Buying new tablet, what works the best?

I have both and there is absolutely no comparison between a thick anti-glare shield on an Air 1 and the fused and coated anti-glare screen of the Air 2. None.
Try the armor shield anti glare screen protector and you we'll see.
 
As I noted in the thread, I had an iPad Air 2 on the way to replace my Mini 2 which could not keep up (severe lag) in the hot local summer weather. The iPad 2 arrived yesterday and I had a chance to fly with it, so here's my feedback as promised.

I was fooling myself thinking the smaller Mini 2 screen was fine with a sunshade. The larger screen of the iPad 2 is far nicer, and not at all too large on the RC. Also, the built in glare reduction works very well. I flew without a sunshade and had no issues at all. I could easily see the screen while in the sun. In my opinion, it was much nicer than the add on anti-glare screens which add a very noticeable (to me) blur or distortion that I don't like.

Also, I flew through 3 batteries with FPV smooth as silk. No lag at all that I could tell. The ambient air temp at the time was 97F/36C, so that is very encouraging. This is exactly why I made the switch. The Mini 2 would have been lagging already at that temperature. (Note - the Mini 2 has no lag when I fly in cooler temperatures)

So far I am very happy with my switch from the Mini 2 to the Air 2. I think it should allow me to fly more often during the summer heat, and I love not flying with a big sunshade attached.
 
I really want an iPad Air 2 for the lag free flights but the youtube streaming is a disaster and there's no other option on the iPad. Also being in the desert, I've knows ice cubes that last longer in this heat than an iPad. Tough choices, tough choices.
 
Try the armor shield anti glare screen protector and you we'll see.

Tech Armor? Yeah, tried one of those. Tried the ScreenGuards one too. Ended up With a Zagg Invisashield, it was by far the best of the three. Pricey though.

THEN I got an iPad Air 2. And the screen is head and shoulders above any previous iPad screen. The difference is how they manufacture the screen. Previous iPads have screens with multiple layers. Each layer reflects light. The screen on the iPad Air 2 is fused so those extra layers are no longer a factor. Add the anti-glare coating on top of that and it is hands down the best iPad screen ever. And as I said, having actually owned both....there is no comparison.
 
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People are asking if they should buy the cellular iPad. I don't think it matters because you should be in airplane mode when flying due to interference.
 
As I noted in the thread, I had an iPad Air 2 on the way to replace my Mini 2 which could not keep up (severe lag) in the hot local summer weather. The iPad 2 arrived yesterday and I had a chance to fly with it, so here's my feedback as promised.

I was fooling myself thinking the smaller Mini 2 screen was fine with a sunshade. The larger screen of the iPad 2 is far nicer, and not at all too large on the RC. Also, the built in glare reduction works very well. I flew without a sunshade and had no issues at all. I could easily see the screen while in the sun. In my opinion, it was much nicer than the add on anti-glare screens which add a very noticeable (to me) blur or distortion that I don't like.

Also, I flew through 3 batteries with FPV smooth as silk. No lag at all that I could tell. The ambient air temp at the time was 97F/36C, so that is very encouraging. This is exactly why I made the switch. The Mini 2 would have been lagging already at that temperature. (Note - the Mini 2 has no lag when I fly in cooler temperatures)

So far I am very happy with my switch from the Mini 2 to the Air 2. I think it should allow me to fly more often during the summer heat, and I love not flying with a big sunshade attached.

It's certainly good to hear your results in high heat. Until now, I had heard only bad things about ipads in the heat. I'll be flying in 105-110F all summer here. A Galaxy Tab Pro is coming today but it may get returned. Ipad Air 2 seems to be the way to go for very smooth FPV.
 
It's certainly good to hear your results in high heat. Until now, I had heard only bad things about ipads in the heat. I'll be flying in 105-110F all summer here. A Galaxy Tab Pro is coming today but it may get returned. Ipad Air 2 seems to be the way to go for very smooth FPV.
So far so good for me. I just got back from flying again. It's 94F here now, so not yet as high as it will be this summer. No issues at all with the Air 2. Again, I love flying with no sunshade.

One thing to keep in mind is that the P3 itself has a max operating temperature of only 104F/40C. I don't intend to find out what happens by flying in temperatures over those numbers.
 
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I also got one of these to see if it will keep the iPad cool. I'm going to just wedge it between the sun shield and the back of the iPad.

http://www.amazon.com/Frogg-Toggs-C...TF8&qid=1434577692&sr=8-1&keywords=cool+towel
One thing that helped a bit for me while I was still trying to get my Mini 2 to work in the heat was to not set the tablet all the way back in the holder. I tried to secure it on the top lip of the clamp jaws so that there was a space of air in back. At first when I set it all the way back in the holder, the center column of the holder pressed up against the back of the tablet and it overheated faster.

Did that make sense?
 
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For caching maps, what method is being used? That is to say, is one dragging the map around to the proposed flight location while on Wi-Fi?

I'm using a cellular Ipad 2, but it currently doesn't' have service. I can tether it to my phone if need be for Wi-Fi in the field. I've not noticed needing to do anything on new locations regarding the map, however I am also unclear as to what I should be looking for.

I thought if the home location is updated via GPS (the lady in the app tells me this), and showing on the map - then I'm all good...? Is that incorrect?

Mark
 
IPAD AIR 2 ORDERED, thanks guys!
You'll be satisfied. There are quite a number of devices that will work (even if not on the official supported devices list), but of all the various options I've tried, the Air 2 is my favorite. Screen size is great, performance is fast, and screen can be seen reasonably well in the sun without a sunshade. Battery life is stellar as well. I picked up the cellular version since I wanted a mobile tablet and not have to mess with a hotspot.

You WILL have one issue. The Air is large (but not unwieldy) and the stock device holder on the remote is not strong enough to hold it's weight very well. You can tilt the tablet for a better angle, but the mount will very quickly "flop" back to the lowest position. You'll see what I mean. If you have the same issue, do yourself a favor and order an Inspire 1 phone/tablet mount. It is MUCH beefier as it is aluminum versus the plastic stock mount. There are threads here about it...just search. Be sure to read them closely to find the places to get them for the best price (lowest I've seen is $30).
 
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Still wondering about map caching...

Thinking I might upgrade to an iPad Air 2 from my mini 2 cellular. Regarding the iPad Air 2,
is cellular a must for the compass...? Or can one simply cache the maps or use wifi hotspot?

Thanks,
Mark b
 
I ordered the Nvidia Shield specifically for flying.
I know Ipad Air 2 would be optimal, but I really dislike Apple's closed system and lack of features.
(had a Iphone and I'm never going back)
 
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I see both cellular and wifi Air models have a digital compass. Is that enough or is cellular with assisted gps w/ Glonass important?
 
I am not on the Apple side, so Android is the choice for me.
I started to fly with my wife's nexus 7 (first gen) and it wasn't too bad. I was disappointed only by some lags and sometimes complete app crash, but that was happening when I was flying within the wifi range of my house and I discovered that the tablet was updating some apps in the background.
I then decided that the bird deserved a decent tablet, but didn't want to spend too much (my wonderful P3A was very expensive for my pockets already!). I knew the Nvidia Shield Tablet was probably the best choice, but I decided for a second hand Nexus 7 (second gen). No more lags so far... but this time the tablet is for flying only... and read this forum.
My only concern is the screen brightness. I can fly the bird quite easily under the sun... but when home (on the tv) I always get surprised by the quantity of stuff that I just didn't noticed during flight.
 
What has worked the best for you guys? I was thinking about an iPad mini or an iPad, will an iPad fit? Just wanted to see what you guys have and what works, thanks!
IPad mini 2 WiFi or the WiFi cellular version or iPad air or air 2 are the best options. Nexus 7 2013 version works well along with other fairly recent tablets.
 
I am not on the Apple side, so Android is the choice for me.
I started to fly with my wife's nexus 7 (first gen) and it wasn't too bad. I was disappointed only by some lags and sometimes complete app crash, but that was happening when I was flying within the wifi range of my house and I discovered that the tablet was updating some apps in the background.
I then decided that the bird deserved a decent tablet, but didn't want to spend too much (my wonderful P3A was very expensive for my pockets already!). I knew the Nvidia Shield Tablet was probably the best choice, but I decided for a second hand Nexus 7 (second gen). No more lags so far... but this time the tablet is for flying only... and read this forum.
My only concern is the screen brightness. I can fly the bird quite easily under the sun... but when home (on the tv) I always get surprised by the quantity of stuff that I just didn't noticed during flight.

The difference in quality you see when watching on the TV is because the fpv feed doesn't even come close in quality to the camera recording itself. It has nothing to do with the tablet. And the original first gen Nexus is not meant for the dji pilot app only the second generation version but you figured that out yourself I see. I did a clean install of Lollipop 5.1.1 on my second gen Nexus 7 and this tablet is now working better than it ever has.
 

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