Aviation Weather and NOTAM App

[Flying Razorback]

What is everyone using these days?  I used to just check Aero Weather but I'd prefer more comprehensive info if I can get it.  I'm hoping for something Android supported since I just switched to a Galaxy S4 and already have a Nexus 7.

[RNC]

When I had a nexus 7 it was called Aviation Weather Elite but looks like the name was changed to Takeoff Aviation Weather.  They look the same so has to be the same one.  Also has TFRs, most don't.

[gotyacovered]

Free? (not sure if this is supported by your device...)
Aeroweather
fltplan.com (good enroute wx) and almost positive it will be supported for your device.
pretty sure DUATs has a app/mobile website...

in my very humble opine... foreflight is just too easy to get everything you need from a flight planning standpoint. i am not sure what devices are supported.

[RNC]

Fore flight is ipad only, which kinda sucks because the higher end android tablets from a hardware perspective are in every way superior to any ipad, they just don't have the apps for this purpose that the ipad does.

[Flying Razorback]

I got the "Takeoff" app and put it on my S4 Active and Nexus 7.  It's pretty awesome.  I really like having an active widget on a screen as well.  Only thing that bugs ne are the Density Altitude warnings.  Those don't concern me much.

[RNC]

No way to turn them off?  Been too long since I used that app and don't have a droid tablet or phone anymore so don't remember.

[Flying Razorback]

No way to turn them off?  Been too long since I used that app and don't have a droid tablet or phone anymore so don't remember.

There might be a way, I haven't done much more than set up my favorite airfields, my "personal minimums", and set a widget on my home screen.  I like it so far.  One of the reasons I loved my Nexus tablet and decided to switch from iPhone to the Galaxy S4 is the ability to put live widgets on my pages and see info without opening apps.

[Matt Mustain]

I got the "Takeoff" app and put it on my S4 Active and Nexus 7.

How do you like the S4 Active? I'm considering switching from my iPhone in the next month or so. The active seems like it's built a little better than the regular S4. Still hesitant though since everything I have is Apple

[Flying Razorback]

How do you like the S4 Active? I'm considering switching from my iPhone in the next month or so. The active seems like it's built a little better than the regular S4. Still hesitant though since everything I have is Apple

I've really enjoyed it so far.  Having used my Nexus 7 for the past 6 months helped ease the transition.  It's actually because of how much I enjoyed my Nexus 7 that I decided to switch to the S4 Active.  I like having active widgets on the home screen and the look and feel of everything.  The cross app integration and being able to customize that better really is a plus.  The more I used my Nexus the less I used my iPhone.  The only thing I did on my iPhone was text and make calls in the end.

The transition isn't seemless, I miss iMessage, that alone almost kept me with Apple.  I have 2 Apple TVs, a couple iPods, and a Macbook Pro so I feel pretty well integrated also.  However, in the end I realized how much my iPhone just wasn't doing 'it' for me anymore and the options and interface in the Nexus 7 was.  The S4 Active and the S4 are both nice.  But I do really like the fact the Active is water resistant.  I watched my mother drop her iPhone in a dog bowl of water before and it was destroyed.  That alone always made me worried about water.  I fish a lot too and leave the phone on the deck sometimes when it's not boiling hot and I don't have to worry about splashes, rain, or anything else as long as it stays on board the boat.

[RNC]

From someone who has used them all and still prefers a blackberry...my unbiased opinion...

If you want to do a lot of things on a phone, and don't mind the larger form factor, the Samsung droid phones are great.  As FlyingRzrbkAF said there is no Apple comparison to the android widget system, you can put all sorts of notifications and toggle switches on the phone's default screen that will make seeing things at a glance a lot easier and more intuitive than switching apps constantly.

On the other hand, the iPhones are smaller and easier to pocket, and in the case of the 4/4s more rugged with the metal casing.

From a standpoint of a phone only, I would prefer the iPhone simply because it's smaller and simple to use.  If I wanted to use a lot of apps that not necessarily were designed for intuitive use on a phone, or could benefit from the larger screen, I'd go with the S4.

Personally I do all my aviation related stuff on my ipad mini, hence going back to blackberry for my phone (physical keyboard = win).

[Matt Mustain]

There's no way I could go back to Blackberry. I switched back for about 3 months a year or so ago and had to go back to the iPhone. I'm just not a fan of physical keyboards anymore. I think I'm going to switch to an Android phone in the S4 Active, but I wouldn't do that if I didn't have my iPad mini. There are just too many good apps, aviation apps specifically, for me to completely go away from iOS. I've considered buying the Nexus 7 because I've heard nothing but good things about them, but in the end the mini won out mainly due to the fact that I can use it on Verizon and as a wireless hotspot.

[RNC]

From a hardware perspective the nexus 7 is a fantastic bargain.  It has a great GPS chip (sees 12 satellites in my living room) and plenty of CPU to do anything on a small device up to and including playing back 1080p video with software decoders.  Try that on a mini and watch it slow to a crawl.  XBMC on my unlocked mini can't even reliably play a DVD resolution xvid video with software decoders.

But yeah the downside is, lack of apps.

The thing that attracts people like the ForeFlight devs to iOS is unified hardware.  They don't have to optimize their app for a dozen different hardware configurations, just the one.

If I could get ForeFlight on android I would switch back to android in a heartbeat.  But as my only replacement for paper and my only backup to the panel GPS I would only do so with everything ForeFlight does, no less.

[Flying Razorback]

From a hardware perspective the nexus 7 is a fantastic bargain.  It has a great GPS chip (sees 12 satellites in my living room) and plenty of CPU to do anything on a small device up to and including playing back 1080p video with software decoders.  Try that on a mini and watch it slow to a crawl.  XBMC on my unlocked mini can't even reliably play a DVD resolution xvid video with software decoders.

But yeah the downside is, lack of apps.

The thing that attracts people like the ForeFlight devs to iOS is unified hardware.  They don't have to optimize their app for a dozen different hardware configurations, just the one.

If I could get ForeFlight on android I would switch back to android in a heartbeat.  But as my only replacement for paper and my only backup to the panel GPS I would only do so with everything ForeFlight does, no less.

The integrated GPS on the Nexus 7 is awesome.  I have the Wi-Fi only model because of this.  But you're right about Foreflight, I'm just hoping that as time goes and the Android market continues to mature you'll see either Garmin Pilot get better or Foreflight produce an Android app.  Android's cross app integration and customization is just so much better than the closed app system you get with ios.  I've got a lot of Apple products and still really enjoy it, but they have to lock down their system to get that specific performance that they seek and market.

The Nexus 7 is great, especially for its price, and the new one that is rumored to be coming out should be even better.  I really like the pure 16:10 widescreen also instead of the 4:3.  Makes watching video a pretty good time.

[RNC]

You should give the avilution app a 30 day free trial and tell us what you think of it, compared to foreflight, it seems to be the one gaining the most steam.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.avilution.GplayAviationMap&hl=en

When I had a nexus 7 I was using naviator, but it's very basic.  Cheaper, but basic.

With nVidia being the primary chipset maker for the higher end android tablets maybe we'll see someone make one of these apps specifically optimized for the tegra CPUs.

[Flying Razorback]

You should give the avilution app a 30 day free trial and tell us what you think of it, compared to foreflight, it seems to be the one gaining the most steam.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.avilution.GplayAviationMap&hl=en

When I had a nexus 7 I was using naviator, but it's very basic.  Cheaper, but basic.

With nVidia being the primary chipset maker for the higher end android tablets maybe we'll see someone make one of these apps specifically optimized for the tegra CPUs.

I'll take a look at it.  I haven't been flying more than once a week or so lately and don't want to waste my free trial while I'm flying so little.  But I'm about to have to give it a shot.

I'd love to get an ADS-B unit as well, but no willing to dole out $800 yet.  They should come down eventually, right?

[RNC]

Hah, you talking about the same FAA that I am?  Parts never go down!