Tablet Plan suggestions
Any suggestions for a tablet plan for the road? Anybody using a tablet in the cab of the TV for things like maps and campground/gas apps?
Forum Discussion
TBammer wrote:
Any suggestions for a tablet plan for the road? Anybody using a tablet in the cab of the TV for things like maps and campground/gas apps?
I've experimented with various tablets/notebooks to see if I could get the same kind of functionality that I get from my current GPS/laptop combo. Admittedly, I'm a total geek (i.e., a loony), but just as background, what I have with my GPS/laptop setup is this:- Route planning done on my computer (where I can do web-based research while doing the route planning), with easy addition and deletion of via points, and then with a transfer of the route plan to the device;
- Route planning ability using custom POI files (such as my POI file of all Flying J locations);
- Ability to do personal route planning (i.e., adjust driving speed, site-by-site departure times, include breaks and fuel stops, etc.), all of which lets me see how my route complies with my 3:00/300 rule;
- In-vehicle moving map display with turn-by-turn directions and audio instructions;
- Customizable display (north-up/track-up, auto-recalculate on/off, auto-zoom on/off), zoom in/out (preferably without having to do the squeeze in-out touch-screen process, which strikes me as a dangerous distraction while driving);
- Easy ability to print maps and directions, along with basic computer file handling (like import/export, sharing, etc.); and
- XM- or NEXRAD-radar weather displayed on the moving map, mainly because I'm a coward and won't drive through any weather that shows up as bright pink on NEXRAD weather radar.
All of this functionality is way overkill for any normal person, but as I've experimented with various tablets and laptops, I would use this list of desirable features as a benchmark for how much of my capabilities I was losing. So, here's what I found:- iPad with the Rand McNally RV GPS app. I thought this was going to be my app of choice. However, the initial version had a weird bug that locked up certain iPads (not all) and unfortunately mine was one of them. I unloaded it (thanks to Apple for the full refund) and then found that most of the reviews gave it mediocre ratings anyway. So I gave up. Still, it might be a good choice. It's on my list of things to try again someday.
- iPad (with data capability) running Google Maps: this ought to work and there are lots of people who use it for just that purpose. (See here, for example: http://liferemotely.com/work-while-traveling/online-tools/136-plan-your-trip-with-google-earth-and-google-maps.) But even the experts on using Google Maps (like the Technomadia people) use it as only part of a suite of apps, and I found that if I had to keep switching from one source to another and then struggle with cobbling everything together in a route plan, it was easier to do it on a laptop.
- Android tablet running Co-Pilot: (Also can be used on iPad--I have it installed on my iPad but don't use it.) I found the interface to be a bit clunky (I'm sure I would have gotten used to it eventually), and like the Google Maps alternative, it gave me what I wanted only if combined with a suite of other apps. Again, I decided if I were going to go through all that, I'd stick with the laptop.
- Any tablet running a dozen or so apps (like those described above, including AllStays, GasBuddy, RoadTrip, WeatherRadio, etc.): this seems to be what most people use and like, but for me the task burden of doing all of that on a tablet isn't worth it--obviously, though, many people conclude otherwise. See, for example, the list of "essential" apps on the technomadia website. So, for me, it was back to the laptop/GPS combination.
- Online trip planning (specifically http://www.rvtripwizard.com/, but there may be others). This may ultimately be the best solution, but I haven't had a chance to test it yet. Its trip planning capability seems pretty good, it is very customizable, and it does allow a transfer of the route plan to a GPS (I assume via a .gpx file). The annual subscription price (about $40) seems reasonable. It's on my list of things to experiment with in the near future.
- Laptop running MS Streets and Trips: this provided much of the desired capabilities (but not weather), but Microsoft has orphaned the product. DeLorme Street Atlas may be a viable option once S&T is too far out-of-date. I have an older version that was OK; I'll try the current version in the near future. For now, the S&T maps are only a couple years out of date, so I do use this sometimes, putting the laptop (actually a Surface) on a jury-rigged mount and with my iPhone running a weather app next to it. I don't use it all the time, though, because even a Surface is bigger than I want, the mount system is cumbersome, the cords and external GPS are a pain, and so on. So right now I use it only when I need the laptop capability while on-route (like for certain ham radio excursions).
I've tried other alternatives that don't come to mind right now, but the bottom line is that I really haven't found the perfect all-in-one alternative. I'm surprised by that. I've got aviation apps that are all-in-one solutions, but I guess pilots are willing to spend a couple hundred dollars per year for apps and updates and RVers are more frugal. I continue to hope that someday a developer with come up with expansive functionality for RVers at an acceptable price. Until then, or until I test the alternatives mentioned above, I'm sticking with my GPS/laptop combination.
This is probably more (and less) than you expected, but (as the DW tells me often), I seem to have a congenital propensity to run on and on... :)
Skip- I have Osmand on my tablet (Android) for navigation. It uses Open Street Maps, which I download state by state. No need for wifi or dataplan while on the road.
For me the most important part of a navigation tool, dedicated gps or this, is keeping track of where I am with the onboard GPS receiver. The speed and direction information is nice.
I don't usually use turn-by-turn directions.
Depending on the vehicle a tablet can placed in view of the driver, making as useful as a built-in gps, and a lot less expensive. chiefneon wrote:
Howdy!
We prefer our tablets to be WiFi only instead of a data plan. When connecting our tablets we use our Verizon MiFi or cell phone Hotspot. Use Co-pilot gps app for navigation and it does not require a data connection.
"Happy Trails"
Chiefneon
X2. When I was researching tablets, I found if you wanted one that was cell signal capable your choices were really limited. When I looked at wifi only, the choices were increased significantly. When traveling, I'll use my cell phone for small things or, turn on the hotspot on my cell phone and connect my tablet to that. Wife can also use the same hotspot to connect her nook.- Howdy!
We prefer our tablets to be WiFi only instead of a data plan. When connecting our tablets we use our Verizon MiFi or cell phone Hotspot. Use Co-pilot gps app for navigation and it does not require a data connection.
"Happy Trails"
Chiefneon
