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Old 03-31-2012, 06:42 PM   #1
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USE an ASUS ANDROID TABLET FOR A GPS ?

Does anyone have an ASUS Transformer 10.1 inch android table tthat they are using as a GPS?

This is what I am thinking of getting:
http://www.amazon.com/Transformer-TF101 ... B004U78J1G
I would be buying it from a family member so it will include tec support. (He wants to upgrade to the Transformer Prime) It has an attachable keyboard option that I really like which adds battery life and has SD slots.

I want GPS from satellites, not phone towers. I have been reading that one needs to attach a GPS antenna and I am thinking about this one:
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=158&pID=27594
Or maybe this:
http://www.amazon.com/Dual-Electronics- ... 1_1?ie=UTF

My grandson is testing this on the ASUS right now:
http://www.sygic.com/en/android

The ASUS has GPS in it but the transformer forums say that it does not work very well. Some were talking about the Transformer Prime which has an aluminum body. The one I am getting is plastic.

The ipad is good and has more apps available to it. But, it but does not have a keyboard that connects to it and no SD slots. Androids have more options.

What are your thoughts and ideas?

Angel

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Old 03-31-2012, 08:29 PM   #2
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Re: USE an ASUS ANDROID TABLET FOR A GPS ?

As for the keyboard.... there's lots of good BlueTooth options.

I use my Android Samsung for nav. I'm not real happy. Android gets so bogged down with itself, it takes more time to load the directions than for me to drive across town and find it the old fashion way. It's frustrating enough, I've considered running over the the phone many times. As soon as I'm eligible for an upgrade.... no more Android for me. Most of our drivers run iPhones now, then they are MUCH less buggy. The number of problems I've had with Android has been inexcusable. The sooner I can dump it the better.
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Old 03-31-2012, 10:28 PM   #3
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Re: USE an ASUS ANDROID TABLET FOR A GPS ?

I have one of the new I-pads with a bluetooth keyboard hooked up to it. I haven't played with any gps mapping apps yet. I've had it for about 2 weeks and am pretty happy with it. It's the Verizon 32GB 4G Wifi model. I have pretty good reception up and down the I-5 corridor. At least from Chehalis Washington to Medford Oregon. It gets better reception inside the FedEx building in Corvallis than my Iphone does.

This picture shows the Ipad in a hardcase with the keyboard attatched laptop style. When I took this picture I was charging the Ipad. The charger cable for the keyboard is laying behind the unit not plugged in.

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Old 03-31-2012, 10:46 PM   #4
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Re: USE an ASUS ANDROID TABLET FOR A GPS ?

carringb,
I agree, that is why I do not have a smart phone. Also the screen is too small. The android tablet is like a computer and I can hook it up to my computer and use it like a hard drive

Gnarvan,
I like the keyboard attached and did not know there was a way to do it with the ipad. But, you do not have a SD card slot.

Angel
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Old 03-31-2012, 10:58 PM   #5
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Re: USE an ASUS ANDROID TABLET FOR A GPS ?

What are you going to store on the sd card?
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Old 04-01-2012, 06:36 AM   #6
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Re: USE an ASUS ANDROID TABLET FOR A GPS ?

Hi again Angel,

How are you?

As you might have guessed from my battery and wiring replies to you in the past, I love electronics both for home and vehicles.

And since like many things your question is asking for peoples opinions and since everyone got some of there own to share here are a few of mine.

First one is ASUS products are really good, period. I have used their motherboards and other parts to build computers for many years without any problems. And if for some reason you ever need a new router ASUS routers perform better than any Netgear or Lynksys units I have ever used. That said the ASUS / Android tablets are also really good as far as tablets go. The optional keyboard of the Transformer and Transformer Prime are super cool and no one else has anything like them. The extra battery and ports are a really good idea so they are a lot more than just another keyboard.

My next opinion is about Android as an OS. Personally I AM NOT an iProduct lover. My girlfreind Suzann is a card carrying member of that cult and so she is always trying to get me to drink the coolaid and switch. Don't get me wrong there are many good and cool things about the iProducts but they are just not for me. I like having real ports, USB, HDMI, card slots whatever. I could go on and on but the bottom line is I really like the Adroid OS and have been using it for years, I was an early adopter and it gets better everyday.

Now comes my GPS opinions. Having been around boats most of my life I made the switch from Loran to GPS in the early 90s. When I started using them for personal navigation they didn't even have the WAAS feature yet. Since then I have used quite a few different units for Marine, Hiking and Vehicle navigation and these days I really like Garmin products for easy of use and how easy they are to update. I also have a Motorola / Android phone and the Google Nav rocks. Just say navigate to someplace and off you go. No typing no zip codes no states nothing. I like some of the gps apps for hiking/biking and no longer carry a gps unit for that, although I might if I ever got into more serious hikes. So when I travel with my van I use a bunch of different GPS units. In the dash I have a Pioneer DVD / Nav unit which has some really good features but I didnt buy it just for Navigation. To the left of that I have my trusty phone mounted and while I too think the screen is way to small to navigate by the audible directions are great. On top of the dash where it's easy to see and touch I have my latest Garmin unit. And since I always have my laptop I have a GPS antenna for that and when I really want a large detailed map I will use that.

So if you want a tablet anyway the ASUS is a good one to get. From what I have seen I think the GPS problems are only with the Prime not the original Tranformer so the Nav might be good enough for what you want it for. For safty you might want some type of mount for it and you can charge it in your van with a high amp USB adapter. If you are getting it solely for Nav you might want to try something else. You could also consider Netbooks and Laptops some are very inexpensive these days and there is a bunch great GPS software for them.

As always good luck with you decision... Jamie
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Old 04-01-2012, 07:32 AM   #7
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Re: USE an ASUS ANDROID TABLET FOR A GPS ?

i can backup ultrasport12's assessment of asus products. been using them for motherboards, video cards and other devices or many years...for me and the people i build machines for or guide towards certain purchases, theyve been a no brainer.

i currently have a motorola droid bionic and i use google nav. it has been dead on for me. although i have not gone too far off the beaten path (lake bomoseem vermont being closing thing to that). interestingly, i thought that my phone had a separate gps receiver and did not rely on cell towers. i have been in areas where there was zero cellular coverage and i still had a gps link and accurate mapping...??

i do occasionally have to deal with a quirk in the android OS but i attribute that mostly to the fact that verizon (and other carriers) load them with bloatware that cant be removed unless the device is rooted. im hesitant to do that since my chops are with the windows OS and pc's rather than the ins and outs of smartphones...

i mention this because i dont feel the need to acquire a garmin or tom tom gps device at all...and i was thinking of getting a small tablet since im happy with android overall. asus would certainly be tops on my list.
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Old 04-02-2012, 10:30 AM   #8
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Re: USE an ASUS ANDROID TABLET FOR A GPS ?

Here is a website my grandson did to consolidate our research into how and if an ASUS Transformer TF 101 could be used as a GPS without being on line using cell service VS. using an ipad.

https://sites.google.com/site/techdecis ... tablet-gps

Angel
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