Tablets with "real" GPS

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hairy_apple

hairy_apple

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Is there such a thing? Or is it all cell tower GPS. Or can any of them use an external antenna? Anything I can do to use one for off road GPS in my cruiser when no where near cell service?

I don't really like how small the screens are on the normal outdoor GPS units, and I would like to have the tablet for other stuff when not using it for navigation.

I just can't seem to find anything that looks like it will work. I'm pretty dumb with this stuff though and maybe I just am not understanding what I'm reading with half of it.
 
The Google Nexus 7 has a 'real' GPS. I use it for real-time street mapping (using Co-Pilot, but there are lots of free ones) and Backcountry Navigator (also there are some free ones) for off-road topo maps.

I just have the wifi version and it does all this without a data connection.

Craig.
 
Many tablets have "real" gps hardware in them. I have an Acer A100 (7" tablet) which is excellent for navigation use. It also has accelerometer, gyro, compass hardware. Wifi, BT, external micro SD slot etc etc.

The Acer A100 Bluetooth can also be paired with an external Bluetooth GPS 'puck', though the internal GPS works brilliantly.

Just read the reviews and technical specs. It's usually very clear which ones have GPS hardware built-in.

cheers,
george.
 
I would guess the vast majority if not all the current tablets have a GPS system built-in. Don't recall ever seeing one with an external antenna connector, though.
Mine even has an electric compass besides the accelerometer etc.
 
Huh, interesting. I've been reading and have found it very hard to figure out if they actually have real GPS or not. Thanks, I actually have looked at the Nexus 7 and liked it lot.

Do the backcountry Navigator apps allow you to do waypoints and all that stuff a stand alone GPS does?

Thanks.
 
Another great android GPS app is GPSessentials, $5, and my favorite. It has support for multiple map sources and supports offline maps so it's great when there is no service. My android phone is a much better GPS than my old Garmin ever was due to the touch interface, great display, and ease of downloading and moving data around.
 
Awesome, just had a long chat with a buddy who knows his stuff. Normally I would have called him first, but it was late last night when I was researching and didn't want to bother him. He said he's also using the Nexus 7 and loves it, uses it exactly how I was wanting to use it. I am going to go to town this evening to go exchange a HF jack that exploded the first time I used it... so I'll go tablet shopping tonight as well. Thanks for all the answers.
 
The WiFi only iPads don't have GPS, but all the iPads with cellular capability do have a GPS. You also don't need to enable the cellular service to use the GPS.

What most tablets have is called AGPS, or Assisted GPS. Basically, if there are cellular towers nearby, they provide a head start to the GPS, since approximate location can speed up the acquisition to satellites. If you have a tablet that doesn't have a real GPS, you can get Bluetooth GPSs--usually between $100-$200--just make sure that they are supported by your device and whatever app you intend to run.
 
Sweet, I feel dumb.... but I have learned a lot today. Went into best buy and actually downloaded the backcountry app and played with it for an hour in the middle of the store and was super excited. It's is exactly what I wanted and more.

Then came home and played with my wife's Galaxy tab 10" and downloaded the app and played with it for hours and got even more excited. Tomorrow I think I'll drag it around town with me while I do errands and play with the GPS and waypoints and learn it a little.

Now I just have to find a tablet, looking at the 7 inch galaxy tabs, as they are cheap and big enough to see the screen, but not too big to crowd up the cab of the already somewhat cramped 40... and it's familiar since my wife has it's big brother and my phone is pretty similar as well. Also, at $170 I won't be too sad it's it's shaken and dusted to death in two years being in a 40 in the woods and desert a lot. I also liked that it can take micro SD cards for more storage... LOTS of maps!!!

Thanks for the help, very happy that I'm going to be able to do exactly what I wanted to do with it and actually better.
 
Glad you found what you are looking for.

The main thing to watch out for in the manufacturers specs is 'A-GPS' vs just 'GPS'.

GPS is obviously what it sounds like but A-GPS is an assisted-GPS which relies on wifi that it sees (even if it's someone else's network that you are not connected to) to assist the GPS to find it's location. Not as accurate, not as reliable for signal.

Craig.
 
lumpy70 said:
Glad you found what you are looking for.

The main thing to watch out for in the manufacturers specs is 'A-GPS' vs just 'GPS'.

GPS is obviously what it sounds like but A-GPS is an assisted-GPS which relies on wifi that it sees (even if it's someone else's network that you are not connected to) to assist the GPS to find it's location. Not as accurate, not as reliable for signal.

Craig.
Click to expand...

A-GPS does not preclude having GPS hardware. A-GPS can be just that, an 'assist' to the GPS hardware for a faster fix.

I know that's what you wrote and what you mean is for the purchaser to READ all the specs AND reviews to ensure that there really is a GPS hardware engine inside the tablet. So, just a clarification for the OP.

It's also nice if the tablet has a compass, gyro and accelerometer. The compass/gyro ensures you get decent compass info regardless of the orientation of the tablet. Some navigation software will use the compass to provide heading info even when not moving (something a GPS on its own can't do).

7" tablet is a great size for use on the dash and still fine even for 50+ year old eyes :)

*** DO try the tablet outdoors to make sure it is reasonably readable in strong light ***

cheers,
george.
 
george_tlc said:
A-GPS does not preclude having GPS hardware. A-GPS can be just that, an 'assist' to the GPS hardware for a faster fix.

I know that's what you wrote and what you mean is for the purchaser to READ all the specs AND reviews to ensure that there really is a GPS hardware engine inside the tablet. So, just a clarification for the OP.

It's also nice if the tablet has a compass, gyro and accelerometer. The compass/gyro ensures you get decent compass info regardless of the orientation of the tablet. Some navigation software will use the compass to provide heading info even when not moving (something a GPS on its own can't do).

7" tablet is a great size for use on the dash and still fine even for 50+ year old eyes :)

*** DO try the tablet outdoors to make sure it is reasonably readable in strong light ***

cheers,
george.
Click to expand...

What he said! :)
 
I've been dragging my wife's tab 10 inch around all day with the backcounty navigator running and recording my day... it's amazing how accurate it is. I noticed a large blob... it was me walking around the house holding it! Too cool, thanks again for the info, I just didn't know what I was looking at and the responces gave me a base to start research.

I think I will pick up the 7" tab as I really like my wife's 10" but it's just too big for the dash.

Now... what mounts are you guys using? I'm thinking most of the tablet mounts I've seen don't look very washboard road friendly.
 
I have a galaxy note 2 10.1 (wifi only) and use it with backcountry navigator on a ram mount. I cache the maps and it works great and is very accurate. The 10" is a little big but old eyes need allthe help they can get.
 
As I said (can't edit the previous post) I have a RAM mount with my Galaxy Note 10.1. It is a little big but the detail is great. I'm using the USGS topo maps (free) and they are pretty accurate for USFS roads. Most of the forest roads (in the Mark Twain NF anyway) are on the maps, though some have changed locations over the years (which can make things more interesting).




 
some things to consider w/ a tablet
1) if you can put it near a vent(s), it'll help it not overheat when there is sunshine directly on it through the windshield

2) RAM mounts are versatile

3) a tablet that uses usb to charge may be handier than a proprietary type of plug

4) you can also run music off of the same tablet, which is kind of handy

5) I'm not thrilled with the apps that I've found, but there are many to choose from. The best app I've seen is GaiaGPS, but only the iOS version. The android version lacks many of the iOS features.

6) loading maps uses a fairly good chunk of data and can be slow, planning ahead to use your wifi at home/hotel is a good idea

7) tablet offers the bonus of also being a great way to look at photos after a day of wheeling and/or to backup data from a phone/camera
 
Just to add to the list. The Galaxy Note 8.0 WiFi has GPS & GLONASS while the cellular version has AGPS (cell tower GPS).
 
I use a galaxy tab 2 7.0, with the backcountry navigator app. I've downloaded all the maps in my area to an sd card. I used it on my fall hunt with no issues. Can track, store waypoints, and all sorts of other cool gps features. I have only 2 complaints....

1. Battery life sucks. Even with everything but the gps receiver turned off. When I was in ny hunt camp, I didn't have a reliable means to charge it. It charges too slow as well
2. I haven't figured out the problem of the maps not zooming in all the way. I get good resolution down to about 1 mile with topo and sat images, but would prefer more. When I zoom closer than 1 mile, the map just turns grey and displays "no data connection."

My .02, and I will continue to use it heavily, on foot, on my motorcycle and in my 60.

- Randy
 
I noticed that you can only download to 16 zoom as well, but with data it goes much closer. For most of what I want, battery life will not be an issue as it will be in the cruiser 99% of the time.

I am pretty sure I'll end up with the tab 7".. the price is hard to beat and it's big enough to read but not too big to clutter up the cab too much.

I still have not found a mount that I think will work in the FJ40... anyone have something in a 40 that you can share a picture with? I just can't really find anything that I think will worki.
 
eagleFJ60 said:
1. Battery life sucks. Even with everything but the gps receiver turned off. When I was in ny hunt camp, I didn't have a reliable means to charge it. It charges too slow as well
2. I haven't figured out the problem of the maps not zooming in all the way. I get good resolution down to about 1 mile with topo and sat images, but would prefer more. When I zoom closer than 1 mile, the map just turns grey and displays "no data connection."

My .02, and I will continue to use it heavily, on foot, on my motorcycle and in my 60.

- Randy
Click to expand...

I power my Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 from a Blue Sea USB outlet in my 4Runner. It provides enough power to run it at full brightness. The USB outlet provides 2.1 amps (10 watts): http://www.sierraexpeditions.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=8670

I use the USGS maps (cached) with Backcountry Navigator and I can zoom down to about 500' full screen (per the scale, 20X zoom by the buttons). It does get pretty pixelly, since the tiles are bitmaps (I think they are actually PDFs for something).
 
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