Again splitting hair, but a lot of Android and Windows tablet come with GPS, but no cellular radio. An 8” can be had easily for under $300 or even around $100 (lately, Costco had one for sale at $99 CAD (Acer 8” Android with GPS included)). Only Apple ties the GPS with the cellular radio; most of the other vendors don’t.
Older Samsun tablets used a proprietary connector (trying to out-Apple Apple?); this is no longer the case. Some tablets use a MicroUSB for charging (5 V, usually around 2 A) others, especially the 10-11” ones, use a dedicated power plug/port. These latter ones might be tricky on the boat, because they can use a different voltage (12 V, 17 V, anything) and this might require a special adapter or powering them through an inverter. But there are enough options available for tablets powered using the USB (5 V). Keep in mind that if your tablet uses the USB port for powering/charging, it may be impossible to connect a USB device to it at the same time. Btw. for those who may not know this, most tablets (and smartphones) with a MicroUSB connector (this excludes any iPad)can be used with just about any low power USB device. You need a USB2Go cable and that’s it. Marek Ottawa, ON From: sthoma20--- via CnC-List Sent: Monday, April 4, 2016 17:37 To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Cc: sthom...@bellnet.ca Subject: Re: Stus-List GPS Only some tablets have cellular network capability, and if they do not, then they are not likely to have GPS built in either. I bought a 10 inch Samsung Tab 2 that has LTE capability, and it does work as a chart plotter, but only as good as the software down loaded. Hard to find cables for the Tab 2 by the way. The 30 pin connector is not the same as on the I-phone-pad stuff. I was disappointed that a tablet with LTE connectivity could not be used as a cell phone. That decision by the manufacturers is marketing, and not technical. Yeah I know there is Skype etc., but it would be handy to make regular phone calls with a headset and a large screen. Steve Thomas C&C36 Merritt Island, FL ---- Bill Coleman via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: I was just poking around with an Ipad at Costco this weekend, a big one, at least 13 inches. This was not being sold through a Cell company. I could not find any GPS in the settings. Bill Coleman C&C 39 Erie, PA _______________________________________________ This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you like what we do, please help us pay for our costs by donating. All Contributions are greatly appreciated!
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