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boatsail · 17-07-2012, 22:02

Trying to figure out if the gps works independent when it is not on wifi. I know my android phones can be turned onto airplane mode and I can still use the gps. Anyone have any insight on this device?

https://play.google.com/store/device...d=nexus_7_16gb

ben373 · 18-07-2012, 14:15

Says that it has a gps i am looking at it also

boatsail · 18-07-2012, 18:01

Birthday in Aug. I know what I want!

wmcunninghamii · 29-07-2012, 21:33

I have 16GB nexus 7. It has an onboard GPS which operates independent of WiFi connection. When I need WiFi aboard I use my T-mobile smartphone to create a hotspot. In the SF Bay Area where I sail I get coverage to about 10 miles offshore and excellent coverage in the harbors I frequent, HMB, Santa Cruz, Monterrey.

I can also say that on my unit the GPS performance is excellent. I obtain a fix in several seconds in a car , same below deck with fiberglass cabin top above.

I currently have "MX Mariner" loaded. App costs $7 but enables download of NOAA charts for offline use so you have a small plotter as a backup to your prime GPS. I also have loaded "GPS Status" which provides, among other things, DOP, HDOP and VDOP precision metrics which are useful if you are using your GPS position for navigation.

Finally I loaded "Sailos Log" which provides compass, speed, bearing and and trim information. The trim is particularly interesting. If your nexus is set up properly on the boat you can monitor heel, pitch, yaw, etc. Amazingly these seem to be reasonably accurate and the unit allows you to record status over time.

If you can tolerate moving between several apps I think you could put together a pretty robust chartplotter capability with unique features not found on commercial chart plotters.

I am sure there are many other nav apps that may be equivalent or better.

In my opinion this is a superb tablet. I am blown away by screen brightness which is clearly readable in bright daylight. Not as good as my daylight readable plotter but pretty damn close for a $280.00 unit.

I will be receiving a mounting bracket tomorrow which I intend to use to mount the unit in the boat.

Overall I am extremely pleased with this tablet.

boatsail · 29-07-2012, 21:36

Great information to know. Thanks for posting. I have it ordered with a mid aug delivery date. I have navionics app on my phone. I'll have to check out mx mariner.

wmcunninghamii · 29-07-2012, 21:48

I don't think you will be disappointed.

I started with a kindle e-ink reader, broke that and went to a Kindle Fire which is a good e-reader but a terrible (IMO) tablet with no GPS. I really had not intended to go with a tab but was getting tired of the laptop power draw and figuring the tab would draw much less - which it does, about 3 watts per my Zantrex batt monitor - so when Google came out with the Nexus 7 sans the typical crapware, I figured it was time to join the modern world.

Lot of skepticism about the 7 inch screen. I really like that it is compact and very light. Couple of my friends have iPads and they are bricks compared to this thing. To me the 7 inches is plenty of real estate for what I do.

boatsail · 29-07-2012, 21:55

Just put mx on my phone. NICE! Can't wait to learn it. Seems very intuitive.

SeaKing · 30-07-2012, 07:45

I bought the 8GB ($225 delivered with 25$ Google Play credit) and tested it this weekend on our boat in the Chesapeake Bay. I downloaded MX Mariner and it is a very nice app, the Nexus 7 is FAST!!! the quad core processor works great. I have it paired with a 4G hotspot from Verizon and downloaded apps while anchored and sailing. I surfed the net and had the chart program running in the background. Downloaded an AIS program and looked at it a little but want to us it more realtime before commenting on that.

The form factor is great, my wife has had an Ipad for some time. She had a one and now has a two, I liked the ipad but would quite often get hung up on the "no flash" issue. The Nexus 7 is easy to hold in one hand, I can slip it into a pocket if I need to. It is very responsive, I have had several people tell me after seeing it and using it for a minute they couldn't believe how fast it is.

I watched some YouTube vids, I haven't tested it all yet and only have scratched the surface on looking at all the APPs and other content available there.

Great new Toy/ Tool, I know two of my boating friends will be ordering on soon. I'll have to check out the GPS status app WM CUNNIGHAMii spoke of.

ben373 · 03-08-2012, 03:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaKing

I bought the 8GB ($225 delivered with 25$ Google Play credit) and tested it this weekend on our boat in the Chesapeake Bay. I downloaded MX Mariner and it is a very nice app, the Nexus 7 is FAST!!! the quad core processor works great. I have it paired with a 4G hotspot from Verizon and downloaded apps while anchored and sailing. I surfed the net and had the chart program running in the background. Downloaded an AIS program and looked at it a little but want to us it more realtime before commenting on that.

The form factor is great, my wife has had an Ipad for some time. She had a one and now has a two, I liked the ipad but would quite often get hung up on the "no flash" issue. The Nexus 7 is easy to hold in one hand, I can slip it into a pocket if I need to. It is very responsive, I have had several people tell me after seeing it and using it for a minute they couldn't believe how fast it is.

I watched some YouTube vids, I haven't tested it all yet and only have scratched the surface on looking at all the APPs and other content available there.

Great new Toy/ Tool, I know two of my boating friends will be ordering on soon. I'll have to check out the GPS status app WM CUNNIGHAMii spoke of.

Thanks for the info
Do they have an inbuilt GPS ?
Matt

hellosailor · 03-08-2012, 07:18

"Trying to figure out if the gps works independent when it is not on wifi."
You are confusing GPS with AGPS (Assisted GPS) modes that were once mandated by US phone phone carriers in order to push up their data charges.
No conventional GPS uses or requires WiFi *unless* someone has programmed it to fall back into AGPS mode. That's not necessary, has never been "required" (as the cell phone carriers required cellular AGPS) and is not an issue.

Incidentally...You may note that the Nexus7 somehow magically sells for $199 MSRP without requiring any "carrier subsidies" while the cell phone carriers insist that such a device has to sell for $600 just to break even. Obviously, not.

"Liar liar pants on fire" ?

wmcunninghamii · 03-08-2012, 07:30

Nexus 7 absolutely, for sure, no question has onboard GPS and does not, repeat does not, require WiFi for a fix although it will use WiFi to augment a fix if WiFi is available.

It works perfectly completely offline.

And regarding the onboard GPS I just verified with the "GPS Status" app that I acquired a fix in 9 seconds from start. That is excellent performance! Note that "GPS Status" also reports DOP, VDOP and HDOP which are important to monitor dilution of precision metrics. Read about them on Wikipedia.

GPS status is free and I think it a great performance monitoring tool.

hellosailor · 03-08-2012, 09:29

" I acquired a fix in 9 seconds from start. "

FWIW Google does have their own internet GPS server, to ensure fast AGPS responses. Some devices are programmed to use it, others programmed to look at different sources.

The GPS system transmits almanac correction data only once every 12-1/2 minutes and supposedly that's good for 6 months, so the time and quality of the first fix will also very with how recently you last used the GPS, and whether it was used in the same local area and is looking for the same satellites it last had info about.

I haven't seen it on the water yet, but on land I've seen smartphone GPSes malfunction a number of times this year. Either they can't find a signal, or the position is simply off, and this despite the phone being moved (sometimes over a mile) so any local interference shouldn't be an issue.

boatsail · 03-08-2012, 09:42

my 16gb was ordered for my aug 15th birthday! Should be in by then. It was a hard unit to find as Google underestimated the popularity of the 16gb and sold out online all over the place! I check for it every day hoping that it comes in early:-)

I'll report how I like it once it comes in. I have used my phones. Evo being the best for navtronics in the BVI and Chesapeake by now for quite some time and have been very good. I also keep my Garmin Newegg.com - GARMIN eTrex 10 2.2" Handheld GPS Navigation onboard. I have used the garmin all over the world when in the military and now own my 3rd one (gave the second one to my bro in law when he got shipped overseas). First one broke. and 3rd one stays onboard with plenty of spare batteries for use with paper charts in the event that my other electronic maps fail.

wmcunninghamii · 03-08-2012, 09:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by hellosailor

" I acquired a fix in 9 seconds from start. "

FWIW Google does have their own internet GPS server, to ensure fast AGPS responses. Some devices are programmed to use it, others programmed to look at different sources.

The GPS system transmits almanac correction data only once every 12-1/2 minutes and supposedly that's good for 6 months, so the time and quality of the first fix will also very with how recently you last used the GPS, and whether it was used in the same local area and is looking for the same satellites it last had info about.

I haven't seen it on the water yet, but on land I've seen smartphone GPSes malfunction a number of times this year. Either they can't find a signal, or the position is simply off, and this despite the phone being moved (sometimes over a mile) so any local interference shouldn't be an issue.

I have had the exact same experience with cell phone based GPS (Samsung Galaxy S2). That is one of the reasons I am so impressed with the Nexus 7. Being a sailor I have been trying to get the thing to fail but I have to say that every time I activate the GPS from cold start I've gotten performance similar (or better) to what I achieve with my Garmin 478 which, admittedly, is 5 years old now.

By the way, I took the Garmin on a trip to India several years ago and it did, indeed, take longer to acquire the first fix. Same thing when I returned home.

It is amazing the improvements in acquisition time and receiver sensitivity that have taken place over the last few years