The GDL 39, which sells for $599, is a well-made product, as you would expect from Garmin. When it comes to Android, the GDL 39 only works with the Garmin Pilot app, but that’s not much of a limitation since we think it’s the premier app. Our top pick is Garmin’s GDL 39, which works with a wide variety of devices, including the iPad and Garmin portable GPSs. The options for Android are a little more limited than for iPad, but there is still a good selection of ADS-B receivers that are compatible. Garmin’s GDL 39 is a full-featured ADS-B receiver with GPS.ĪDS-B receivers (which always include a GPS as well) have quickly become a must-have accessory for many pilots, especially for IFR flights. Best ADS-B Receiver/GPS for Android – Garmin GDL 39 Looking for an alternative? Honorable mention for best app goes to FltPlan Go and Naviator. Garmin Pilot is $74.99/year for the standard subscription, or $149.99/year for the premium subscription, which adds nice features like geo-referenced approach charts. For more information on Garmin Pilot, click here. Some pretty important features, like synthetic vision, have been available on iPads for months now but are nowhere to be seen on Android. Our only complaint is that the Android version of Garmin Pilot has fallen behind the iOS version. Garmin is also committed to improving the app, which is a key consideration when you buy an annual subscription to something – some Android apps that look “too good to be true” never get updated as new versions of the Android OS come out. The app also has some great touch interface tools, like rubber band flight planning and the pop-up menu that appears when you tap and hold on an area. There is a handy split screen feature, and the options for split screen are powerful–two of our favorites are the panel page, which shows GPS-derived instruments, and an ADS-B traffic display (see below). Once in the air, Garmin Pilot offers plenty of features that make it an all-in-one cockpit resource. You can do all your pre-flight planning right in the app. There’s also a robust flight planning tool that mirrors Garmin panel-mount GPSs, making it easy to plan complicated routes. It has a comprehensive airport page that offers practically all the information a pilot could ever want about a location, from diagrams and runways to FBOs and fuel prices. Garmin offers what we consider to be the best overall aviation app for Android. While there are plenty of Android apps available for pilots, there aren’t that many that are truly full-featured–with full moving map options, flight planning, charts, weather and easy updates. Garmin Pilot is our top pick for Android aviation apps. Honorable mention goes to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4. For more information on the Nexus 9, click here. The Nexus 9 also isn’t exactly cheap by Android standards ($479 for the 32GB version), but we think it’s worth the money. That’s not a lot of memory, compared to the iPad’s 64GB and 128GB versions, but it’s enough for even the most active pilot. One drawback of the Nexus 9 is that it’s only available in 16GB and 32GB versions. We still think buying a device running the latest version is a smart investment for the long term. Because it’s so new, not all apps will work flawlessly initially, but as apps are updated stability will improve. The Nexus 9 is a brand new tablet and it’s running a brand new version of the Android operating system: version 5.0 (called Lollipop). Many other Android tablets get orphaned by their inability to update to the latest operating system. This means it’s generally faster and more reliable, and it’s also easier to get software updates. On the software side, the Nexus 9 is a “pure” Android experience, meaning there is no 3rd party skin layered on top of the core Android operating system. Finally, the Nexus 9 has a built-in GPS, gyroscope and accelerometer, which can come in handy for some apps. The screen is also outstanding – better than Apple’s Retina screen we think. It also has a super-fast dual-core processor, which is an important feature when using powerful aviation apps. This is a well-made product, with brushed metal sides and a nice coating on the back of the tablet to make it easier to hold. On the first measure, the new Nexus 9 tablet from Google does well. We think two features are worth considering instead: build quality and the ability to be updated. Most of these are poorly made, operate on old versions of Android or don’t have the horsepower to run sophisticated aviation apps. Step one is to avoid all the junky Android tablets that are often sold for $49 or $79. When shopping for an Android tablet, the choices are truly mind-numbing. The Nexus 9 is Google’s latest “pure Android” tablet.
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