Tablet 10" with GPS for Exploroz Traveller

Virtually all Android tablets and phones retailing in Australia and here in NZ have an inbuilt GPS receiver that does not require WiFi or cellular connection.
The Lenovo will have a GPS receiver.

Paul, not sure why you have the idea an IPad will not work with an external GPS receiver.

Bad Elf units work perfectly and are designed for Apple, will will also work on Windows and Android .

Connector via Bluetooth and you can run up to 5 individual units at once.

pmk03
Typing in lenovo leno186au, doesn't find it when I search. Is there any more info to identify it. ie site etc, The Lenovo site has M10 which has GPS(USA) and GLONASS( Russian system) receiver, Varied reports about the M10 though. Is there lowest limit of memory the Mapping will work with? I don't know. The M10 has 2GB wired/soldered to board and 32GB MMC,
Recent upgrade of site offerings say lesser model with lower Android operating system may not work or give trouble. I have a cheap Lenovo Tab 8 bit Android 7, it has only 1gb so probably not good for latest mapping. Cheap may not be the best for speed of operation or perhaps running two mapping systems at same time.

I think your LENO186AU might be a bit under specced. Yes, It has GPS - the main thing. But it has only the minimum required RAM and no 4G. 4G is not 100% necessary, but it sure makes using Traveller a pleasure. Without it you'll have to hotspot the tablet for all Traveller functions requiring internet. That may not necessarily be convenient.

Of course, a 4g tablet will require its own data plan from your telco and if that is a budgetary restraint, then wifi only is a reasonable compromise.

Sorry, I don't know anything about the actual performance of the Lenovo. Just be aware that shuffling the maps around in Traveller as you pan the map to and fro and zoom in and out is a pretty heavy task, even for high end devices, so you may not get the smooth operation that the more expensive options produce.

Could you go a bit further $$ wise and try a Samsung Tab S6 Lite. Still 4GB RAM but has 4G and more storage (64GB) anyway if you want to do other things with it.Here's a new one for $444. You could probably do better with second hand or refurbished if you look around. And if the 4g data plan is a deal breaker dollar-wise you don't have to use it, just hotspot as with the Lenovo. But I suspect the "user experience" will be better with the Samsung.

I have to admit that I'm pretty stuck on Samsung for Android products, I've had nothing but good results, particularly the Tab s6 (heavy) that I have for Traveller. Call that bias if you wish, I'm happy to admit it :-).

The main advantage of having a 4g capable tablet is for using other mapping apps like Waze or Google maps when you aren't remote. These apps need the 4g to download the actual maps as you go, the 4g doesn't help the gps positioning that much and it only comes into play if the gps satellite fix is poor due to heavy cloud, buildings or land formations that might block the gps signal. If you don't have the maps then you'll have a gps position dot on a blank screen. Any wifi only device needs the maps downloaded and saved on the device before you leave.
I think using a tablet for only one thing is a real waste. Having other apps available doesn't hurt the processor power or memory if they aren't running. The tablet can do your email, web browsing and gps fine as long as it's not doing it all at the same time. Close apps properly so they aren't running in the background eating memory.

pmk03 if you goto this Officeworks link
https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/lenovo-tab-m10-hd-2nd-gen-10-1-4gb-ram-64gb-emmc-tablet-len0186au#specifications
it shows the specs of the unit you mention, and I cannot see that it has a GPS receiver and so it would be unsuitable.
The map file in the Traveller App is about 5Gb. I would be very wary of any tablet under 4Gb of ram as it maybe annoyingly slow. Others have said they have less, but tablets vary and IMHO if I was buying a new unit I would want reasonable performance and be a bit future proof.

Hello again Paul
I have just been looking on the Lenovo site and the M10 is not available any more. Had a pop up happen on screen. Seems it is possibly only Officeworks held stock being sold. There is a, " Tab M10 FHD Plus (2nd Gen)" offered as an alternative, on the Lenovo site but it definitely says NO GPS in specs of it, so you may have to look at another brand if wanting up to date gear and future proofed a little. Not sure how they can call it a 2nd gen and PLUS as well with less ability in some areas.

this question has been asked so many times.


I run a lenovo M10HD tablet for offline maps. Can be had online between $225 and $300

Paul
Worth a look on the Banggood site
is the ALLDOCUBE iPlay 40 UNISOC T618 Octa Core 8Gb Ram 128Gb ROM 4G LTE 10.1" Android 10 tablet which has all 4 ,GPS Systems listed. $277 + some postage. Sounds good/ok,. May be better than some others, I have no experience with that brand but they have sold 2474 of them.

It would be helpful if there was a trial version of Exploroz with restricted access to the 2021 maps to see if it works on existing Android devices before spending over $100 & finding it doesn’t work effectively.

Kevin

Hi Paul & Michelle,

I don’t know why you don’t direct these questions to the help desk section. After all, David & Michelle built the site and its associated maps etc. they would be able to tell you how much memory is required to successfully run the app. using both on line & off line maps etc.

Macca.

Hi All,
Just a follow up....
As I was trying to work within a budget I ended up accepting a compromise between price & speed of the unit.

What I got was a Samsung A7 10.4" (ms-t500) & I'm pretty happy with it. 3gb Ram, 32gb SSD.

We took it yesterday on a run around Wombat State Park & it didn't miss a beat all day ( EO Traveller & offline 2021 maps)

Yes, it lags about a second when you pinch zoom or drag too quickly. the longest I had to wait for the screen to fill was about 2 seconds. I can live with that. If you don't rush it the unit can keep up with your screen input.
As fas as tracking while driving around it never lagged all day. Held current position without delay & was a pleasure to use.
I love the look & clarity of the 2021 maps too. Detail is amazing.
For the price c/w the EO Traveller app & offine 2021 maps it came in at just over $400.00
I have had other "Off Road GPS Units" that cost similar (or more) & perform a lot worse.

Summing up, for the overall price you get a bigger screen than the ready made off road GPS units with what I think is the best mapping for what I want to use it for. If you can live with a second of two of screen lag then this combination is pretty good IMO. If you're "gentle" with your input it does keep up, depending on the zoom level. It's quicker when you are zoomed in for some reason.

Thanks Everyone for you info
Cheers,
Paul & Michelle
PMK3AUSTRALIA