Kindle and other pads

Fighterpilot wrote:
Didn't realize one had to subscribe to something to use the GPS function on the Apple. That would eliminate the Apple for consideration. Do you also have to subscribe to something to use it in the house if you have wi-fi?

Click to expand...

*It is my understanding--- and I may well be mistaken--- that wi-fi is free but 3G is not in most cases.* If you have a wireless router in your house, an iPad, Kindle, etc. will connect up to it just fine, no charge.* Not so 3G.* Accessing 3G requires a contract, if you will, from your phone company or the 3G provider and you have to pay for it.

My wife has had a Blackberry Storm 2 for a couple of years (RIM's answer to the iPhone at the time).* When she got it she wanted to add GPS navigation (vehicle) to the capabilities of the phone through an app called VZ Navigator.* VZ Navigator was free- it came already loaded on the phone.* But in order to use it she had to add GPS navigation capabilities to her phone contract (Verizon) and it is x-amount per month extra.* This allows her to use not only VZ Navigator but a whole host of other apps like Blackberry Traffic and other apps to find stores and gas stations and whatever in relation to her location.

Now in the case of the Kindle, if you get the wi-fi/3G model, which is what we have, the 3G is free throughout the whole world.* I have downloaded books in a hotel room*in a remote city in China with no problems or no delay and at no cost.

BUT...... the free*3G in the Kindle only does one thing--- it connects you to the Amazon's bookstore.* That's it.

BTW, for anyone contemplating the acquisition of a Kindle--- and I'm talking about the e-reader, not the Fire which is Kindle's poor-man's iPad--- I strongly suggest you pay the extra fifty bucks or whatever it is now to get the Kindle that has 3G in addition to wi-fi.* The reason is that the Amazon*3G is free, and you can download books and whatnot anywhere on the planet where*you have a 3G signal.* Which these days is damn near anywhere you are likely to be.*

With the wi-fi only model, if you're on the road and want to download a book you*have to find somewhere that has a wi-fi signal like a Starbucks or whatever.

*


-- Edited by Marin on Friday 27th of January 2012 07:02:47 PM

The Ipad 2 3G is the one to use for navigation as it has the AGPS chip in it but it does not require the 3G to be activated. Mine does not even have the sim card for a telephone provider in it but all the nav and mapping programs work. If you install the free Drag Queen Anchoring app by Jeffrey Siegelit (thanks) it tells you what your GPS accuracy is, usually between 15 to 30 feet. I love the Ipad as a backup, but it is good.

Rochepoint, glad to hear you can use GPS without activating some phone company. If I understand your post than you can use it for navigation without any monthly fee of any kind. Can one also use it with wi-fi without any activation, but only pay for the program you access if it isn't free. In, other words, can you load an use free apps thru your house wi-fi system without activating the 3G capability? Should be able to since 3g is third generation phone system and if you don't use it still should be able to wi-fi. Right?

If one has wi-fi does one have to activate a phone system to download books. Can one do that thru wi-fi by paying the provider of the books for books acquired? Just that, no monthly fee?

Now, how about the "other" tablets. The android type tablets. Anyone with actual experience in using them out of tower and wi-fi range for navigation such as out in the middle of the Gulf. I continue seek information from the people that sell them but they don't have a clue as to what I am talking about. I looked at the specs on a couple of the tablets but not clear if they have a GPS chip or not. Talked to Sears, Staples, and Sams again today. No luck in furthering my knowledge regarding GPS use or not.

May have to go with apple. If my wife can download books thru our wi-fi system and I can navigate in the Gulf with GPS, AND not have to activate or sign monthly contract than might go with 16GB, wi-fi-3g apple. Unless someone comes up with a good android example. Thanks

Fighterpilot wrote:
Rochepoint, glad to hear you can use GPS without activating some phone company. If I understand your post than you can use it for navigation without any monthly fee of any kind. Can one also use it with wi-fi without any activation, but only pay for the program you access if it isn't free. In, other words, can you load an use free apps thru your house wi-fi system without activating the 3G capability? Should be able to since 3g is third generation phone system and if you don't use it still should be able to wi-fi. Right?

Click to expand...

All I have to use the Ipad 2 is the wi-fi. Here is a screen shot of the Ipad 2 on a footstool in our livingroom running Navionics with the wi-fi turned off, so no connection of any type just AGPS. With wi-fi you can access everything the internet has to offer. The red triangle on the chart in its position and Drag Queen says the GPS accuracy is 16.4 feet. Books, Movie, magazines, camera, email, surfing, boat log - etc. Anything you could want (or I want). Navionic also allow the Ipad to take photos and imbed them into to chart as an icon, click on it and you have the photo full screen, a great reminder of what that area was. I can also use it to be a repeater display for my Nobeltec program running at the lower helm using Splashtop as the boat has a long range wi-fi access point that can be shared by any wi-fi device onboard. Good to have toys, like my friend says "He with the most toys when he dies......wins".

*

Oops.....sorry about the photo orientation!*



-- Edited by rochepoint on Saturday 28th of January 2012 03:01:35 PM


-- Edited by rochepoint on Saturday 28th of January 2012 04:31:37 PM

Great information. What size storage do you have? 16, 32 or 64GB. If you have all yours on 16GB that gives me a good idea as to what I would need. Thanks


-- Edited by Fighterpilot on Saturday 28th of January 2012 06:59:56 PM

Went crazy and got the 64GB, but I have already used 12GB of storage.

Thanks, trying to see if I can get by with 16GB. My wife will download books and I will put some marine programs on it. Might just pay up and get the 32GB system to be safe.

Wife looked at grand daughters Kindle and said too small, so bit the bullet and bought a Ipad 2, wi-fi, 32GB yesterday. Have Navionics on it, but haven't checked it out to see how many sats. it can see here at the house. Guess one has to buy an apps to display that. Is that correct? Maybe it was just using wi-fi to determine location, which it showed. Have not activated phone, which is AT&T since sold at a*military installation and that service is world wide for the troops.

Thanks for all the information in the previous posts. FP

"When you are out of F8s you are out of gunfighters".

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

If you have the iPad without the 3G, you can buy a separate GPS receiver for about $100. This receiver sends the GPS signal to the iPad by bluetooth and voila, you have another chartplotter on your boat without any expensive 3G data plan.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Dual-XGPS150...?pt=US_Tablet_Accessories&hash=item19ccf5236a

If you have a 3G Ipad you don't need a data plan for the GPS to work or another receiver. It works with AGPS.

rochepoint wrote:
If you have a 3G Ipad you don't need a data plan for the GPS to work or another receiver. It works with AGPS.

Click to expand...

*aGPS is assisted GPS using the cell towers and wifi. *So you are saying that the 3G radio is still functioning to assist the GPS even though technically you are not using 3G???

*

This is interesting!!!

Thats what I was told and my Ipad 2 3g/64gb works, I have not subscribed to a cell service (it has no sim card installed) and there is no wifi out where we boat. It works.......the following is a copy and paste from the the "IOS 5: Understanding location services" on the Apple site*http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4995

*

GPS accuracy varies depending on the number of visible GPS satellites. Locating all visible satellites can take several minutes, with accuracy gradually increasing over time. Use these tips to improve GPS accuracy:

Maintain a clear view of the horizon in several directions. Keep in mind that walls, vehicle roofs, tall buildings, mountains, and other obstructions can block line of sight to GPS satellites. When this occurs, your device will automatically use Wi-Fi or cellular networks to determine your position, until the GPS satellites are visible again.


-- Edited by rochepoint on Thursday 2nd of February 2012 07:00:23 PM

Good job Rochepoint. Finally some one found and posted the word from the source. Thanks

Raymond
So how are you enjoying the Ipad?

Learning process is slow for an old guy. A good book on using the Ipad is needed. I have Navionics loaded on it and slowly looking thru the apps for others of interest. Got to figure how to maximize the battery life. I understand when "turned off", not really turned off. Ran the battery out with the carrying case closed on it. Appreciate all the advice and discussion.

Go to the IBook App and search for Ipad 2, you can download quite a few free books on IPad 2 operation. If you close off the programs after use the battery will stay up for a week in sleep mode. To turn of programs not being used, push the button twice fast an a new task bar opens at the bottom of the screen showing all that is open, hold your finger down on one of the icons till the all flash/shake and show an red minus sign in the top left corner of the icon, touch the minus sign on each icon and it will close that program. The other thing is to just turn it off using the sleep/wake button on the side then slide the power off on the screen. don't forget to download Jeffrey Siegel's (thanks) "Drag Queen" anchoring app it is free and works great.

Thanks for the guidance. All the apps were on and running in the background I guess. I have found and downloaded dragqueen.

Marin wrote:Now in the case of the Kindle, if you get the wi-fi/3G model, which is what we have, the 3G is free throughout the whole world.* I have downloaded books in a hotel room*in a remote city in China with no problems or no delay and at no cost.

Click to expand...

BUT...... the free*3G in the Kindle only does one thing--- it connects you to the Amazon's bookstore.* That's it.

I strongly suggest you pay the extra fifty bucks or whatever it is now to get the Kindle that has 3G in addition to wi-fi.* The reason is that the Amazon*3G is free, and you can download books and whatnot anywhere on the planet where*you have a 3G signal.* Which these days is damn near anywhere you are likely to be.*

-- Edited by Marin on Friday 27th of January 2012 07:02:47 PM

I bought the wife a Kindle 3g for Christmas and I agree with everything Marin says here except, the Kindle 3g will surf the web on 3g and at no cost or contract.* If you go to the menu and click on experimental a webbrowser option comes up.*I've accessed*Yachtworld.com while cruising down I-5 (admiral at the wheel)* I suppose if it gets much traffic Kindle will shut that down. But for now its free mobile internet access.

*

Budds Outlet wrote:
If you go to the menu and click on experimental a webbrowser option comes up.

Click to expand...

Good to know. I've never bothered to select experimental since at the time we bought ours there supposedly wasn't anything there: it was for "future options."* I guess they got around to creating one.


-- Edited by Marin on Friday 17th of February 2012 01:17:12 AM

Wife has a black and white Kindle WiFi and 3G. Internet is miserably slow.

She wanted a Kindle Fire for color, but it has no camera or GPS. Since she has a Sprint Android phone we downloaded it's kindle program...works great but small screen.

Killed all birds with one tablet. Sprint EVO View - Android Tablet. Navionics marine nav without data connection. No charge to move Kindle books between devices. No retraining the wife cause it's just like her phone. And to add a device with unlimited data to our existing plan is $10/mo.

The iPad 3G data plan is a monthly re-newable contract.* No long term contract required.* The plan is about $25 a month or 20GB, whichever comes first.* I rarely spend more than the $25/month.

I do use the iPad as a backup chart-plotter and a music center simultaneously; and, I really wish I could use it more.* My ultimate goal would be to use it as a*poor-mans MFD for all shipboard systems*information.

I would appreciate any info on other apps that I could use to reach my goal.


-- Edited by jdt404 on Sunday 26th of February 2012 09:58:37 PM