out Furuno's NavNet3D product line, and their TZTouch product line, both of which run on embedded windows. Plus Nobletech, MaxSea, and Coastal Explorer. Lots of boats, recreational and commercial, are run on these products. I'm no fan of Microsoft, but I'm just sayin'. But I heard that the new TZTouch2 MFDs are based on Android?

I decided to completely eliminate any chart plotter, MFD, or Black Black plotter from my boat and instead am using stand-alone radars and Coastal Explorer running on a dedicated computer. Windows is a necessary evil to run Coastal Explorer, but I've found it can be done reliably if you completely lock down the system and don't run anything else on it, or at least make it a very restrictive list. Definitely no email or web browsing, and no auto updates, etc. Mine now runs for months and months until I shut it down for whatever reason. It never crashes.

bayview said:

I don't understand what the tablet format offers that a cheaper laptop does not unless you are reading books.


I am looking at the next surface because of solid state memory but the detachable keyboard doesn't offer much as I would always keep the keyboard attached.
I just sold my ipad because I found it frustratingly difficult to use the weird keyboard apple insists on using from their iphone. I am a mouse and key board fan and I hated moving the #$%ZXYX blue line around to edit something.

Click to expand...

GOOD Question.

Two big reasons:

1. Programs, or more particular Charts, for the the tablet/smart phone cost much less than the Computer/laptop pricing.

2. My tablet can communicate over 3 or 4G, if wifi is not available. If that's the case, I can use my tablet or Note 2 and make it a hot spot,thus giving my laptop internet also.

For example, I have a Samsung Smart phone Note 2, there 12.2 tablet and their Np301 or something like that laptop.


I pay $18 for navionics on the Note 2, $27 for the tablet and don't bother with with computer version because it's a few hundred bucks. For me this is a big deal since most of my cruising is outside the US for the foreseeable future.

twistedtree said:

I decided to completely eliminate any chart plotter, MFD, or Black Black plotter from my boat and instead am using stand-alone radars and Coastal Explorer running on a dedicated computer. Windows is a necessary evil to run Coastal Explorer, but I've found it can be done reliably if you completely lock down the system and don't run anything else on it, or at least make it a very restrictive list. Definitely no email or web browsing, and no auto updates, etc. Mine now runs for months and months until I shut it down for whatever reason. It never crashes.

Click to expand...

I did what he did.
But am not so deligent about not running other programs, but it has never crashed on me in any case.

But then I also never rely on only one setup.

I still have charts on my tablet and smart phone no matter what.

Windows 7 is fine. I like it a lot. Windows 8 is another issue and maybe if used on a touch screen it isn't a pile of Merde, but i'll never use it in this lifetime.

There are a lot of great apps for the iOS, but the simple fact is I like programs that i can understand what and how they work and iOS makes their products, while very good, also unchangeable.

My experience with my IPod was a real eye opener. It works great as long as you want to do what Apple thinks you want to do.

bayview said:

I don't understand what the tablet format offers that a cheaper laptop does not unless you are reading books.

I am looking at the next surface because of solid state memory but the detachable keyboard doesn't offer much as I would always keep the keyboard attached.

I just sold my ipad because I found it frustratingly difficult to use the weird keyboard apple insists on using from their iphone. I am a mouse and key board fan and I hated moving the #$%ZXYX blue line around to edit something.

Click to expand...

FWIW, when we anticipate actual typing when using one of our tablets... we usually connect an external Bluetooth keyboard. Happens we found one that will easily connect to multiple devices, with a you-pick knob on it, so we keep it set up for my 7" Nexus (books) , her Galaxy (and magazines), and one of our home TVs (go figure).

In fact, I often use an external Bluetooth keyboard and mouse with our laptop. Almost always the mouse, often the keyboard, too.

-Chris

I don't feel quite tech savvy enough to tackle the Ramos 10 Dual boot so looks like it willl be an Ipad, a Surface 3, with a couple of dabs of 5200 on the back of each stick them together and ready to go!
Seriously, I don't plan now to use whaterver I settle on for Navigation, more for onshore planning, My Raymarine RL70 stuff, about 2004, is getting old but still works fine.

Thanks for all the information keep it coming I'm in no rush to make the decision!

twistedtree said:

That would rule out Furuno's NavNet3D product line, and their TZTouch product line, both of which run on embedded windows. Plus Nobletech, MaxSea, and Coastal Explorer.
.

Click to expand...

We have NanNet but not 3D. We use all PCs and Windows at work and it is a troublesome, clunky operating system that drives our IT peopke up the wall. Our new Ford pickup's entertainment/phone/etc system is by Microsoft and based on our experience and the experience of a number of Ford user groups it is extremely troublesome, unintuitive, and difficult to troubleshoot and fix.

Given Murphy's Law that says nothing will give you problems until it's important that it doesn't, we simply eliminate the potential by not using their stuff whenever possible.

Regarding external keyboards, I used to use one with my iPad but it was one more thing I had to pack and drag around. Then I came across an iPad case that contains a built-in Bluetooth keyboard and also serves a a stand for the iPad. Brilliant concept and execution and the footprint is small enough to fit nicely on an economy class seatback tray table.