Our team has used iPads the past couple years for scouting and it’s been a mixed bag. We would typically use another team’s app and that would results in waiting for it to be released and then figuring it out and how to use the information was cumbersome and frustrating.
This year we’re looking to use Android tablets so we can create our own app and have more control over the process.
With so many available, can anyone recommend some models to look at? The plan is buy them during Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales.
5188 ended up picking up several 2nd Gen Nexus 7 tablets off eBay. It’s an older tablet and most of the ones you can find now are used, but we ended up getting six tablets for around $500.
Nexus 7’s are really good imo. I have had one for 2 years now and it would be a great tablet for this. Amazon has recently released a $50 tablet. This might be something to consider.
TechFire 225 uses 2 Samsung Galaxy Tab 10 for coach and scouting lead, and 10 Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 for scouts (pit scouting/match scouting). We built an app that syncs back to the scouting master tablet and then the coach can go within range of the scouting master and sync current data.
For Worlds/IRI we synced the scouting master to a Samsung Galaxy 6S to sync to the cloud so everyone had the data real-time from their personal phones.
We added nice graphs on our cloud app that showed avg stacks/rc’s/auton/etc per robot with picture and per match. PM me if you would like to see example of the data.
Currently looking for cases for the tablets to protect them. We felt going with an Android based tablet gave us more flexibility on creating the scouting application.
They’re pretty good tablets for only $50, plus you can buy 5 get one free. It’s like Amazon is catering to people scouting 6 robots! The official cases are buy 4 get one free.
Of course, there are two caveats- they come with ads and they aren’t true Android. However, the ads are relatively easy to disable, and scouting apps should work just as well on FireOS as “real” Android.
I’d definitely recommend at least considering them.
Would a phone do? If so, watch the /r/PerkTV subreddit–it’s one of those get-paid-to-watch-ads gimmicks, and people will actually get farms of cheap phones running profitably. (Ridiculous, I know.)
On 1678 we have used (and still do) quite a variety in terms of hardware. For android hardware we have had good results with the Nexus 7 tablets, so I will second that suggestion. We used the old MeMO pads at one point, but have replaced almost all of them with Nexus 7s, because the Nexus 7s seem to last longer and be more durable.
I was, however, extremely surprised when I saw you looking to go *from* iOS *to* Android. If we had the funds on 1678, we would probably move the other direction in an instant. The App Programming team (and mentor) have generally had a much easier time programming for iOS than for Android. iOS programming and legitimate app signing is also now free (Apple recently began giving out free Dev accounts). As someone who has programmed for both platforms, I notice that the XCode development tool is an incredible bonus, and in my opinion while eclipse and Android studio are great tools, XCode knocks both of them out of the park.
I am curious about what you (Underdog_19) meant regarding “control of the process”. Were you referring to the fact that programming for iOS is difficult unless you have a Mac computer?
Past years we would wait for someone to release an Apple app for scouting and then try to figure it out before our competitions. We also don’t have access to a Mac short of my personal computer. I would probably consider iOS more if we were able to get access to a Mac and we’re not really in a position to purchase one.
If you’re on a strict budget and don’t need to run much on a tablet, (scouting software isn’t processor-heavy) I recommend getting a set from Alibaba There are some models that require a minimum of 1 piece, 5 pieces, or 10 pieces to order. The prices will range from around 20-60 bucks a tablet. The hardware in these off-brand models are pretty much the same as those of name brand models and they run Android. My team uses off-brand tablets and they work perfectly for scouting. I even use an off-brand tablet myself for personal use.
The same site also sells tablet cases.
No need to wait for Black Friday or Cyber Monday! You’d get a better deal from Alibaba or other wholesale websites anyway year round.
