Android person wants stable tablet recommendation (iPad?)

[newt2u]

What is the screen size on the Red note?

Its 5.5 inches and fits snugly below the controller.

 

[Aerial West]

You need a GPS receiver on the mobile device in order to use the Follow Me flight mode. On Apple devices, that means you must have a cellular model.

I thought follow me was optical, no? i could be wrong.

 

[msinger]

I thought follow me was optical, no?

You're thinking of ActiveTrack.

 

[Aerial West]

You're thinking of ActiveTrack.

gotcha. i haven't actually used any of those modes, but that makes sense.

 

[BikerBuster]

Its 5.5 inches and fits snugly below the controller.

Ah, too wee, my Nomu S20 works perfectly too but the screen is just too wee

 

[geigy]

This thread has really got a life of it's own. Since I started the thread, I think I'll chime in with my experiences with the iPad 4 over the past year, pluses and minuses, in order of importance.

Pluses

1. No crashes or hangs to speak of. This is huge, both from a piece of mind and a safety standpoint, and I don't regret the investment, much.
2. Bigger screen - great for composing video compared to a phone
3. built in GPS with the cellular model. Nice, but not necessary. Because it has actual GPS hardware, I can verify that the homepoint is accurate, and I can reset the homepoint if it is necessary for me to move. Logs also record the position of the remote, so that is a plus. None of these are going to be show stoppers.
4. I got the larger memory of the two iPad memory sizes - 32G I believe. Not a big deal, since I use the tablet only for flying, and don't have many other apps on it.
5. Cellular data - not so important. I had hoped to get maps using the cellular connection. But where I fly has no signal, so I use my phone's hotspot instead, which works great for maps, which are more important to me than most people.

Minuses

1. $400, or more, and a trip to the Mac store. Still chafing over this.
2. Relatively bulky - The size of the iPad is at odds with the great portability of the Mavic Pro. As it is, I'm carrying around another rather large device that needs to be protected and kept charged.
3. Fits in the RC holder, but not comfortably. Normal control of the sticks is not possible because your hands have to rotate outward at a 45 degree angle to accommodate the iPad. I dealt with this by buying a clamp to hold the iPad. (more bulk)
4. Sun glare - terrible on the iPad, which has a very shiny surface. I dealt with this by buying a sunshade (more bulk).
5. Cords. - I've been through several and still have not found the perfect cord, which would be a coiled 90 degree lightning cable.

I also replaced my unsupported Android Nexus 5x with a DJI supported Nexus 6p. The 6p runs much more stably, but still hangs up on about half the flights, last time being when I was 2.7 miles out over the water - haha. In spite of this, I'm using the 6p more and more, particularly with my new Mavic Air and it *seems* to be getting more stable.

I don't regret getting the iPad that much, and it certainly has been so stable, which is what I really needed to get out there and do some serious flying.

 

[BikerBuster]

Can you explain the need to have the cellular (GPS) option please, is this required for normal flying/filming ops or is it only required for specific features, sorry to be a PITA but I have spent loads of money on different devices and still have issues during flight, with loss of contact and/or video stream.

PS, what is your Avatar?

 

[msinger]

Can you explain the need to have the cellular (GPS) option

With GPS on your mobile device, you can use the Follow Me flight mode or manually reset the home point to your current location (useful in a case where you move away from the original home point). If you don't need to use those features, then you don't need GPS on your mobile device.

 

[BikerBuster]

So the follow me option doesn't follow the controller then, like a Hubsan?

 

[msinger]

So the follow me option doesn't follow the controller then, like a Hubsan?

When using the Follow Me flight mode, the Mavic will automatically fly to the location reported by your mobile device's internal GPS receiver.

If you're flying with a Wi-Fi only mobile device, you could connect an external GPS receiver like the Garmin GLO (or one of these). That'll allow you to use GPS when needed.

 

[BikerBuster]

Ah, okay thanks for that.

 

[DroningONN]

I would go iPad Mini 4. I too am an Android user. I have the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 and it works, so does my Galaxy Note 8 but the app can crash sometimes,which is frustrating and dangerous for my drone depending on when it occurs. I use instead my iPad Pro 9.7". I likely would have gone with the Mini 4 had I not already owned a full size iPad but now that I found a good RC mount for it I love the visibility on the large tablet for. Also, since I live in Boston and fly with gloves a lot in winter you lose much dexterity so the big screen and larger touch targets make flying with gloves much more enjoyable! Here are a couple images of the mount I settled on after trying a couple. (IPad Mini fits directly into the RC)

 

[geigy]

I'm with msinger on the issue of GPS and cellular, particularly if you are not going to moving around after you have launched your Mavic.

Here are some scenarios, in order of importance, where GPS in the iPad would be helpful:

1. The Find My Drone feature requires native GPS on your mobile device.
2. If you know you are going to be moving around, for example you are on a boat, the GPS feature allows you to reset the home point to your current location, in case signal is lost.
3. When interpreting DJI log files, the controller is shown as a blue dot on the map, ONLY if the mobile device supports GPS.
4. If you want a second source of information to verify that the home point of your Mavic is set correctly,
5. if you took off in a rush, and the home point is incorrect. You cannot set it to the correct location unless your mobile device supports GPS.

So - is the GPS feature worth another $100 - yes, in my opinion, but with the exception of Find My Drone, these are all only marginally important for most people - you will never notice that you don't have GPS.

The GPS feature itself is confusing. The staff at the Apple store use the term GPS to refer to a software based GPS that uses WiFi SSID's to locate the approximate location of the phone - this is different, and less useful, than true GPS hardware that relies on satellite location.

 

[msinger]

The Find My Drone feature requires native GPS on your mobile device.

To clarify this one a bit, the Find My Drone feature only uses the GPS location of the mobile device to show where the mobile device (your position) is currently located on the Find My Drone map. Even when using a Wi-Fi only mobile device, you'll still be able to see the last recorded position of the lost drone on the map. The difference is that you'll need to know how to get to that location since the map will not be able to show your location as you move closer to the drone's position.

If you have a mobile phone on you at the time, you could fire up Google Maps (or another map app) and enter the drone's coordinates (found on the Find My Drone map). Then, just watch your current position in Google Maps as you move closer to the drone.

 

[BikerBuster]

Cor, some great stuff on here now.

 

[DroningONN]

I must confess, I agree the iPad mini is a great way to go. I opted for the mini 4 cellular and it's been flawless. Of course, there is a financial burden that may not suit all.

I agree completely and sometimes you need to work with what you have if you cannot afford what you want. That said, it is truly affordable to pick up an iPad mini 3 or 4 either used or refurbished. I mean if you can afford a $1000+ flying man toy (or woman toy) why not a $200 used or refurbished iPad?

 

[BikerBuster]

I agree completely and sometimes you need to work with what you have if you cannot afford what you want. That said, it is truly affordable to pick up an iPad mini 3 or 4 either used or refurbished. I mean if you can afford a $1000+ flying man toy (or woman toy) why not a $200 used or refurbished iPad?

Browsing the 'Bay, presently.

 

[JoostGT3]

An update from my side as well:
I used to have a Nexus 5x, a Nexus 7 2012 and a Nexus 7 2013. None of them would run the DJI go app, had crashes, freezing devices, etc. All of that made me very anxious to fly my Mavic Pro.
Went ahead and bought an iPad mini 4 128Gb WiFi only and... man what an experience! Never had a device-related issue anymore! I was gritting my teeth when I bought it, but that peace of mind is priceless.
When my phone died, I decided to go for the iPhone 7 128gb as well, to make sure I could also fly my Mav when I don’t have my iPad with me.
iOS is still infuriatingly unintuitive compared to android and I hate it with a passion, but I have to admit it works and has never failed me. I would recommend it (for flying) any day over an android device.

 

[ac0j]

iOS is different than android for sure. Once you get past the learning curve, Apple is as capable dare I say More capable than android in almost every way.
There are some people that use their tiny phone as a laptop or tablet replacement. Those people tend to prefer android.