Comment by Ted Van Slyck on February 27, 2013 at 5:32am

the real mark of a good GCS is a sunlight readable screen. Preferably in the 1000 nit range. So if this thing has a super bright screen then it would be great!

Developer Comment by R_Lefebvre on February 27, 2013 at 5:47am

I dunno about 1000 nit, I have a 450 nit screen for FPV that is pretty good, 600 would be really good, but otherwise you're right.  I bought an Asus Transformer Infinity for a GCS precisely because AFAIK, it's the brightest screen available.

Also, I'm not a fan of those thumb sticks.  Fine for a console game where the programmers make it hit the target as long as you're close enough, but not really good for the real world.  You just don't have enough precise control like that. I'm a big fan of "pinch" flying with sticks.  Or just a big-ole joystick.

Comment by James masterman on February 27, 2013 at 6:22am

Looks cool, although I agree about the thumb sticks. I've tried flying with a gamepad and there is no comparison to proper RC transmitters. The level of control and sensitivity is far less with gamepads and thumbsticks. Still, it could be good for controlling an FPV pan/tilt camera while the plane/copter was in auto mode. 

Comment by Veikko Vierola on February 27, 2013 at 6:54am

Does it have internal 3G?

Comment by Ted Van Slyck on February 27, 2013 at 7:46am

I think the iPad is 450 nit and it is terrible in the sun, but I have a 250 nit screen that is wonderful in the sun. I think the glass or a coating has something to do with readability as well as the brightness. So I agree, less the 1000 nits works, but there is more to sunlight readability than nits. 

Comment by Stefan Gofferje on February 27, 2013 at 8:21am

My alltime favorite PC for outdoors is the Panasonic Toughbook, It's available with an LCD which is sunlight-readable without backlight plus with new batteries it can run as much as 8 hours. The ruggedness also is kinda practical for guys like me ^^.

Comment by Scott Fuller on February 27, 2013 at 9:25am

This looks cool but I'd worry about after market support and accessories. I was looking at the Samsung W8 tablet until I read it has horrible after market support. At this point it looks like the Surface Pro is still going to hold its own.

Comment by Tilman Baumann on February 27, 2013 at 10:05am

Display resolution is a bit poor. I know the Paparazzi ground station is near unusable on such screens.

Developer Comment by R_Lefebvre on February 27, 2013 at 10:33am

Yes, I would think the screen finish plays a big role, regardless of how many Nits it has.  Obviously a matte finish is better, particularly if the screen if facing upwards toward the bright sky.  

I bought a Sony laptop for MP specifically because it was one of the few I could find that had a matte screen.  I don't know how many nits it has, but it is "usable" outdoors.  Not great, but usable.  The biggest problem I have is I tend to wear polarized sunglasses when flying, and some screens do not work well with polarized glasses.

Comment by Tilman Baumann on February 27, 2013 at 10:36am

Not so sure about glare. From my experience is readability outdoors the only good point about those modern glary displays. Matte displays are unreadable with any direct sunlight shining on the screen from whatever angle.

Glare screens work in direct sunlight, except if you have the sun directly in the mirror. But then you can just then the screen away by a few degrees.

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