I've used an iPhone running PDF Maps with Geo referenced PDF WAC Charts and maps from Geosciences Australia and it runs well in the air. I have no idea if the screen goes funny in the heated cockpit before takeoff because I have only used the maps when very well airborne.
A small device like an iPhone is easier to see around than a map and the touch screen is way easier to navigate than a PDA even though the screen is about the same brightness. I think that in many cases, nav instruments are not very good for large scale planning while the screens and interface on things with a good multi-touch interface are fine for this. The built-in GPS with the iPhone and iPad 3G allow things like PDF Maps to give you a good mapping tool at a good price (assuming you already own the phone!) There was an interesting article about the numbers of Android devices in service which claimed that Google were including a whole lot of Chinese knock-offs to boost their numbers and that 10% of all Samsung tablets were returned. If you walk around an airport lounge or airliner, the numbers of iPads being used in comparison with everything else is staggering. But I think it's close to being too big to use in a cockpit while the iPhone is close to being too small. The problem with the Kindle as far as a nav device goes is colour. Having used an LCD screen on an HG GPS for navigation… you can't! Also, the screen on that device used to go black when exposed to direct sunlight. Don't know about the Kindle in that regard. Interesting times! D _______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list [email protected] To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
