I agree that like many other devices, the iFly 740 definitely needs an anti glare sheet on top. I don't think I even tried to use mine without an anti-glare cover. But it was a pretty simple matter to order up a clear cover for something larger than the 7" screen and cut it to size for installation.
I use both the iFly 740 and an Android running the iFly software and have been flying them operating side-by-side for the last year. As just a generic GPS, both work well. As Mark correctly states, the Android/iPad app loads and starts very quickly, while the iFly takes a minute. That's because the Android/iPad is already running, so you only have to load the app, while the iFly unit is booting up from a dead start, then loading the app. The iFly 720 was annoyingly slow booting. The iFly 740 boots much faster, but still takes a minute to become functional. Again operating as just a generic GPS, the iFly hardware has a few advantages. 1) The iFly hardware has a Ram Mount, which is more convenient than my Android laying on the seat. 2) The hardware is much more rugged and will work in more extreme temperatures. As Mark points out, a few minutes in the sun during a fuel stop, and my Android is toast and will not work until it gets cooled down. (I have had to throw it in the freezer in the hangar on more than one occasion) That can be a problem during a cross country flight while making a quick fuel stop and go. I have never had the either of the iFly units stop working due to heat or cold. 3) The iFly 740 has a much brighter screen than my Android, which makes it much easier to read in full sunlight, although as Mark points out, it desperately needs an anti-glare cover. As an ADS-B/weather/traffic device, there are advantages to using an Android/iPad with a data plan over the iFly unit. When I first load the iFly app on my Android, the first thing it does is go onto the cell network and grab a nationwide weather update. With that, I have current winds aloft, winds aloft forecast, current TFRs, nationwide NEXRAD radar, and nationwide current airport weather. To get the same on the iFly units, you have to have it powered up and connected to WiFi. Since my GPS is usually in one of the planes, that is rather inconvenient. In practical use as an ADS-B device, my iFly unit always holds a solid lock on the WiFi signal from my ADS-B unit. That works without fail. However, my Android has to be configured in order to maintain the ADS-B unit's WiFi. I found that in order to use the Android reliably with ADS-B, I had to switch the Android into "Airplane Mode", then turn the WiFi back on while it is in "Airplane Mode". While configured as such, the cell tower network is shut off, and the android will talk exclusively to the ADS-B unit's WiFi and maintain the connection. If the Android is not in Airplane mode, my unit will not maintain the WiFi connection with my ADS-B device, so the traffic displays on the Android are unreliable. I've found that just shutting off the Cell tower network isn't good enough. The Android has to be in "Airplane Mode" with the WiFi turned on to work reliably as an ADS-B traffic display. Display size. Mark points out that the larger display iPad will slowly discharge itself over the course of the day even while it is plugged into a good power source. A friend is using a 10" iPad display in his aircraft and has the same issue. While it's usually good for most days, if he plans to be in the air all day, he has to power down his iPad during the more mundane parts of his flight to allow the charge to catch up a bit. On a long day, his iPad will give up. I am using a 7" Android display. With the 7" display, my Android always maintains 100% charge while it's powered in the plane, and will slowly charge up if I start with the battery discharged. I assume that is the difference between powering a 7" display vs a 10" display, but could also be a difference between the Androids and iPads. Maybe someone using a 7" iPad can comment? One last comment about apps vs hardware. After having bought several Lowrance units only to have them go unsupported, I like the idea of using an app. If iFly folds their tent, it costs me nothing to switch to another vendor on the Android. I could switch over to FlyQ, for example, in a matter of an hour and still have full ADS-B functionality with no cost for new hardware. In reality, both the iFly hardware and the Android/iFly work well when configured properly, and each has distinct advantages/disadvantages. If I had to choose without cost considerations, I would use the iFly 740, simply because the dedicated hardware is more heat tolerant. But when cost becomes a consideration, it seems like most everyone has an iPad or Android, so a free App vs an $800 piece of hardware is hard to beat. And as Mark stated, the subscription cost is the same. Or, if you run one of each like I do, the second subscription is $30/year. -Jeff Scott Los Alamos, NM ? ?----------- Sent:?Sunday, July 31, 2016 at 11:47 AM From:?"Mark Langford via KRnet" <krnet at list.krnet.org> - IFly GPS's are currently shipped without an anti-glare film over the insanely glossy touch-screen, and they currently don't have anybody making them to fit the 720 (and presumably the 740). Their vendor bailed. So I have ordered three IPAD-2 anti-glare sheets for $5 off ebay, one of which I'll stick on my iPAD, and the other I'll cut down for the 720. The glossy screen is ridiculous, IMHO. Also, if you decide to mount an iFLY 720 vertically on your panel, mount it in front of or to the left of the pilot, not to the right (like mine). The screen is polarized such that the brightness level is maybe half as bright when viewed from the left as it is from directly or the right, and "portrait" mode only works one way, not the other! Anybody considering buying the iFLY 720 or 740 should also consider running the iFLY app on a cheap used iPAD, because it starts instantly, is very responsive, and is very reliable, not to mention CHEAP! The yearly subscription is the same either way ?
