navigation tablets

I've recently updated from a old Samsung 8"tab to a Samsung Tab S6 Lite to run Oziexplorer etc and it is a pleasure to use. Fast as can be and the battery lasts for ages.

RMD is right - there are cheaper offerings out there, and if the full tracker function and combined benefits of the app in combination with the ExplorOz system are not important to you, then yes, you may find what you need at the lower end of the spectrum.

A point to note, however, is not just the presence of satellite based position fixing - GPS, GLONASS, BEIDOU, GALILEO - which most Android devices have. It is the ability of the device to manipulate EOTopo's vector maps. That is where the problem devices reported in this forum are falling short.

The Traveller page on this site says in System Requirements

[quote]
CPU/Processor & RAM
The difference between a cheap device and more expensive device is often the speed of the CPU and the type of System on Chip (SoC). This is not a “light app” so you should avoid using budget or older devices that are only designed for general everyday use for calling, browsing, or light apps. The quality of the hardware inside your device will have a very big effect on your satisfaction with the user experience. You’ll want the best CPU for processing speed, and the more RAM the better it will handle multitasking. Low RAM can result in freezing and even app crashing. A slow CPU can result in lagging and poor response.
[/quote]

The old maxim may well apply - you get what you pay for.

Shop carefully. Make sure you get one with at least 3GB RAM, preferably 4 or more, and a decent processor. It is easy to find out the RAM for a given device - it is a basic spec. Don't buy until you know it.
If you can't find what it is, walk away.

Determining the power of the processor is more difficult. Its name is a basic spec and easy to find, but how good it is is difficult to ascertain and is a subject for tech-heads above my pay grade. Accepting a cheaper device with a processor of unknown performance, even if it has the required RAM, is a bit of a gamble.

Caveat emptor.

RMD, surely your not suggesting it's possible to travel around this country without a tablet or the like to track your every movement.
Dave.

Frank
Most devices I considered have 4 or more GB RAM and processor speeds as fast as some normally used units. If the map doesn't update before I finish blinking I can live with that. They must be driving fast in the outback to get ahead of the map and where they are. With my old GPS I slow down a bit on track so not to pass the screen update. When driving, how many multi tasking programs must it be able to run? Isn't the map what people want? Great if folk want to spend more on a fast multi capable device to use ALL Traveller features that is quite ok, but many just want to see where they are, or going.
With a cheaper device, either bought local or imported it is always a gamble, it may stop working , it might get damaged or stolen then it is a significant loss. Just trying to give options to those who want so navigation but not the high end or everything.

David M
Can it be done?

Its not so much about the moving map which moves only a few pixels at a time, RMD. It is more about poor-performing devices not being able to adequately scroll and zoom the map so that the planning and other functions of the app then become unuseable.

I bought the Samsung S6 Lite because it was only $500!
Best tablet I've ever owned.
And yes, I won't buy Apple products

Hello Michelle.
The articles will sink most folk who wish to navigate but are not tech savvy. If you could post a set of parameters which run Traveller ok, then it will act as a guide for normal people to use when choosing a device. We already know 4gb Ram and storage sizes.
UNISOC. is a promoted feature of the processors. What is the difference between SOC and a UNISOC chipped device?
Thanks
RMD

I recently updated the System Requirements to be very clear on this (2 weeks ago?). It would be untrue to say any more and people would misinterpret the info. The way it is worded is accurate - go to ExplorOz Traveller webpage

Some of the earlier issues people have had in the past have been isolated and resolved which I can summarise as follows:

- Samsung TabS2 - there are 2 models (very old device circa 2015). One with the Snapdragon processor and the other with the Exynos processor. Samsung often does this - releases the same device in a budget version (Exynos) and high end version (Snapdragon). It is interesting that after a few months we figured out why some users could run the app and others not - it was the old Exynos processor!!

So this will play out again as new model Samsungs start to age. Eventually, the budget models will not cope the demands of modern advances in software/apps as the high end model.

The advice is clear - for best future longevity, a high end model will outlast a budget device.
But when buying new now, there should be nothing that Traveller cannot run on. It is built for today's device specs.

- Apple iPad Air 4th Gen - the latest 2021 model has a different GPU (a graphics processor) than other iPads and there was an issue with the 6.3 update of ExplorOz Traveller causing it to run slow. It was isolated to this specific device but was fixed in the iOS 6.3.1 update which not only addresses the iPad Air issues but has improved the performance for all devices by removing that tiny feature in the stylesheet.

There are no other reports of anyone experiencing device specific issues with ExplorOz Traveller on current devices.

Is it possible to have a trial version of Traveller & 2021 maps? There are those of us that have existing units that they are happy with, but are reluctant to outlay the $100 in case it doesn’t perform.

Michelle,
The Exynos and Snapdragon examples are the type of info people can use to determine/decide when they purchase. Most read the info on the site and realize the GB requirement but other relevant info similar to what you mentioned is valuable.
Cheers
RMD

RMD that's exactly the type of info in the artices I link. I thought they were super simple articles - and served the purpose of being "a guide for normal people to use when choosing a device".

Rusty Iron
Yes, navigation can be a pain if you don't have the right tablet!