As technology advances at warp speeds we mere humans struggle to keep up. Some of us struggle more than others. Not too long ago our daughter convinced us to get iPads. We did, and we really like the feel and responsiveness of the screen. However, if you don't really love Apple you may want to think twice. Apple makes quality products but they are expensive. Also they seem to go out of their way to make non-Apple products and software next to impossible to use. That gets irritating.
I wanted to make the most of my iPad by also using it as a big screen GPS. I searched the App Store tirelessly and found several apps that would allow me to do just that, but I had to have a built in GPS chip set before I could install the app. Since I had the "WiFi only" iPad rather than the 3G version (which costs about $100 extra) there was no GPS chip set built in. I considered the Dual Electronics external GPS receiver ($100 on Amazon) which pairs with the iPad via Bluetooth, but since it was not a built in GPS receiver I still wasn't allowed to download the app.
I was stumped and frustrated. It was along about that time that I read a review on RV net written by the Geeks on Tour. They had tried out a Nexus 7 tablet doing exactly what I had been puzzling over. The Nexus comes equipped with a built in GPS receiver and chip set in both the "WiFi only" and 3G versions. The device costs $199 for the 16 gigabyte version and $249 for the 32 gigabyte version. For around $10 Google Play offers a GPS app from CoPilot Live which downloads maps directly onto your device. I downloaded all of the US and Canada maps which took about an hour and 1.5 gigabytes of memory. The GPS receiver then shows your location on the map and there is no need for a data connection in order to have the map data continually streamed to your device. The maps are already there!
So, what I wound up with is a 7 inch tablet that I can use to browse the web, take care of banking business, store books, movies and generally do everything else tablets can do, but it also serves as a large screen GPS with voice guidance. I ordered a protective skin and windshield mount from Amazon for less than $25. Scrolling across the screen is not as smooth as the iPad, but so far I am pretty happy. For the price I am VERY happy. I rarely use a laptop anymore, so now I have only one device to keep up with. Instead of books to read, a laptop, a tablet and a GPS, its just a tablet. How cool is that?
An added benefit of CoPilot Live is the ability to program the height of your RV into it. Then, when routing a trip, it takes you around low clearance bridges. You can also set it to avoid propane restricted tunnels. We don't have many of either of those issues to deal with in the Texas panhandle, but our future travel plans appear to include a lot of the east coast and it is an issue there.
We hope to see you down the road!
No comments:
Post a Comment