tablets and Hunting

[mconway951]

Any of you guys on here use an ipad or some other tablet when hunting. i have been looking at them looks like the GPS would be nice and be able to use with google earth and property boundries not to mention you can have a book games and movies to help pass the time on a backpack style hunt. Looks like the battery life is much better then my droid phone and not much more in weight wondering if anybody has used them with the solar chargers and how long it would take to charge with a decent solar charger.
I know its not needed and it is extra weight but planning a horse back drop off hunt this year and thought it might be nice to keep at base camp.

Thoughts?

 

[Summitthunting]

I think the GPS is only operational when you have 3G or WiFi coverage, I can't get my location unless I'm online on the iPad 2. Cost might also come into play, you could buy two higher end gamins for the price of a 3G iPad2.

 

[mconway951]

My Droidx doesnt need a signal to operate the GPS at all maybe thats an ipad thing? Anybody know about that? Cost isnt such a concern i have a nice garmin GPS id still use just like the idea of tha tablet also maybe not in the day pack but at base camp

 

[mdunc8]

I like keeping the GPS handy, which I think would be difficult with a tablet. What happens when it starts raining or snowing? I'm usually plenty tired by the time dark rolls around, so there's not too much down time in the tent for me.

 

[WapitiBob]

GPS works without 3g or wifi but lock will be quicker with cell triangulation.
Google maps/earth and such will need 3g to stream the SAT images.
The Ipad will essentially be a large screen map reader with limited GPS because of the GPS battery drain.
Excellent Topo maps can be downloaded to the devise and used in conjunction with the GPS and no cell or 3G required.
Best Ipad Topo maps I have seen come from here: http://topomapsapp.com/ipad.html

 

[mconway951]

GPS works without 3g or wifi but lock will be quicker with cell triangulation.
Google maps/earth and such will need 3g to stream the SAT images.
The Ipad will essentially be a large screen map reader with limited GPS because of the GPS battery drain.
Excellent Topo maps can be downloaded to the devise and used in conjunction with the GPS and no cell or 3G required.
Best Ipad Topo maps I have seen come from here: http://topomapsapp.com/ipad.html

that is a very good point i didnt think about needing a connection to view the sat images is there a way to save sat images to the device for a specific area that you plan to hunt like say a 10 mile by 10 mile area?

 

[Summitthunting]

WapitiBob how do you get the GPS to work on an iPad without a connection?

 

[WapitiBob]

Only the wifi-3G model has the GPS chip, but the chip will work without a 3G connection. The data connections are used for the "assisted" GPS and help with initial signal lock.

Mc, I do not know of a decent way to save the Sat images other than to store them in the Google earth cache which can be cumbersome at best from what I have read. I know of no 3rd party app that will download Sat images to the Ipad like you can do with Topo's. That and the poor GPS battery life were two reasons why I gave up on the idea of using an Ipad as a replacement for my GPS and hunting laptop.

As an in the field map reader it will be great but beyond that it's limitations begin to show. I would really like to see is a Garmin Montana in a NUVI housing.

 

[sweetnectar]

I messed with an I pad on a hunt two years ago. We had to go on google earth to the area we would be hunting in and zoom in and out looking around to save the sat images in the cache. The gps app we used worked really well (no cell or wifi connection), we were able to see our location on a google sat images and our paths we walked overlayed on the sat photos, etc. We also used a topo map app that cost a buck fifty and in the tent at night played plants vs. zombies and played with some of the other features.
It really takes two hands to use an I pad were as a gps unit you can one hand it and put it in your pocket.
Hope this helps.

 

[Lawnboy]

This is exciting because I'm typing on my new I pad 2 as we speak. I need to learn all the things I can do with this thing.

 

[mconway951]

Excellent info guys like I said it wouldnt be my main navigation device mostly just a back at camp tool. Again i know it isnt nec but then again how much of what we buy is want vs need anyway

 

[Sytes]

Bought my wife one of those ASUS tablets and she digs it. I was thinking of swiping it come season though typically I drag along my laptop and Huntinggpsmaps - with the garmin base camp deal set up. Have the garmin 530hcx (first use was 2011 season) I enjoyed it especially with the hunting gps maps for property lines, etc.
It is nice having the laptop and I would imagine the tablet would work just as well.

 

[MN Public Hunter]

iPad or ASUS transformer prime....dual core iPad versus 4 core ASUS....$850 iPad or $500 ASUS. Cost wise and performance wise I would go for the ASUS and I currently have an iPad gen 1.

If the applications are available for both and you want a new tablet I say ASUS.

Another option is to buy a used wifi only tablet and tether it to your phone. Personally this is what I would do before bringing a new tablet out into the field.

My new option...which will be available after CES next week in the US finally, is the Samsung Galaxy Note. A 5.3 inch screen phone, sort of a mini tablet

 

[JohnCushman]

Admit it Mike....you're really looking for a way to download porn while you're hunting

 

[Corax]

My vote goes to a netbook - my wife has an ipad and I use a dell netbook - heavier but half the price and more functional. Also that touch screen and I do not get along. However it does not have a GPS. We use pdanet and a smartphone to connect the netbook to the internet. I do less cursing when i use the netbook.

 

[mconway951]

iPad or ASUS transformer prime....dual core iPad versus 4 core ASUS....$850 iPad or $500 ASUS. Cost wise and performance wise I would go for the ASUS and I currently have an iPad gen 1.

If the applications are available for both and you want a new tablet I say ASUS.

Another option is to buy a used wifi only tablet and tether it to your phone. Personally this is what I would do before bringing a new tablet out into the field.

My new option...which will be available after CES next week in the US finally, is the Samsung Galaxy Note. A 5.3 inch screen phone, sort of a mini tablet

Thats what i have been looking at is a tablet off ebay to use with my droid i was looking at the motorola xoom otr the dell streak 7 just because readly available and inexpensive... any thoughts

 

[MN Public Hunter]

Thats what i have been looking at is a tablet off ebay to use with my droid i was looking at the motorola xoom otr the dell streak 7 just because readly available and inexpensive... any thoughts

There are soo many tablets these days that I'm no expert, but if I were you and you want a 7 inch tablet check out the Nook color. It's brand new and only $200 bucks. Why get used when you can get new Samsung is making some nice tablets too.

 

[Sytes]

One downside to Ipads - they are setup for 3G... that you pay your mobile netowrk company for the service based on information transfer rate - I think 4th of 2012 or 1st of 2013 qtr next Ipad will be released with the 4G.

ASUS is wifi based. Verizon offers for X$ a month a card that is already capable of 4G. Montana is anticipating having 4G 2nd quarter this year.
The nice function for this 4G card - it is wireless and can accomodate up to 5 computers. It is basically your portable wifi.

My wife dumped the crappy internet service provider we had for our house computers and laptop. Those and her ASUS now work at great speed for her needs from her little wifi card.

ASUS and the others use the Android applications. I am sure some enjoy the Apple based applications though android is basically open market... and not restricted by the "Apple" logo.

Pro's and con's to any of the tablets... though one thing to also consider what sold us on the ASUS, they are not a company that purchases parts to build their tablets... THEY are the seller of those parts who decided to build their own computer line and tablets - while selling their parts to the major computer name brands. That is one reason for the "bang for the buck".

We also purchase the keyboard. it attaches directly to the tablet and closes as a laptop would - thus protecting the screen completely.

Anyhow, food for thought.

 

[6speed]

Not a tablet but I use my Casio commando with the cabelas map app. So far no complaints I cache the maps to my SD card before I get out of cell range and have them with me whenever I need them. The phone is shock, dust,heat,cold and water resistant so it's great for the outdoors. I forgot it in my pocket while fishing last summer and after being submerged for about 30 minutes all I had to do was shake the water out of the speaker hole.