Best Cockpit Tablet?

[Dockhead]

So I received the Samsung Tab Active.

Pretty good purchase -- in like new condition for 90 pounds with box and everything. It did have Mobicontrol remote management software on it which blocked any kind of administrator functions, factory reset, and even file transfer by USB, but I solved that by encrypting the device and entering the wrong password many times, whereupon the tablet was completely wiped and reset. Now working perfectly.

Unlike the Xperia it is significantly ruggedized and not merely waterproof, and the waterproofing looks much more serious. The screen is gorilla glass and seems much less fragile than the Xperia. I think this is all very good for boat use.

On the downside, the screen is incomparably worse than the luscious Sony screen, and that is not merely an aesthetic drawback -- it's harder to read on it.

But all in all I think this will do.

I like the form factor, too -- first 8" tablet I've used. I've had 7" ones, and those are too much like phones. 8" is a good size, quite decent screen real estate, yet much handier than 10" tablets.

[Dockhead]

Still pleased with this. Besides the screen, which is decent but not as good as the Sony 's, there is another drawback in that the toughened body of the device is slippery and hard to hold on to. As a result I've dropped it a few times already, inadvertently testing the toughness of the device

But a couple of bonus features have come to light -- first of all, it has APT-X, so terrific bluetooth audio over good headphones. Second, the single built in speaker, which I didn't expect anything from, is LOUD, and excellent for streaming radio programmes.

Form factor is much handier than that of 10" tablets. I can stick it in a pocket. Obviously it's harder to read on the smaller, lower res screen. So no free lunch there. But all in all, I think this is a good cockpit device for GoFree and possibly for some standalone navigation programs. Not enough screen for OpenCPN, though, in my opinion.

Value for money may be another issue. I lucked into a good deal on Gumtree, no doubt because everyone was scared off by Mobicontrol. Otherwise, these are quite expensive for what they are.