Android or Apple tablet?

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by SVTatia

I don’t know of any navigation applications developed specifically for Android (please enlighten me). I also know that PC navigation systems such as OpenCPN, Navionics and others work on Android, but to what extent? I was contemplating buying an iPad, but I hope I can stick to my Galaxy.

Can't say whether developed specifically for Android or not... but the two we use are Jeppeson's Plan2Nav (C-Map vector charts) and MX Mariner (NOAA raster charts in the US).

Most often, both used on a Samsung Galaxy Tab A, occasionally on the Samsung Galaxy phones or the older/smaller Nexus (Asus) tablet.

P2N is a free app and you pay for charts. MX Mariner is an inexpensive app with in-app downloads of the (free) NOAA chart regions you want. Both integrate ActiveCaptain markers.

Can't say they're any better than other likely candidates; they're the only ones we've used on tablets/phones.

-Chris

[AJ_n_Audrey]

I have an Android (work) phone, a personal iPad, a work PC (Lenovo), and a personal MacBook. Also, my wife has an iPone and I serve as tech support for her. I say all this just to be clear that I have long experience in both the PC / Android world and the Apple world. I use the iPad for nav software. My limited experience is that the iPad / Apple devices are easier to use (with some caveats), and more reliable than Android / PC devices. I had more glitches with my Furuno chartplotter on my last big trip than I had with the iPad - the iPad was rock-solid. I run Garmin BlueCharts and iNavX on the iPad and Navionics on the phone, though I did not pay for the charts on Navionics after they took away free charts. I will likely get a second iPad before my next big trip for redundancy.

[roland stockham]

Make sure you get 32Gb mem for tablets running the latest android version. Even with a card nav takes a chunk of memory and if you don't have enough it gets really slow and falls over

[kas_1611]

I have a MacBook so you'd think I'd say iPad but no I prefer Android for phones and tablets.

One thing to consider with 'Droid is the storage. When you get a new device if it has the latest version of Android on it you can set the "external" storage to become part of the whole storage when you first install the card and format it. This removes the problem of where charts etc are stored. Get as big a card as the device will allow you to use and make sure it is the fastest available.

[FabioC]

In the case of navigation software, it is not just a matter of Apple "devotees" vs. the rest of the world...
If you want to use Nobeltec Timezero, your only choice is Windows, and if you still want a tablet-like device, your best choice is the Surface (Timezero needs a lot of graphics power and a lot of memory).
The Nobeltec app on iPad is a far relative of Timezero on Windows. In addition, the current Navionics app is not even close to Timezero, both in the UI and in smooth transitions of your routes to the chartplotter.

For me, since I only use Apple products for my work and personal life, it is infuriating that Nobeltec does not pay sufficient attention to Apple users. My solution is to run Nobeltec on Bootcamp on my Macbook, transfer the routes to the chartplotter before leaving the doc, and then while sailing, use Navionics or B&G on my iPad as second screen for navigation. However, I may eventually capitulate and buy a Surface.

[Tornadosailing]

I use an Android Tablet for Navionics. It lives on a tablet mount at the helm while I'm underway.

Specifically, I hunted down a Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet. It has the brightest screen of any consumer grade tablet. Even brighter than an iPad, which is actually hard to do. Very readable in full sun. It's also waterproof. I have no issues with it getting wet, and after a passage, I simply wash it in the sink to get the salt off. I also use an app called "screen filter" to dim the screen well beyond what you can normally do with any tablet or phone. Makes it easy to see at night, without killing your night vision.

Unlike the wifi version of iPad, wifi only android tablets come with GPS. That's a big deal if you ask me.

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

Can't say whether developed specifically for Android or not... but the two we use are Jeppeson's Plan2Nav (C-Map vector charts) and MX Mariner (NOAA raster charts in the US).

Most often, both used on a Samsung Galaxy Tab A, occasionally on the Samsung Galaxy phones or the older/smaller Nexus (Asus) tablet.

P2N is a free app and you pay for charts. MX Mariner is an inexpensive app with in-app downloads of the (free) NOAA chart regions you want. Both integrate ActiveCaptain markers.

Can't say they're any better than other likely candidates; they're the only ones we've used on tablets/phones.

-Chris

Thanks for the info, Chris.

Originally Posted by AJ_n_Audrey

...My limited experience is that the iPad / Apple devices are easier to use (with some caveats), and more reliable than Android / PC devices.

To confirm... the device is easier to use and more reliable, not the apps correct? Which apps did you use on Android and which tablet brand?

[01kiwijohn]

I use Android, more options / choices of software. less dependence on a single supplier.

[Dockhead]

Well, there are two different questions here --

The platform itself, and software available for it

and

The hardware available.

I use BOTH Ipad and Android on board, and I greatly prefer Android, personally. But this is first of all a question of how you interact with computers. Some people are "Apple users" and some people are not. I am not, so take my words with a grain of salt. The Android platform is far more open and flexible, and this means that you have a lot more choices about how to use it, and there is a lot more software available for it. It takes a little more thought, though -- the OS doesn't do all your thinking for you, like any Apple device does.

Android devices also allow you to hook them up to PC's by USB and map their drives and file systems to your main computer, making it far easier to put files on it.

Ditto with storage -- if you want a bunch of charts or 1000 sailing books or a music library or all of the above, no problem -- just stick in a suitable micro SD card and the Android system will treat it like part of the main storage.

As to hardware -- I still have an ancient steam powered Mark I Apple that has survived years of hard use on board, and still works. The hardware is pretty good quality. But it is not tolerant of water at all so easy to kill with a splash.

The Android tablets I have used on board have both been waterproof, which is a huge advantage. the first one was a Sony Z2 10" tablet with a gorgeous high res screen, but not rugged at all and not at all daylight visible. The waterproofing is pretty basic and is defeated if you have a cable connected.

Some months ago I acquired a rugged, waterproof tablet which is made for the enterprise, not the consumer market -- A Samsung Tab Active T365. This is already much better suited for boat use -- very bright daylight visible screen, and really robust construction, with already serious waterproofing -- not via flaps like the Sony. It's smaller -- 8" -- but I'm finding it does fine for GoFree remote control of my plotters and for using different nav programs.

My recommendation would be Android, and something rugged and waterproof with a very bright screen. Resolution is not very important, but screen brightness is key.

But that's based on my taste -- you'll have to figure this out for yourself. If you are an Apple kind of computer user, then of course you will want an IPad.

[LoudMusic]

Back before the mobile iGadgets came into our world, I was working at an ad agency where the artists all used Macintosh computers and everyone else used Windows computers. But a friend in the creative department, who used a Mac at work and a Windows computer at home, said one of the most intelligent things I've ever heard on the topic.

He said the difference going between Mac OS and Windows was like the difference between crossing your legs or lacing your fingers the opposite way. It accomplishes the exact same goal, but for some reason it just doesn't feel right.

I think the same is true with iOS and Android. I have a Nexus 9 and an iPad mini. So far, essentially every app I've wanted on one was either directly available on the other, or there was a very comparable counterpart. But my skin crawls every time I try to use the iPad.

[SVTatia]

Dockhead
Which nav applications do you use on your devices and how do you rate them?

[DreaminFred]

OP-
I went through this deecision process last spring. Decided on android for two reasons- 1) my ipads don't have built-in GPS (Locations services, but not GPS- only on cell-enabled ipads). Most Android tablets do. 2) Redundancy price. I can get two good android tablets comfortably within my budget and wouldn't be especially pained if one got wet and died. Waterproof cases don't work 100% and even less if the tablet is plugged in.

I use two android tablets, one on the charger down below synced to the route I'm following. The 2nd tablet on battery is in the cockpit on a clamp to the pedestal. When the battery dies I switch them. Would like brighter screens, and am currently lusting for a Samsung Galaxy Tab S3- which is very well reviewed and is the brightness winner as of 2/18.

I use Navionics Boating HD 95% of the time, OpenCPN sometimes, another app for anchor watch, but may change to iNavX for Bahamas Explorer charts.

Fred

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by SVTatia

Dockhead
Which nav applications do you use on your devices and how do you rate them?

My usage may be different from yours -- I use tablets to supplement a couple of other systems.

I have Zeus 8" MFD's (also display radar) at helm and nav table.

I have a fixed installed mini computer at the nav table displaying through a 23" 4k monitor. I run OpenCPN for chart work, navigation, and passage planning -- the Zeus plotters are used only for pilotage and radar display.

I use the tablets for these purposes:

1. Remote control of the Zeus plotters via GoFree. This is really handy; I can even operate the radar set. I use the tablet for this a lot under the spray hood on long passages and/or in bad weather (poor man's pilot house).

2. Backup navigation with INavX and a set of old Navionics charts which I bought long ago. On the old IPad. Sometimes use this under the spray hood instead of GoFree. I connect via wifi and get AIS targets and boat data. It works pretty well, but INavX is for me kind of dumbed down with very limited functionality. The flip side is that it's really easy to use. So it's a good choice for Apple users who are not very tech friendly and want something which is really easy to learn

3. I've used Navionics and OpenCPN on the Android tablets. Navionics is a good alternative to INavX. OpenCPN is just basically unusable on a 10" tablet in my opinion -- just too complex, and the UI is not designed for a small screen and touchscreen control.

4. I use a sailing instruments app on the Android tablets which is excellent -- directly display VMG to windward and other useful things, when you're trying to do a long passage upwind.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by LoudMusic

Back before the mobile iGadgets came into our world, I was working at an ad agency where the artists all used Macintosh computers and everyone else used Windows computers. But a friend in the creative department, who used a Mac at work and a Windows computer at home, said one of the most intelligent things I've ever heard on the topic.

He said the difference going between Mac OS and Windows was like the difference between crossing your legs or lacing your fingers the opposite way. It accomplishes the exact same goal, but for some reason it just doesn't feel right.

I think the same is true with iOS and Android. I have a Nexus 9 and an iPad mini. So far, essentially every app I've wanted on one was either directly available on the other, or there was a very comparable counterpart. But my skin crawls every time I try to use the iPad.

Ha, ha.

There is a big element of this -- the way you interact with computers is such a deep thing, that it can be profoundly disturbing to try to do it according to a different system than the one you are accustomed to.

But there are objective differences, too.

I'm an old Unix guy, and I like command lines and keyboard shortcuts. I like to have access to the entire file system and to be able to see what is going on. I like to be able to move files around the way I want to. I don't want the OS to do all the thinking instead of me. So -- obviously, I prefer Linux, and if I don't have time to mess with Linux, then Windows works in a pinch. Android is a mixed bag, but there are some excellent things about it -- definitely the best intensely GUI for someone like me. But different people, work differently.

[LoudMusic]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Ha, ha.

There is a big element of this -- the way you interact with computers is such a deep thing, that it can be profoundly disturbing to try to do it according to a different system than the one you are accustomed to.

But there are objective differences, too.

I'm an old Unix guy, and I like command lines and keyboard shortcuts. I like to have access to the entire file system and to be able to see what is going on. I like to be able to move files around the way I want to. I don't want the OS to do all the thinking instead of me. So -- obviously, I prefer Linux, and if I don't have time to mess with Linux, then Windows works in a pinch. Android is a mixed bag, but there are some excellent things about it -- definitely the best intensely GUI for someone like me. But different people, work differently.

I definitely appreciate having more access to my device. I've always used android phones, currently a Nexus 5 (oldie but I can't justify spending the money when it works so well). Currently I use Termux for command line on my phone, which has been handy on a number of occasions.

I used to be critical of the way things are arranged on my systems, but I've found that a lot of software breaks if you try to modify even some of the simple things, and over the years have given in more and more to 'mainstream computing'. It would be good for me to go back to Linux again, but right now I'm enjoying some games that I can't be bothered to figure out in WINe (my eternal excuse for using Windows as primary).

One thing I'm considering in the process of moving to a boat is having a VM host system on board. Then I could have the best OS for whatever software is needed to communicate with the esoteric hardware I might have on board. It would make it easy to have some flavor of Unix, or even something like XP, on hand to access a battery monitor or chart plotter or radio system, to collect data or make settings changes. Maybe that's all over thinking it, but it's proper geeky and that makes me happy.