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Photo by George Guille, It's going to be a long 300km... Bolivian Amazon

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by George Guille
It's going to be a long 300km...
Bolivian Amazon



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  #16  
Old 24 Dec 2015
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I'm not on commission. I'm just sharing a cheap, cheerful and nice little computer. Most of us don't need GPS and data as wifi is everywhere.. I've got a Sat Nav on my bike. I don't need a 10" spare one either
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  #17  
Old 24 Dec 2015
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Talking

Tablet is for when on 4 wheels Ted
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  #18  
Old 24 Dec 2015
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bertrand View Post
You may want to check that it has got a GPS receiver built in.
On the face of it, Teds' find is ok BUT.....
The 1010 tablet -There is one which HAS a SIM slot and one without.

NEITHER of these '1010' tablets have a gps receiver
so if you want real time info, you'll need a data plan in each country which will become a nuisance and big $$$ over time provided you buy the one which has the SIM card slot.

Initially I too was looking at a windows tablet but those I found did not have a GPS receiver built in.
And thinking about it, I did not need Basecamp.

Android comes up trumps in terms of speed and everything else IMHO.
All my waypoint .gpx databases have been converted and load up beautifully on MapsMe ( Free) App. which uses OSM data. The maps scroll as you move along. You do have to download the maps before you go but it can operate with those maps being on the external micro sd slot which is bonus in terms of space saving. Our planet takes about 28GB - don't ask!

For practicality, I chose a Samsung 10"tablet which does have a built in GPS receiver and a SIM card slot in case my phone fails.

I used to have MapSource (discontinued) running off a usb stick ( which I have used in web cafe an dother peoples' notebooks and am about to see if Basecamp and Garmin Express will do the same for the heck of it!
Sorry Ted!
Bertrand,
Thanks for the comments on Android systems. I'm NOT a computer guy and simply cannot cope with anything microsoft. I can struggle through with my Android phones and I am ... s l o w l y ... learning the ins & outs of Android system.

I see GREAT deals on various Android tablets, Samsung being the best of them.
Can you recommend THE BEST Android tablet (medium sized one is OK)?

At Best Buy I see them from $149 up to about $350 for latest upgraded versions. I've been really impressed (but I'm a GPS idiot) with how well my Android phones work at mapping. (built in app in phones)
Sounds like the MapsMe app is even better.

Normally, I'd just buy the latest Apple iPad, but please, tell me the Samsung is as good or better ? For half the price?

Cheers! Merry Happy and all!
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  #19  
Old 25 Dec 2015
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Originally Posted by mollydog View Post
Normally, I'd just buy the latest Apple iPad, but please, tell me the Samsung is as good or better ? For half the price?
Samsung Tablets are way better then Apple iPads. With Apple you are locked into the tiny little Apple world. Only Software from the Apple Store can be installed.
Normal standard plugs dont fit but you only can use expensive Apple stuff on iPads and the battery is glued in so after a few years if the Accu is finished you have to change the whole devise.

Android Tablets usuarly cost less then half the price but have better performance, have standart USB plugs and SD Card slots and of course the battery can be changed without haveing to buy a new device. You can install any software you want but therefore also have to be more carefull with viruses.
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  #20  
Old 25 Dec 2015
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Tablets

Technology changes so fast Mollydog. Your perception of expenditure/value is not the same as mine!
Advice given to me a very long time ago was to focus on the 'actual need' and ask exactly what it is you need your kit to do in the environment it is going to have to function in then search for what is available on the market which fits your requirements.

Marketing forces will continuously intrude in our lives wanting to sell us the 'best and latest' and, alas, it seldom is and its shortfalls are never told until you find out and by then.... the $ are out of your pocket and the marketeers achieve their goal. ( Grrr!)
  • I chose the Samsung Galaxy Tab S about a year ago with the SIM card slot as I buy local SIM cards and also put in a 64GB memory card in it.
  • My satnavs, phone and Tab all use the same memory size microSD. Perfect when a card goes 'AWOL'.
  • It made sense to go with the same operating system as my phone with same Apps.
  • Android offers so many free apps- way more than Apple
  • Android tablets are cheaper than Apple products
  • The Galaxy Tab S has a built in GPS receiver so, in conjunction with other Apps, it gives me real time info and moving maps.
  • its charging port is the same which you use for plugging in card reader/full size usb adaptor- Although har to see- the adaptor below has 2 slots- one micrpo sd and one for an adapter- and a full size usb if you need to use windows somewhere!
It does all I need it to do!

Last edited by Bertrand; 2 Mar 2016 at 16:15.
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  #21  
Old 1 Jan 2016
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Originally Posted by ta-rider View Post
No its calles evolution of the technik.
Swiss and German economists would argue along those lines but economists from other nations might take a different view.

I do agree, to an extent, about the premise of developing technology, economy of scale and similar; however not all nations reap the benefits and certainly not all in equal measure - that is but one reason why the Euro cannot work for all those involved.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ta-rider View Post
Deflation would also make petrol and laber cheaper but this is not what happens...
It is happening now and has been for a while.
But this time around there is a major shift in the paradigm of oil pricing. e.g. OPEC is not the force it once was.

However, I am now way from the OP.
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  #22  
Old 28 Jan 2016
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I'm looking to pickup an Asus Transformer T100HA, its light, not extremely expensive and can be converted to a tablet. You can charge it with a regular USB cable, which i think is a huge plus because you wont need a separate bulky adapter. The downside is a rather small hard disk of 32GB, though you can use an SD card or external disk as alternative storage.
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  #23  
Old 28 Jan 2016
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I bought one recently - seems pretty good so far. Takes microSD only.

Costs about the same as an apple case ;-)
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  #24  
Old 28 Jan 2016
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I've reviewed a few different ones and I too have interest in the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2. The latest versions are pretty good and may beat out Apple iPad. Less money. Earlier versions are cheap. I'll buy latest one ... to get most features, convenience and power. Not that cheap but still cheaper than iPad Air 2 ($650 USD) or new big iPad Pro ($1000).

One question: Since it's a WiFi only device ... how does it work on the move? From my experience WiFi almost always is locked and only works when in a place of business or something, never on the road. My Android phones work using Data, via Cell towers, which you pay for. That has worked fine for me most everywhere in USA. WiFi? Never works right for me except at home where I'm 20 meters from transceiver.

Last edited by mollydog; 29 Jan 2016 at 00:34.
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  #25  
Old 31 Jan 2016
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Really depends on the country, for example in Bulgaria there is plenty of public WIFI around the tram stations and malls. McDonalds is also a safe bet for WIFI, and if you're taking your phone you can share the internet connection. It's called Tethering, there are plenty of tutorials available.
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  #26  
Old 31 Jan 2016
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Originally Posted by tjheuvel View Post
Really depends on the country,
Which pretty much comes down to the business model(s) in use in each country.
+ some developing countries have by-passed the copper cable stage of industrialisation and gone straight to wireless systems.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tjheuvel View Post
plenty of public WIFI around the tram stations and malls. McDonalds is also a safe bet for WIFI
There are dangers involving "public access" Wifi which relate to lack of encryption and skimming of your data.
It would be best to use bona fide access points, such as the one you mention, rather than some "back street cafe".

Quote:
Originally Posted by tjheuvel View Post
if you're taking your phone you can share the internet connection. It's called Tethering, there are plenty of tutorials available.
This is the way forward; what all the cool kids on the block are doing.
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  #27  
Old 1 Feb 2016
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I wouldnt go banking on a public wifi for sure, though when you're just searching for a nearby hostel or in dire need of cat pictures there is nothing wrong with public wifi in my opinion.
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  #28  
Old 1 Feb 2016
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Originally Posted by tjheuvel View Post
I wouldnt go banking on a public wifi for sure, though when you're just searching for a nearby hostel or in dire need of cat pictures there is nothing wrong with public wifi in my opinion.
Broadly the case.
Unfortunately, it is more than a case of unencrypted data on bona fide wireless systems; "false" routers can be used to skim data in much the same modus operandi as card data skimming devices can be found on ATMs or key stroke scam software could turn up in internet cafes (the latter must be a dead issue nowadays).
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