Android (or iPad - ugh!) EFIS

[Rob Swain]

I'm nosing around for an Android tablet (biggish one with lots of bits like GPS, accellerometers etc) and it occurrs to me that it has most of the necessary bits built in to be a servicable EFIS.

Coupled with this, there have been articles lately in the mag about the ipad being used in this capacity too. I'd rather not have an ipad as I don't like the expense, the heavy corporate hand of Apple or much else, come to that, about the iPad.

Also, it appears that Dynon have announced a portable EFIS, which will undoubtably be good, but is a bit pricey as announced as I recall!

With the increased commoditisation of electronics and decent levels of stability and reliability, I'm beginning to think that a whizzy plane (like my RV6) with minimal instrumentation built in (ASI, Altimeter, Horizon, maybe oil T & P) is all that's necessary these days, the main flight display being a low-cost (i.e. Android) tablet PC / EFIS.
An engine / ASI / static port interface that could be installed in the aircraft in place of the existing engine instruments (bluetooth/USB connected?) would complete the low-cost (semi) portable glass cockpit, but that might be wishful thinking on my part.

So - who's using an Android portable EFIS? Where did you get it, how much was it, and what do you think of it?

[markhooper]

I'd go with the iPad.

The Androids are not very reliable, poorly made and not well supported by the software developers or manufacturers. Any Android based tablet you buy today will quickly become obsolete and plagued by malware. The Android platform is probably not going to be around for much longer as Oracle (the owners of the code) are suing Google for using it without permission. As they are much bigger than Google and have said they are not interested in licensing the OS, Google will have no choice but to abandon it. As Google makes no money from it, that is what is likely to happen.

On the other hand, Apple has a proven track record for supporting it's users with regular updates, new features and enhancements and has a very healthy developer base, is not troubled by viruses and malware and is extremely reliable. You know that Apple is going to be around for a long time and their products are not instantly made obsolete as soon as they come out with a new model.

If I were flying with a tablet as a PFD or MFD all these things would be important to me.

[John Dean]

The Androids are not very reliable, poorly made and not well supported by the software developers or manufacturers. Any Android based tablet you buy today will quickly become obsolete and plagued by malware.

That's a very pessimistic view, Mark.

[markhooper]

Yup.

There's a reason only the iPad has been approved for use by Airline Flight Crew, the FBI and the US Military.

[ian herdis]

You won't beat the i pad an excellent piece of kit, I run Skydemon on mine and it is excellent (as is Skydemon). And obviously when not flying you are using it all the time for e mails etc.
Check out www.aviation.levil.com they have lots of stuff for i pad inc engine monitoring.
I think the only solution is TWO i pads panel mounted one for Skydemon and one as an EFIS!!!

Ian

[Paul Leigh]

The info about Android tablets is misleading at best and downright wrong at worse.

Android tablets are made by various manufacturers and the verison of the OS makes a big difference to its reliability. There is no guarantee that anything with happen re Oracle/Google and Android is far and above the most popular phone OS on the planet, its tablet version is still selling by the millions. I'm no fan of Android but lets not get into an Apple are wonderful and all else is doomed debate.

There is a new option due 26th October or earlier if you are IT savvy, Windows 8 is about to be unleashed meaning a new range of touch tablets based on Windows software. Personally (owning 2 ipads and 2 iphones) I think its better than the Apple offering and I'll be changing when its available but as far as a dedicated EFIS goes, a tablet will always be a compromise - great to have as a secondary (perhaps Nav system) though.

[mike newall]

Wait for the 7" iPad...........

It's coming soon and will be perfect !

[Rob Swain]

So no software advice then - just an iPad vs Android debate.

Fair-ish point about widows 8 coming out, but it's microsoft (a bigger "ugh!" than apple) and will almost certainly be hardware hungry, slow and unstable until new hardware and the inevitable SP1 comes out. Sorry to be pessimistic, but that is MS's track record for OS upgrades for the last 20 years. I work in IT! It will need virus protection etc which will slow it down and make it even less stable.

As regards malware on Android - it's a proper OS built on a proper security model so shrugs off a fair bit of such abuse. As regards software support this is on the up-and-up since version 4.0 (ice cream sandwich) came out, as is stability.
If it is likely to be insecure then the iPad is likely to be just as susceptible. Indeed, I would expect that the iPad would be at the top of the hackers list of targets as such people love to take big corporations down a peg or two and a well publicised attack on the iPad platform would do just that!

The other main reason I was interested in the Android platform is it cheap enough to leave one in the plane as EFIS instruments and have another to take with me for flight planning, GPS, email etc. Also Android tablets come in a variety of sizes from 5" through to around 12". I'd go with 7-8" as the optimum for an aircraft display.

A 7" iPad. Nice idea, but I would expect that apple will hamstring it in some way (like no GPS in non-3G iPads now) to keep the bigger one as the top dog. This would probably limit its usefulness!
The limited (and fixed) storage sizes of the iPads, and lack of easy external storage (such as SD cards) also limit appeal, put prices up and make for built-in-obsolesence.

So, back to the question. Anybody using any type of tablet as an EFIS then? And using what software?

[Rob Swain]

To answer my own question: that would be a no, then.

Oh well...

Since I originally started this thread Skydemon have moved to Android as an additional platform. I use it on a Google Nexus 7 which is brilliant, and half the price of the eyePatch, and at the time of purchase had a far, far better display than the 7" iSpod.

[fuzzflyer]

I'd go with the iPad.
Mark, You have obviously not seen the safety/security Issiues & update announced by Apple last week

I flew a new aircraft last Sept, fitted with 2x iPad 10" units as main instruments. They were pretty hard to see in the bubble cockpit, and the companies test pilot quoted: they were " terrible" just saying.

We love our 7 &10" nexus units, and will be considering the 8" if the screen is as good or better than our current units. We have Dynons. So just using the Androids for Sky demon . 9\10.

The Androids are not very reliable, poorly made and not well supported by the software developers or manufacturers. Any Android based tablet you buy today will quickly become obsolete and plagued by malware. The Android platform is probably not going to be around for much longer as Oracle (the owners of the code) are suing Google for using it without permission. As they are much bigger than Google and have said they are not interested in licensing the OS, Google will have no choice but to abandon it. As Google makes no money from it, that is what is likely to happen.

On the other hand, Apple has a proven track record for supporting it's users with regular updates, new features and enhancements and has a very healthy developer base, is not troubled by viruses and malware and is extremely reliable. You know that Apple is going to be around for a long time and their products are not instantly made obsolete as soon as they come out with a new model.

If I were flying with a tablet as a PFD or MFD all these things would be important to me.