lml@lancaironline.net Mailing List Archive

I just tuned in on this discussion. Since I am an iOS Developer, I thought I would provide some information. I am just collecting parts of several posts, quoting them, and responding...

- "I would wait for apples update before buying, the 2nd edition should be better. Rumor is a OS upgrade is soon coming."

RESPONSE: The newest iOS revision was posted yesterday. It is 4.2.1. It is most significan for iPads because it brings a lot of iOS 4 functionality to iPads, such as multitasking. You can install it on all 1st Gen iPad models. If by "2nd Edition", you are referring to un-announced future models of iPads, I would be a somewhat surprised if we see new iPads before Christmas 2010. The next most likely introduction windows could be January, and then June at WWDC. I can't say what such units might have above current iPad model features, but I would hope for more system RAM. The current iPads have 256 MB, and the iPhone 5 has 512 MB. Now that multitasking is supported on the iPad, this can have a lot of value. I don't anticipate much of a difference regarding GPS, unless they added it to the WiFi model. Given the Verizon iPad deal, we now have a common situation where the WiFi iPad would be used for mobile navigation. Personally, I am waiting for the 2nd Gen iPad WiFi because I plan on using it with some sort of MiFi hotspot unit. I would like more memory, and built in hardware GPS.

- "...Are you positive that your unit has a built in GPS?..."

RESPONSE: The iPad with WiFi DOES NOT have GPS hardware inside. It uses database information regarding known locations of WiFi AP stations, and geolocation data for IP addresses. IMO, this is not good enough for most forms of navigation, especially aviation nav. The iPad with WiFi + 3G does have GPS hardware, more specifically it has a Broadcom BCM4750UBG Single-Chip AGPS board. Judging from a lot of discussion I have seen regarding AGPS, there is a lot of misunderstanding and bad information being circulated. Assisted GPS does not mean "Instead of GPS hardware". The "Assisted" part adds capabilities that reduces some limitations of most GPS unassisted functionality.

- "Apple cripples it to make you buy more. Other phones like the HTC Aria do GPS just fine without the extra payment."

RESPONSE: I am not aware of what you are referring to regarding Apple "Crippling" the product. I would be interested in hearing specific details. I am not sure what improved functionality that these other devices offer that an iPad with WiFi + GPS doesn't offer. The logic behind not including GPS hardware in an iPad with WiFi is because when mobile, you typically won't have online map data, so GPS hardware would have limited value. Now that people are using mobile MiFi devices, it realy messes up that logic because the WiFi AP you are connecting to can be mobile. Now I have my doubts about how well a MiFi assisted mobile navigation device would be for aviation navigation at altitude. Most cell towers are tuned have a reception pattern that is optomized for ground based mobile devices. I would anticipate best results over land with lighter population, near majore highways, where the towers are tuned for a more general reception pattern. When you start flying over land with higher population density, the towers are designed to pickup from a smaller area. You would want nav apps that have the nav data local on the device.

- "I had to jailbreak my ipad to get the GPS to work. I used Cydia to jailbreak the ipad..."

RESPONSE: Of the mobile devices that have a general purpose OS (not designed specifically for the sole purpose of aviation navigation), I would argue that iOS devices have the deck stacked in their favor for stability. Given the controls in place where Apps must go through the Apple App store, and Apple exercises strict standards for App approval, and the OS is highly restrictive on how much of the system any App can access, many possible treats to security and stability have very litle opportunities to get into the system. Once you Jailbreak the unit, ALL BETS ARE OFF. I don't Jailbreak my iOS devices because of the threats they become exposed to once those protective systems are disabled. Further... For my purposes, I am just talking about information security. If you add the critical nature of flight navigation and management, I cannot stress how bad of an idea it is to depend on a jailbroken iOS device in flight. I would strongly recommend having seperate backup solutions in place. To make sure that statement is not taken as critisizm of iOS, I would make similar statements about all of the other common general purpose mobile OS solutions. Also, not all Jailbreak solutions are created equal. Some introduce their own problems. Regardless of the jailbreak solution you use, you are greatly hampered in being able to install new system updates from Apple, which typically address bugs, security vulnerabilies, etc. IMHO... you loose much more than you gain by Jailbreaking your iOS device.

Hope this helps...