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Old 24-04-2014, 16:23   #106
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Re: OpenCPN Optimized for Touch Screen

Would like to get Tablet soon, still deciding, looking.
Like the Lenovo Miix 8 but have never been able to see and run it.
an alternative Dell Venue Pro 11, used for other things too.

I'd really like to have a plan for connecting everything via Bluetooth and Wifi
including Mouse, Keyboard, GPS, AIS, Instruments (via Bluetooth) and Radar (via wifi) if possible.
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Old 24-04-2014, 19:37   #107
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Re: OpenCPN Optimized for Touch Screen

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Originally Posted by rgleason View Post
Would like to get Tablet soon, still deciding, looking.
Like the Lenovo Miix 8 but have never been able to see and run it.
an alternative Dell Venue Pro 11, used for other things too.

I'd really like to have a plan for connecting everything via Bluetooth and Wifi
including Mouse, Keyboard, GPS, AIS, Instruments (via Bluetooth) and Radar (via wifi) if possible.
Sorry I haven't been able to respond to your recent posts up here. I've been very busy getting the non-electronic parts of my boat working, plus the normal real-life stuff that consumes every spare minute (fighting $400 overcharge for mail order Rx, cancelled umbrella insurance policy, yada yada).

I haven't seen the Venue Pro 11 with my own eyes, but it has gotten dinged for a dim screen. Today I had my Miix2 out in full sun and no problem seeing it. The 11" screen would definitely be nice, if outdoor viewability is not important to you:

http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/lap...ue-11-pro.aspx

I've told you that the Miix2 has internal GPS, which could be a plus, but I need to warn you that there is something flaky about it. I didn't use the internal GPS for about a month, and it took over an hour for it to "wake up" today. I haven't figured out the issue, but it seems like it might not want to get an initial fix until it has WiFi. I'm 100% sure that it continues to work after it's out of WiFi range (I tested it on a 20 mile round trip in the car with WiFi turned off), but that initial fix was very slow to happen without WiFi.

Regarding your other post(s) on multiplexing, see this thread for my continued response:

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1526417
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Old 25-04-2014, 05:25   #108
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Re: OpenCPN Optimized for Touch Screen

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...I've told you that the Miix2 has internal GPS, which could be a plus, but I need to warn you that there is something flaky about it. I didn't use the internal GPS for about a month, and it took over an hour for it to "wake up" today. I haven't figured out the issue, but it seems like it might not want to get an initial fix until it has WiFi. I'm 100% sure that it continues to work after it's out of WiFi range (I tested it on a 20 mile round trip in the car with WiFi turned off), but that initial fix was very slow to happen without WiFi.
I think I have a good hypothesis on why this initial fix took so long. Most devices use WiFi mapping to speed up their initial fix. They also cache their last location when shut off, so if you turn on the device again in approximately the same location (within a few miles) the initial fix will happen faster. If you take your device to a distant location, initial fix can take and EXTREMELY long time unless it gets a WiFi signal to assist the initial fix.

Last time I used the tablet GPS I was in Iowa on a business trip. My next use of the GPS was at my boat, where there was no WiFi signal. I think that's why the GPS took so long to get a fix. It was 1500 miles away from its last location, and had no WiFi to help speed up its initial fix. In fact, it never got an initial fix during the whole drive home from my boat until I got into my driveway - where it probably picked up my home WiFi signal.

Next time I go to the boat I'll redo my tests of the internal Miix2 GPS to see if it continues working without a WiFi signal.
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Old 25-04-2014, 05:57   #109
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Re: OpenCPN Optimized for Touch Screen

Most of these devices have only AGPS which stands for Assisted GPS. They need cellphone towers to get a fix. Get a real GPS mouse, they are not expensive.

Gerhard
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Old 25-04-2014, 09:41   #110
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Re: OpenCPN Optimized for Touch Screen

RhythmDoctor
Agreed, my Samsung GPS works with wifi off and in Airplane mode, however sometimes it takes a long time to get a fix. Particularly on a plane at 30k going 600mph, sometimes it doesn't get the signal at all. However on the ground it is pretty reliable and works fine. Even in other countries with Airplane mode on and wifi off.
Quote:
initial fix can take an EXTREMELY long time unless it gets a WiFi signal to assist the initial fix.
Your post 107 has some very good links. I particularly like the diagrams, the thought process and the final double BT RJ45 Box which is neat. Thank you..

Hard to decide on the Tablet without actually seeing and using it. There lots of Dell Venues on ebay right now. Screen brightness is definitely a need.

Carcode:
Gerhard thank you for advising about Assisted GPS, and dedicated Puck GPS. I do have one connected to my DSC/VHF which I will use later.
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Old 25-04-2014, 09:46   #111
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Re: OpenCPN Optimized for Touch Screen

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Most of these devices have only AGPS which stands for Assisted GPS. They need cellphone towers to get a fix. Get a real GPS mouse, they are not expensive.

Gerhard
Most of what devices? I'd be very surprised if the Miix2 8" could benefit from cell towers in any way, since it has no cellular capability. It has a "real GPS" built into it.

The VAST MAJORITY (virtually all) of tablets and modern smartphones do not need cell towers or WiFi to get a fix. The initial fix can take a long time because if the device has NO IDEA where it is initially, the trilateration formulas can take a long time to converge to an answer. Cell towers or WiFi can speed that up because they narrow down the range of possible answers. They help, but they are not required.

I had forgotten that I took my Miix2 to Iowa with me. That is most likely the reason why my initial fix took so long.

By the way, a "real GPS mouse" will take just as long to get its initial fix in the absense of WiFi or cell towers. The trilateration algorithms are the same for all devices. The other signals just help it converge faster to a final answer.
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Old 25-04-2014, 09:53   #112
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Re: OpenCPN Optimized for Touch Screen

RhythmDoctor...

I have also found that if the receiver is moving, it may never acquire the correct almanac information to converge.

Dave
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Old 25-04-2014, 19:07   #113
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Re: OpenCPN Optimized for Touch Screen

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...Your post 107 has some very good links. I particularly like the diagrams, the thought process and the final double BT RJ45 Box which is neat. Thank you...
Thanks for the compliment. Unfortunately, while you were writing it, I decided to edit my post and move the links over to this thread instead. So anyone wanting to see the links should click the link to go there. I've also added a few other comments there.
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Old 15-05-2014, 07:04   #114
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Re: OpenCPN Optimized for Touch Screen

Will the button implemented mode change course up/north up?
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Old 15-05-2014, 10:13   #115
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Re: OpenCPN Optimized for Touch Screen

Picked up a mixx 2 10 about a month ago because my laptop HD died and thought was time to get off xp. If you look at the specs for the tab it does not specifically list a internal gps. So I contacted Lenovo to ask. First answer was no, second and third was yes. Well I liked the unit and purchased. First thing was the driver from Lenovo specific for miix 2 10 for the gps would not load up. I tried the down load mentioned on the forum. The OCPN driver would work but only after a long wait as indicated previously. I shut off the wifi and found out I can not get a fix. It appears this is supported only by wifi. (If others find something different please let me know).

Sooo I purchased the BU 353 S4 hockey puck and installed. I'm happy this works well but had to purchase a micro USB adapter to plug directly into tablet screen. I really wanted to get rid of the extra plug in hanging off the tablet.

As far as how it works with OCPN I find the unit works very well both with the seperate keyboard that has 2 USB ports or tablet screen alone. I have purchased a bluetooth mouse that works very well with the system saving on one USB port. When using the screen alone the touch screen works very well with O. Took a little time to get use to it. Screen is a little brighter than I've seen on other tabs but feel this is not sun light readable as many others have.

Other things I plan to do to complete the system for the boat is purchase a 12v to 12v pigtail. You can charge either through USB 5v or the AC charger outputs 12Vdc with 12v charging about 2x faster. One big advantage is the unit charge lasts a good 6 hours of constant use. Big change from my old DELL laptop.

Have no affiliation with any vendor mentioned above but thought others may want a up front opinion on one system I settled with. I'm sure others will be able to chime in about their systems.

If I have any dislikes I find later on I'll let you know.

Happy Sailing
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Old 17-05-2014, 20:25   #116
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Re: OpenCPN Optimized for Touch Screen

Thanks for your review of the Miix2 10". You are the first person to review this device here. All prior comments were specific to the Miix2 8", which is a totally different device. So your comments are especially welcome.
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Originally Posted by gulfstar37 View Post
... If you look at the specs for the tab it does not specifically list a internal gps. So I contacted Lenovo to ask. First answer was no, second and third was yes. Well I liked the unit and purchased. First thing was the driver from Lenovo specific for miix 2 10 for the gps would not load up. I tried the down load mentioned on the forum. The OCPN driver would work but only after a long wait as indicated previously. I shut off the wifi and found out I can not get a fix. It appears this is supported only by wifi. (If others find something different please let me know)....
Everything that I have read indicates that the Miix2 10" does not have GPS. The only driver for the GPS would have to come from Lenovo. They may have GPS available in other countries, just like they have 3G versions available in some countries. There is no OCPN GPS driver. I am not sure what download you say was mentioned on the forum. If it's GeolocationTCP, that's not a driver - it's a software interface that maps the GPS output to a TCP port.

The way to tell for sure if there is a GPS is to look into the Device Manager and see if a GNSS device is listed. It is listed on the Miix2 8", but the Miix2 10" is a different device with different specs.



Quote:
Originally Posted by gulfstar37 View Post
...Sooo I purchased the BU 353 S4 hockey puck and installed. I'm happy this works well but had to purchase a micro USB adapter to plug directly into tablet screen. I really wanted to get rid of the extra plug in hanging off the tablet...
Globalsat makes a Bluetooth GPS that would eliminate the wire. Make sure you get a recent version that is supported. Another option might be to have your smartphone transmit its GPS fix via Bluetooth or WiFi. I've done that with my smartphone, but I do not use it regularly with OpenCPN.
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...Screen is a little brighter than I've seen on other tabs but feel this is not sun light readable as many others have....
I have commented about the bright screen on the Miix2 8". There have been no comments here on the 10" version. I found a review that measured the brightness of both, and the 8" model was about 2x the lux level of the 10" one. (Can't find the review right now.) So I am not surprised your device is less bright than the 8" one.
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Old 18-05-2014, 07:19   #117
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Re: OpenCPN Optimized for Touch Screen

I'm confused. I just looked on EBAY and the Lenovo site and didn't see one mention of a GPS for the Lenovo Miix 2 8" Tablet.

Is it an option? Do they all have GPS but fail to mention it?
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Old 18-05-2014, 08:31   #118
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Re: OpenCPN Optimized for Touch Screen

David,
Believe me, I walked this road with Rhythm Doctor helping very patiently, and the Miix 8 DOES MOST CERTAINLY have a separate GPS. You can check it under the Control Panel > System > Devices after you purchase it. This is a very compact and useful tablet without excess GPS attachments. Just have not gotten to the one Best Buy I think will have good stock and display for it. The one in Cranston, RI was a shambles and had no working Miix 8 that I could see screen brightness or play with, and no focused sales help. Very disappointing experience. But I hope New London Best Buy will be better. Let us know if you get one please.
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Old 18-05-2014, 09:16   #119
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Re: OpenCPN Optimized for Touch Screen

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I'm confused. I just looked on EBAY and the Lenovo site and didn't see one mention of a GPS for the Lenovo Miix 2 8" Tablet.

Is it an option? Do they all have GPS but fail to mention it?
Both of the US Miix2 8" models have GPS (32GB model and 64 GB model). Its GPS is not documented on the Lenovo website (although you can download the GPS driver for it), but the GPS has been mentioned in several "hands-on" magazine review articles. Not all of them mention it, because many business users don't care about GPS.

It's a guessing game whether the Miix2 10" has a GPS. I have seen no hands-on magazine review articles mentioning it. I'm always reluctant to trust websites that do not do true "hands-on" testing (apparently just aggregating information that others publish), but among those types of websites there are several sites that say it does not have GPS (including this one), and only one that I found that says it does.

This is not a hard question to answer - just go look at one (Microsoft Store usually has a good selection of Win8 tablets from all manufacturers) and check Device Manager. Look for the GNSS Geolocation Sensor, like in the screenshot from my Miix2 8" I posted above.

I am very puzzled about all the conflicting information about all these devices. It might be because of variations that are sold in different countries. The Miix2 8", for instance, is available with mobile data (3G, maybe 4G) in Europe, but not in the US. So maybe there are regional differences in GPS availability.

But the one thing I can say EMPHATICALLY is that the 8" models of the Miix2 that are sold in the US have an internal GPS. To use it with OpenCPN, you need additional software (which you can buy or get for free) to move the data to a TCP port that OpenCPN can see.

DISCLAIMER: I cannot vouch for how well the Miix2 GPS works. I have tested it on a couple of occasions, but my boat transmits its GPS by Bluetooth, and I use the Bluetooth GPS in OpenCPN so that I can ensure that my boat's navigation system has a valid fix. So I do not use the internal GPS on a regular basis.
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Old 18-05-2014, 15:59   #120
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Re: OpenCPN Optimized for Touch Screen

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David,
Believe me, I walked this road with Rhythm Doctor helping very patiently, and the Miix 8 DOES MOST CERTAINLY have a separate GPS. You can check it under the Control Panel > System > Devices after you purchase it. This is a very compact and useful tablet without excess GPS attachments. Just have not gotten to the one Best Buy I think will have good stock and display for it. The one in Cranston, RI was a shambles and had no working Miix 8 that I could see screen brightness or play with, and no focused sales help. Very disappointing experience. But I hope New London Best Buy will be better. Let us know if you get one please.
I go by the New London(waterford) Best Buy on the way to work. Ill see if they have one that works on Tuesday.
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