Apple Tablet: iPad
- Thread starter Scott Brady
- Start date
egn
Adventurer
The last 4 weeks I used a iPad 3g together with a ProClip mount with pass-through connector during my tour through the Baltic States.
The mount is easy to use and very stable. I was driving very bad dirt roads very fast :smiley_drive: . The iPad can be snapped in and out easily. The pass-through connector avoided any fiddling with the cable.
The iPad itself worked flawless. I used it for street navigation. Here in Europe the maps contain even the smallest track. The ipad gets a fix very fast, even in the full metal driver cabin and without 3g. And the navigation itself is also very fast. The route calculation through half of Europe takes only a few seconds. I didn't try map navigation yet, but the large screen and the touch interface will certainly help.
I took the iPad because I can take it with me. A fixed installation in the driver cabin is always on risk being stolen. I have only low tech in the driver cabin to avoid any attraction for thieves. We only used the iPad as computer the whole vacation, except for saving the images of the camera.
So for us it was the ideal device and we can really recommend it for this type of use. YMMV
The mount is easy to use and very stable. I was driving very bad dirt roads very fast :smiley_drive: . The iPad can be snapped in and out easily. The pass-through connector avoided any fiddling with the cable.
The iPad itself worked flawless. I used it for street navigation. Here in Europe the maps contain even the smallest track. The ipad gets a fix very fast, even in the full metal driver cabin and without 3g. And the navigation itself is also very fast. The route calculation through half of Europe takes only a few seconds. I didn't try map navigation yet, but the large screen and the touch interface will certainly help.
I took the iPad because I can take it with me. A fixed installation in the driver cabin is always on risk being stolen. I have only low tech in the driver cabin to avoid any attraction for thieves. We only used the iPad as computer the whole vacation, except for saving the images of the camera.
So for us it was the ideal device and we can really recommend it for this type of use. YMMV
egn
Adventurer
In bright direct sunlight it isn't readable. But I have installed it so that no direct sunlight can hit the screen. In this setup the readability was ok.
Because of the high roaming cost I disabled mobile internet outside of germany. So GPS was used without any mobile connection.
Because of the high roaming cost I disabled mobile internet outside of germany. So GPS was used without any mobile connection.
Thanks for the report, Egn. What navigation software did you use?
Even though an external GPS receiver provides more precise positioning, I find that my iPad 3G GPS is accurate to within a couple of car lengths. That accuracy is not ideal for geocache searching (!), but it's fine for in-vehicle navigation.
Even though an external GPS receiver provides more precise positioning, I find that my iPad 3G GPS is accurate to within a couple of car lengths. That accuracy is not ideal for geocache searching (!), but it's fine for in-vehicle navigation.
Sanyo has announced a rechargeable power source that can provide enough juice to power the iPad. The new Sanyo Eneloop model KBC-L2BS provides 1 Amp of 5 Volt DC current via a USB port. The KBC-L2BS can power the iPad for about 2 hours.
The KBC-L2BS measures about 2 x 3 inches, weight unknown. No word yet on price, or when this model will be available.
http://sanyo.com/news/2010/08/31-1.html
http://www.fareastgizmos.com/mobile...s_for_ipad_iphone_and_other_mobile_phones.php
The KBC-L2BS measures about 2 x 3 inches, weight unknown. No word yet on price, or when this model will be available.
http://sanyo.com/news/2010/08/31-1.html
http://www.fareastgizmos.com/mobile...s_for_ipad_iphone_and_other_mobile_phones.php
adventureduo
Dave Druck [KI6LBB]
Good to know Chip.
Well, we are heading out Friday with our first trip with ours and im excited to use it. What im not excited about is the 3G data package. Just for the fact that its going to be eaten up so fast. Just streaming video while on the highway is going to gobble up our data in a heart beat and that's one of the reasons why we bought it. Yosh wants to stream ABC7 app player. Also the charging issue is rather lame. Our USB port in our truck won't charge the pad. That means we'll have to use an inverter if need be. I don't like that either.
But for checking email and staying connected to work, it should work great. Also, i can wait to use the star finder program and google earth while out in the field.
Couple apps that we installed for the trip , were the topo2go, yellow pages, google earth and techron2go (find our Chevron gas stations on the fly).
I'd like to eventually off load photos from our DSLR to the iPad while "in trip" but that will have to wait since the camera cable is expensive and running a micro sd card adapter in our camera will slow it down.
Anyways, cool product but don't know if it's $700 dollars cool. After this trip, we'll evaluate it and see if we'll return it.
Well, we are heading out Friday with our first trip with ours and im excited to use it. What im not excited about is the 3G data package. Just for the fact that its going to be eaten up so fast. Just streaming video while on the highway is going to gobble up our data in a heart beat and that's one of the reasons why we bought it. Yosh wants to stream ABC7 app player. Also the charging issue is rather lame. Our USB port in our truck won't charge the pad. That means we'll have to use an inverter if need be. I don't like that either.
But for checking email and staying connected to work, it should work great. Also, i can wait to use the star finder program and google earth while out in the field.
Couple apps that we installed for the trip , were the topo2go, yellow pages, google earth and techron2go (find our Chevron gas stations on the fly).
I'd like to eventually off load photos from our DSLR to the iPad while "in trip" but that will have to wait since the camera cable is expensive and running a micro sd card adapter in our camera will slow it down.
Anyways, cool product but don't know if it's $700 dollars cool. After this trip, we'll evaluate it and see if we'll return it.
egn
Adventurer
I used the iGo App, which has a fairly good coverage in Europe.
For charging I use a high power cigaret lighter adapter with about 2 A.
For me the iPad is worth the money because of the multiple use on trps and at home. Beside being used for navigation it is also used for web access, email, e-book reader, game console. Because it is liked so much by the rest of the family, I probably have to buy another one.
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Pat,
Did you look at the Global Sat BT 368i as an option as well? I am currently considering the same route that you and others have taken with my iPad.
egn
Adventurer
The output of this devices is to low for the iPad. For the iPad the output should be at least 2 A.
Since a few years I use this power pack for all kind of devices. For the Ipad I made my one female cigarette lighter adapter cable and plug in a 2 A adapter. This charges the Ipad a few times very fast.
Here you find another backup battery.
But anyway, the iPad has a fairly long battery usage, at least if the screen light isn't turned to the maximum.
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The adapter that Apple sells to recharge the iPad from mains power provides 2 amps at 5 volts = 10 watts of power. The Sanyo product provides 1 amp at 5 volts = 5 watts of power. Apple says the iPad can recharge from certain MacBook models that provide 1 amp at 5 volts via the USB port. I can recharge my iPad from my MacBook via USB. So I think the Sanyo product, which was designed for the iPad, will work. There's no doubt that a circuit that provides 10 watts will recharge the iPad more quickly.
Apple announced today that an iOS upgrade for the iPad is coming (at last). It will be called iOS 4.2, and will be distributed for free in November.
Among the features will be printing via WiFi. Exactly how the printing will work was not explained, but the printer has to be part of a network (or maybe attached to a Mac that is on a network). This addresses a big limitation of the iPad as a productivity tool. There are printing solutions for the iPad today, but they are not well integrated into the iPad experience. (HP has one, for example, that prints to HP's network-attached printers via email.)
The new iOS 4.2 for iPad will also have folders and expanded multitasking, just like today's iOS 4.02 on the iPhone. The upgrade will include the capability to stream audio and video, including some pay-per-view TV shows and movies. iOS 4.2 will also include participation in Apple's Game Center server farm for multi-player real time gaming.
ps. There was no announcement of a smaller iPad this time. So the 7 inch Android devices will have the market to themselves until after the holiday season.
Among the features will be printing via WiFi. Exactly how the printing will work was not explained, but the printer has to be part of a network (or maybe attached to a Mac that is on a network). This addresses a big limitation of the iPad as a productivity tool. There are printing solutions for the iPad today, but they are not well integrated into the iPad experience. (HP has one, for example, that prints to HP's network-attached printers via email.)
The new iOS 4.2 for iPad will also have folders and expanded multitasking, just like today's iOS 4.02 on the iPhone. The upgrade will include the capability to stream audio and video, including some pay-per-view TV shows and movies. iOS 4.2 will also include participation in Apple's Game Center server farm for multi-player real time gaming.
ps. There was no announcement of a smaller iPad this time. So the 7 inch Android devices will have the market to themselves until after the holiday season.
Looks like Audodesk is headed for iOS
https://butterfly.autodesk.com/mobile/
as well as mac too, but this is more of an iOS thread.
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?siteID=123112&id=15421056
https://butterfly.autodesk.com/mobile/
as well as mac too, but this is more of an iOS thread.
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?siteID=123112&id=15421056