alternative to iGlide for iPhone (6 plus)

On Thursday, May 14, 2015 at 8:57:38 AM UTC-7, WinPilot wrote:
It would be quite interesting to hear comments from people who actually use the software about ways to improve the user experience. Bob (or anyone else using or trying WinPilot), don't hesitate to submit your feedback directly from the app to developers by going into "Settings.Account-Type your message to developers here".

Also, at this point all the known crashing bugs have been fixed, but we are always happy to learn and fix new ones - use the same mechanism to report them.

The software should work quite well on iPhone 6 plus at this time.

Also, there is a new real time Doppler Radar overlay for the Usa users, we are looking forward to hear from people who tried this. If people like it, we can implement it for other regions as well.


Your Winpilot Team.

Concerning Winpilot, I have submitted bugs on the built in feedback mechanism and nothing seems to come of it. My suggestion is that you acknowledge the submission (return email?) somehow and track the bugs. On my iPhone 6+ for example, the glider is offset above the middle and to the left (I am assuming it is not recognizing the screen size and thinking it is running on a 6). Using it in either simulator or GPS mode, just panning around and zooming a few times it will crash, usually within 5 minutes. Is there some way to capture the crash log? It just crashes to the home screen. I would like to see the product succeed, but the support needs to be better or it ain't going to happen.

Thanks, I'll give it a try. in the meanwhile, check your httpd logs for broken links to this page: http://www.winpilot.com/New_Features.asp

On Thursday, May 14, 2015 at 11:57:38 AM UTC-4, WinPilot wrote:
It would be quite interesting to hear comments from people who actually use the software about ways to improve the user experience. Bob (or anyone else using or trying WinPilot), don't hesitate to submit your feedback directly from the app to developers by going into "Settings.Account-Type your message to developers here".

Also, at this point all the known crashing bugs have been fixed, but we are always happy to learn and fix new ones - use the same mechanism to report them.

The software should work quite well on iPhone 6 plus at this time.

Also, there is a new real time Doppler Radar overlay for the Usa users, we are looking forward to hear from people who tried this. If people like it, we can implement it for other regions as well.


Your Winpilot Team.

Since RAS is discussing glide computer options, Rob Dunning's Top Hat deserves mentioning http://www.tophatsoaring.org/. Top Hat uses XCSoar as its base but puts a different "face" to it which he states is "simple, powerful". I found his videos informative and salute him for his "free source" contribution.

Apostate!

I imagine that somewhere in Silicon Valley they're heating up the
cauldrons of tar for you...



On 5/13/2015 7:08 AM, Bob Pasker wrote:
I have been using iGlide now for about 20 flights, and I really don't like it very much. It is riddled with bugs (which I have duly reported to Butterfly only to hear "yes, we're aware of that"), the user experience is terrible (and I speak as someone who has worked in user interaction and user experience for years), and the documentation is woefully out of date (last updated 2/2013) and incomplete. So I have wasted $33.

Are there other apps that people recommend for IoS?

thanks, bob


--
Dan Marotta

On a more serious note, Bob's complaint and Sean's (and others') rather
aggressive responses simply support the notion of "Diff'rent strokes for
diff'rent folks)".

I make no bones that I'm a fan of XCSoar. Maybe iGlide allows task
generation if 3 less keystrokes, but who cares? I've got all day.
Heck, I can even build and declare a task today for a flight tomorrow.
I like XCSoar the best because it's the one I have the most experience
with. My glider came with WinPilot but the former owner told me about
XCSoar and I bought a Mio GPS and gave it a try. For someone who'd
never used a moving map before (military, airlines, corporate, gliding)
it was eye-opening!

The only shortcomings were power and sunlight readability. Then a
friend showed me his Dell Streak 5 and I found I could read it with the
sun shining over my shoulder! This is 5+ year old technology, folks!
Why haven't all the makers of portable devices tried transflective
technology? Anyway, for $100 brand new on eBay and with free software,
why would you want anything else? Seriously, who needs realtime doppler
radar overlays while soaring?

I submit that any one of us can get used to any of these products and
become quite proficient with it. Then, upon having difficulty operating
a new interface, it's easy to claim that the first is better than the
second.

On 5/14/2015 10:03 AM, Dan Marotta wrote:
Apostate!

I imagine that somewhere in Silicon Valley they're heating up the
cauldrons of tar for you...



On 5/13/2015 7:08 AM, Bob Pasker wrote:
I have been using iGlide now for about 20 flights, and I really don't like it very much. It is riddled with bugs (which I have duly reported to Butterfly only to hear "yes, we're aware of that"), the user experience is terrible (and I speak as someone who has worked in user interaction and user experience for years), and the documentation is woefully out of date (last updated 2/2013) and incomplete. So I have wasted $33.

Are there other apps that people recommend for IoS?

thanks, bob


--
Dan Marotta

--
Dan Marotta

Dan,

Jerry Pournelle of Byte's Chaos Manor fame used to say "better is the enemy of good enough", and I guess you're echoing that sentiment. That's fine, I just recently gave up running Glide Navigator II on an iPAQ 3950, so I understand.

But just like sometimes it's necessary to shoot the engineers and start making product, other times it's necessary to drop the old stuff and adopt the latest and greatest. For me, it was time for iGlide. Why? Well, I find that I can get much more information with much less effort using iGlide than with other moving map programs. In addition, the terrain maps in iGlide are the best I've ever seen in any moving map program - that's important to me as aridge runner. Plus, iGlide gets wind and other air data from my Butterfly Vario and uses it to help me fly better. Finally, I find that the iPhone 6 is more easily readable in bright sunlight than the iPAQ, MIO, Avier, Oudie, etc.

You are correct, proficiency is important and it takes time to acquire. But having spent a significant amount of time with SYM and LK800 I found iGlide to be much easier to use. That may just be the way my mind works, and YMMV...

Anyway, have fun and enjoy soaring, whatever moving map program you use...

-John, Q3

On Thursday, May 14, 2015 at 12:24:26 PM UTC-4, Dan Marotta wrote:
On a more serious note, Bob's complaint and Sean's (and others')
rather aggressive responses simply support the notion of "Diff'rent
strokes for diff'rent folks)".

I make no bones that I'm a fan of XCSoar.* Maybe iGlide allows task
generation* if 3 less keystrokes, but who cares?* I've got all day.*
Heck, I can even build and declare a task today for a flight
tomorrow.* I like XCSoar the best because it's the one I have the
most experience with.* My glider came with WinPilot but the former
owner told me about XCSoar and I bought a Mio GPS and gave it a
try.* For someone who'd never used a moving map before (military,
airlines, corporate, gliding) it was eye-opening!

The only shortcomings were power and sunlight readability.* Then a
friend showed me his Dell Streak 5 and I found I could read it with
the sun shining over my shoulder!* This is 5+ year old technology,
folks!* Why haven't all the makers of portable devices tried
transflective technology?* Anyway, for $100 brand new on eBay and
with free software, why would you want anything else?* Seriously,
who needs realtime doppler radar overlays while soaring?

I submit that any one of us can get used to any of these products
and become quite proficient with it.* Then, upon having difficulty
operating a new interface, it's easy to claim that the first is
better than the second.

Dan Marotta

Thanks John,

Shoot the engineers! Yes! As a design engineer I was always trying to
make something "better". Then as a Staff Systems Engineer and Test
Director, it was simply to develop requirements to fulfill the
customer's needs and ensure that they were achieved as quickly and
economically as possible. So I'm familiar with both ends of the spectrum.

As to different strokes, I find it curious that you are interested in
terrain resolution on your moving map when there's a wonderful device
called a "canopy" which provides the highest resolution possible. I
found the terrain display on the moving map to interfere with the
information I wanted to see. Again, this is probably just a personal
prejudice.

I agree with you on the main point, however. Have fun, fly safely, and
enjoy whatever solutions you choose.

On 5/14/2015 2:57 PM, John Carlyle wrote:
Dan,

Jerry Pournelle of Byte's Chaos Manor fame used to say "better is the enemy of good enough", and I guess you're echoing that sentiment. That's fine, I just recently gave up running Glide Navigator II on an iPAQ 3950, so I understand.

But just like sometimes it's necessary to shoot the engineers and start making product, other times it's necessary to drop the old stuff and adopt the latest and greatest. For me, it was time for iGlide. Why? Well, I find that I can get much more information with much less effort using iGlide than with other moving map programs. In addition, the terrain maps in iGlide are the best I've ever seen in any moving map program - that's important to me as aridge runner. Plus, iGlide gets wind and other air data from my Butterfly Vario and uses it to help me fly better. Finally, I find that the iPhone 6 is more easily readable in bright sunlight than the iPAQ, MIO, Avier, Oudie, etc.

You are correct, proficiency is important and it takes time to acquire. But having spent a significant amount of time with SYM and LK800 I found iGlide to be much easier to use. That may just be the way my mind works, and YMMV...

Anyway, have fun and enjoy soaring, whatever moving map program you use...

-John, Q3

On Thursday, May 14, 2015 at 12:24:26 PM UTC-4, Dan Marotta wrote:
On a more serious note, Bob's complaint and Sean's (and others')
rather aggressive responses simply support the notion of "Diff'rent
strokes for diff'rent folks)".

I make no bones that I'm a fan of XCSoar. Maybe iGlide allows task
generation if 3 less keystrokes, but who cares? I've got all day.
Heck, I can even build and declare a task today for a flight
tomorrow. I like XCSoar the best because it's the one I have the
most experience with. My glider came with WinPilot but the former
owner told me about XCSoar and I bought a Mio GPS and gave it a
try. For someone who'd never used a moving map before (military,
airlines, corporate, gliding) it was eye-opening!

The only shortcomings were power and sunlight readability. Then a
friend showed me his Dell Streak 5 and I found I could read it with
the sun shining over my shoulder! This is 5+ year old technology,
folks! Why haven't all the makers of portable devices tried
transflective technology? Anyway, for $100 brand new on eBay and
with free software, why would you want anything else? Seriously,
who needs realtime doppler radar overlays while soaring?

I submit that any one of us can get used to any of these products
and become quite proficient with it. Then, upon having difficulty
operating a new interface, it's easy to claim that the first is
better than the second.

Dan Marotta

--
Dan Marotta

Dan or Sean

What model Dell Streak is best for XC soar?

Nick

On Thursday, May 14, 2015 at 9:24:26 AM UTC-7, Dan Marotta wrote:
On a more serious note, Bob's complaint and Sean's (and others')
rather aggressive responses simply support the notion of "Diff'rent
strokes for diff'rent folks)".



I make no bones that I'm a fan of XCSoar.* Maybe iGlide allows task
generation* if 3 less keystrokes, but who cares?* I've got all day.*
Heck, I can even build and declare a task today for a flight
tomorrow.* I like XCSoar the best because it's the one I have the
most experience with.* My glider came with WinPilot but the former
owner told me about XCSoar and I bought a Mio GPS and gave it a
try.* For someone who'd never used a moving map before (military,
airlines, corporate, gliding) it was eye-opening!



The only shortcomings were power and sunlight readability.* Then a
friend showed me his Dell Streak 5 and I found I could read it with
the sun shining over my shoulder!* This is 5+ year old technology,
folks!* Why haven't all the makers of portable devices tried
transflective technology?* Anyway, for $100 brand new on eBay and
with free software, why would you want anything else?* Seriously,
who needs realtime doppler radar overlays while soaring?



I submit that any one of us can get used to any of these products
and become quite proficient with it.* Then, upon having difficulty
operating a new interface, it's easy to claim that the first is
better than the second.

Dell streak 5 was very good. Keep in mind that it is also fairly old now. The latest Android smartphones (especially the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, OLED display) are surpassing the Streak and are fully supported with the newest versions of Android. The Note 3 is also very, very good along with many of the latest generation. I think the Streak 7 was good to but fairly large..

Dell Streak 5.

Not the Dell Streak 7.

It is only the 5 which uses the transflective display.

On 5/14/2015 4:42 PM, wrote:
Dan or Sean

What model Dell Streak is best for XC soar?

Nick

On Thursday, May 14, 2015 at 9:24:26 AM UTC-7, Dan Marotta wrote:
On a more serious note, Bob's complaint and Sean's (and others')
rather aggressive responses simply support the notion of "Diff'rent
strokes for diff'rent folks)".



I make no bones that I'm a fan of XCSoar. Maybe iGlide allows task
generation if 3 less keystrokes, but who cares? I've got all day.
Heck, I can even build and declare a task today for a flight
tomorrow. I like XCSoar the best because it's the one I have the
most experience with. My glider came with WinPilot but the former
owner told me about XCSoar and I bought a Mio GPS and gave it a
try. For someone who'd never used a moving map before (military,
airlines, corporate, gliding) it was eye-opening!



The only shortcomings were power and sunlight readability. Then a
friend showed me his Dell Streak 5 and I found I could read it with
the sun shining over my shoulder! This is 5+ year old technology,
folks! Why haven't all the makers of portable devices tried
transflective technology? Anyway, for $100 brand new on eBay and
with free software, why would you want anything else? Seriously,
who needs realtime doppler radar overlays while soaring?



I submit that any one of us can get used to any of these products
and become quite proficient with it. Then, upon having difficulty
operating a new interface, it's easy to claim that the first is
better than the second.



--
Dan Marotta