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And another iPad question

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cgroote1(at)yahoo.com
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Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 7:40 am Post subject: And another iPad question

I, too, am thinking about getting an iPad, mainly for charts.  Foreflight recommends the iPad Wifi + 3G (this unit has an internal GPS receiver).  However, they state that an external GPS source is sorely needed and recommends getting the Bad Elf GPS to use with it. 

 Verizon's iPad is Wifi enabled with an external Mifi router mobile hotspot.  So, you have essentially the same thing along with Verizon's across the country coverage. Seems to me this is the better way to go.  Am I missing something?



         [quote][b]

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Tim Olson

Joined: 25 Jan 2007
Posts: 2881

Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 8:50 am Post subject: And another iPad question

I don't think any of you are missing anything. You all have

good points, and have pointed out good info.  I'll try to show

my reasonings and point out how all your points fit.



First, it's all about options.  If you don't get the 3G,

you're missing a couple of options...



Kelly (and Foreflight) is right.  The built-in GPS isn't

fantastic in quality.  It does, however, work reasonably

well and would probably do all you need, much of the time.

For in-flight navigation, if you don't already have an

EFIS doing all your precision work for you, you'd want

either the Jailbreak+Bluetooth GPS (which are usually WAAS),

or one of the 2 options for attached WAAS GPS's.  This

would give you real precision.  If you already have the

approach on the EFIS, it really isn't that big of a deal

to go through the trouble of the external GPS.  The built-in

one is usually accurate for me within maybe 50'.  Personally,

I feel your best option is to do both...have the 3G with

GPS, and also have an external.  More on that...



Regarding the 3G, yeah, for me especially in our area, AT&T

sucks badly.  But, when we travel, we often end up in

areas where AT&T works and works well. We bring the iPad

and on the larger trips and for OSH, we'll activate the

AT&T 3G plan for a month. It gives some great useability

in the car.  We'll drive along looking for something,

and on google maps just google something like

"quality suites" and it'll drop pins on the map, and

  we can click them and get directions and phone info

right on it.  Looking for the Monterey Aquarium? Just

google-map it and it's there.  So it's very handy to do

the 3G thing at times.  We've only used it for 2 or 3

months in the last year, but when we wanted it, it was

there, and we didn't have to carry any attachable devices

to use it.  That's worth something too.



Regarding MiFi and the like...  I also have a mini router,

which I bet is probably the OEM source for the MiFi...not

sure on that.  Cradlepoint.com though, check it out.  I have

the PHS300, and for work, I have a verizon air card, which

is a USB cell device that plugs into the PHS300, or into

your laptop, giving you 3G coverage through Verizon.  Around

here, that works way better than AT&T.  It certainly works

REALLY well when traveling though, in that it's a normal

hotspot router, so I can get everyone in the family online

with their ipod touches, and laptops.  So they're very very

handy to have...and yes, with that, I don't really need

to use the 3G.  That said, it's still very nice to not

always have to remember those additional parts, and just

activate 3G.  When I was in Monetery, I found times when

I had to switch to verizon, or AT&T, depending on my

location, to get good coverage.  Neither provider gives

you 100% coverage.



Another thing that you can do with Jailbroken devices, like

my iphone and an iPad with 3G, is install MyWi, which lets

you share your 3G like a wi-fi hotspot.  So, we've been on

trips where I activated the iPad 3G, and shared THAT 3G

coverage with the family or my laptop.  And, I've found it

convenient to do the same from my iPhone, or just tether

it with the charging cable and do it that way, to my

laptop.  It's something you can do with Jailbroken devices,

or pay AT&T an ungodly high rate for if you don't want to

jailbreak.



Also, regarding the iPad, if you buy any of the charting

apps, you'll want some space.  16GB will likely be fine,

but, if you want to go multi-purpose and have options once

again, get the big one.  We completely fill our 64Gb iPad.

It's full of movies for the kids, music, and charts, mostly.

I have Foreflight HD, which is my favorite app.  Makes for

awesome in-flight charts and approach plates, and all the

info that you'd need, in probably the best presentation

graphically of all the apps.  Very nice for planning and

filing.  Then there's WingX Pro 7.  Over a year ago I used

WingX just to try it out, on the iphone.  It was nice, but

they are as ugly as can be when it comes to colors and

graphical design on the iphone app.  Today I bought a

Seattle Avionics lifetime iPad IFR data subscription since

they offered it for Black Friday.  With that, I decided to

also spend the money to buy 12 months of WingX Pro 7,

plus another $30 for fuel price info.  Foreflight does

much of what WingX does, but not all of it, and vice versa.

But, since I hate buying chart data, I figured today was

the day to waste a little cash and just do it...since

it was lifetime data.  From playing with WingX, it looks

like when actually flying an approach, I'll probably use

their software. Since the fuel price info is cached, it's

useable in flight.  I'll probably use foreflight for all

my pre planning, filing, weather planning, and for looking

at sectionals in flight.  Then when it comes to flying

the approach, since today WingX has georeferenced approach

plates and actually a real nice split-screen view option,

I'll use that.  I do believe that Foreflight will be coming

out with georeferenced approach plates though, so the money

I spent today was partially a waste.  The Seattle Avionics

iPad data subscription is portable to their partner's apps,

WingX being one.  My hope is that this will extend to

Foreflight if they partner in the same way.  Again, it's

all about options...this time in software.



So while you can certainly save money and not get a 3G

model, I think it's great to not HAVE to bring my

Cradlepoint+verizon hotspot all the time, and not HAVE

to remember a bluetooth GPS, or any add on hardware. It's

nice when you want to be slim and trim to be able to

just grab the ipad on it's own, and have what you need to

get by.  And, considering there are ways you can share the

3G service it offers with your other devices, it really

makes it possible to have ONLY an iPad 3G model and

no accessories, and still get the job done if you need.

To me, I'd rather spend a little more up front and have

more options.  Wouldn't it stink if you had an add-on GPS,

and suddenly when you need it, you forgot it, or it went

titzup?  AS SOON AS verizon gets the iPhone, I plan

to drop my AT&T iphone and get one.  That will give me

both Verizon and AT&T 3G options, even without bringing

my Cradlepoint hotspot.  That will help ensure I always

have one of the 2 providers with the least of accessories.



So yeah, there are more than 2 or 3 ways to skin cats

(although I just roast them fur on, with barbecue sauce <g>)

and all have good points.  It's just a matter of making

sure you see all of the potential things you may want to

do some day, and which tools you should have in your toolbox

to get you to what you need.



IMHO, none of the stuff you can get on an ipad really replaces

what you REALLY want to have....and that's a good EFIS,

with integrated weather, for in-flight use.



Tim Olson - RV-10 N104CD



On 11/26/2010 9:37 AM, curtis groote wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		   I, too, am thinking about getting an iPad, mainly for charts.

 Foreflight recommends the iPad Wifi + 3G (this unit has an internal GPS

 receiver). However, they state that an external GPS source is sorely

 needed and recommends getting the Bad Elf GPS to use with it.

 Verizon's iPad is Wifi enabled with an external Mifi router mobile

 hotspot. So, you have essentially the same thing along with Verizon's

 across the country coverage. Seems to me this is the better way to go.

 Am I missing something?

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dlm46007(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 10:50 am Post subject: And another iPad question

I bought the 64GB; I am using considerably less  memory even with some albums on there for IPOD. I suggest the 32GB or possibly  8GB with 3G, WiFi and GPS. It seems that the charts part of Foreflight only  takes about 2GB? Somebody who has synced and look at your PC could probably say  for sure what Foreflight takes. For me it is the only significant data storage  app for me. 

 [quote]   ---

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