Replacing my GPS unit w/a tablet (android)

[+Din Jävel]

Hello,

my old GPS is behaving more and more weird and I have, lately, transitioned more and more to geocaching with my phone. I feel, however, that I liked the GPS for navigating with my car.

 

So, I want to replace the gps with a tablet with both 4G and GPS and I have a few thoughts I'd like some help with. The tablet will be strictly for car navigation, with the potential to solve mysteries and write logs on the road with an additional keyboard. The phone will be my primary geocaching device.

 

Is it possible to use the split screen feature between, say, Waze and the Geocaching app? I want to run the geocaching map as a overview of the land showing me what there is at those long transition drives in unfamiliar areas and the navigation app for taking me from point a to b and keeping me up to date with hazards and traffic information. Getting the best of both simultaniously.

 

If not are there any other apps that provide those features?

 

Is there anybody currently running such an setup? What are your thoughts about it? Pros and cons?

 

Is there anything else you feel that I should think of?

[+kunarion]

15 hours ago, Din Jävel said:

Is it possible to use the split screen feature between, say, Waze and the Geocaching app?

 

That's a definite "maybe"!

 

Anyway, if it's a general question about possibilities, I can tell you that I tried setting the Waze and Geocaching Apps in split screen on my Samsung tablet, and it looks about right!  I don't know which modern "tablets" have split screen.  This is a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2.

 

It actually is more promising than I expected.  I first set up Waze as the default navigation App.  Next, with both Apps running, I used Geocaching to select Navigate by car to a cache, and Waze picked up the route in its own screen!  So the Apps talk to each other and get along.  There's a funky landscape view going on, but I'm guessing I can get them both in portrait side-by-side by holding the tablet just right and starting the Apps with care.

 

But I didn't fully test this setup. I don't have a great spot to mount a tablet in my car for navigation.  I barely have a spot for a phone.  And I don't mess with "Apps" while I'm driving, so having two Apps to mess with while I'm driving is out of the question.  With someone else navigating, "split screen" would be overkill because people can switch between running Apps.  So there's a very particular niche where this could even apply.  I didn't test how well both Apps get along with using the compass simultaneously.  It's a whole new ballgame.  But initial tests seem... OK!

 

Edited November 5, 2019 by kunarion

[+Din Jävel]

Thanks a lot for the answer! Yes, I got myself a tablet, but is not sure it's the right one.

 

I can however run the apss exactly as I wanted and you describe kunarion.

 

The reason for this setup is that I dont want to mess with apps during drive. I want to see what I pass or get close to, while I drive so I can plan a stop and take a cache at the same time when I take a break or so that I can see which road leads where when I approach GZ.

 

My issue now, is just that the tablet is to big or the arm that I attach to the windscreen is to short, as the tablet take up windscreen space.

 

Thanks a lot again for the answer!