iPhone 6 Plus and iGlide

Since the board seems kind of dead today (everyone getting their gliders ready for the season?) I will weigh in with a brief review of this combo. I like iGlide, which seems quite modern compared to the other commercial offerings and it pairs well with the Butterfly/Air variometer. Last year I was running it on an iPhone 5s alongside an Avier(Oudie/V2) running SYM, XCSoar, and Winpilot on various days. The problem with the 5s is the screen is considerably smaller and not apparently as bright as the Avier. Though the display is much higher resolution, you have to hold it closer to you (not ideal for mature eyes) and sometimes hope you are under a cloud.

I bought an iPhone 6 Plus just to run iGlide. It's pretty big to carry around as a phone, however you can swap the SIM card back and forth if you have a 5/ 5s and want to use it that way. In any case, I did so with some trepidation that though the display is bigger and reputedly a bit more sunlight readable, it is an expensive experiment to perform. I now have it running, though I have not flown with it yet.

It is a great deal better than the iPhone 5s, it seems a little brighter held side by side in the sunlight but the shear size means a lot more light is falling on your eyeballs. It is quite readable even in direct sun behind while the 5s was not. Only when you get a direct refection of the sun orb on the screen is it illegible. iGlide just scales up everything to fit the display, so the text, icons, everything is bigger and easier for someone over 50 to read. The touchscreen is also better than the 5s, which seemed to take just a bit more firm touch than the previous iPhones. The 6+ is very sensitive and nice.

The surprise was holding it next to the Avier. There is a mismatch of specs, the Avier/Oudie/V2 claims are in the 800 - 1000 nit brightness and the iPhone 6+ has been independently tested at around 560. However they seem about the same apparent brightness held side by side with both at highest brightness. And the iPhone 6+ is more readable at any angle, in any light. The worst for both is the sun orb directly reflected from the glass, neither is readable there although you can see the edges of the iPhone. At slightly off that angle you can read the iPhone first, and it is simply better in all conditions. Of course the resolutions and touchscreens are not even in the same century. The iPhone display is both physically larger and higher resolution (1920 x 1080 vs. 480 x 272). The less said about the Avier touch screen the better.

I also have Winpilot iOS installed on it, this is also pretty modern and has some nice ideas incorporated, however for me it has been too buggy to use, yet.

I'm looking forward to flying with it.

Thank you for a very thoughtful review. I've been waiting for such a review as I have the butterfly vario and the Bluetooth arraignment. I also would like to update my apple iPhone. With your review that now makes sence to do so. I fly the French alps and map display is more needed. Thanks again!

On Sunday, March 29, 2015 at 1:23:59 PM UTC-7, jfitch wrote:
Since the board seems kind of dead today (everyone getting their gliders ready for the season?) I will weigh in with a brief review of this combo. I like iGlide, which seems quite modern compared to the other commercial offerings and it pairs well with the Butterfly/Air variometer. Last year I was running it on an iPhone 5s alongside an Avier(Oudie/V2) running SYM, XCSoar, and Winpilot on various days. The problem with the 5s is the screen is considerably smaller and not apparently as bright as the Avier. Though the display is much higher resolution, you have to hold it closer to you (not ideal for mature eyes) and sometimes hope you are under a cloud.

I bought an iPhone 6 Plus just to run iGlide. It's pretty big to carry around as a phone, however you can swap the SIM card back and forth if you have a 5/ 5s and want to use it that way. In any case, I did so with some trepidation that though the display is bigger and reputedly a bit more sunlight readable, it is an expensive experiment to perform. I now have it running, though I have not flown with it yet.

It is a great deal better than the iPhone 5s, it seems a little brighter held side by side in the sunlight but the shear size means a lot more light is falling on your eyeballs. It is quite readable even in direct sun behind while the 5s was not. Only when you get a direct refection of the sun orb on the screen is it illegible. iGlide just scales up everything to fit the display, so the text, icons, everything is bigger and easier for someone over 50 to read. The touchscreen is also better than the 5s, which seemed to take just a bit more firm touch than the previous iPhones. The 6+ is very sensitive and nice.

The surprise was holding it next to the Avier. There is a mismatch of specs, the Avier/Oudie/V2 claims are in the 800 - 1000 nit brightness and the iPhone 6+ has been independently tested at around 560. However they seem about the same apparent brightness held side by side with both at highest brightness. And the iPhone 6+ is more readable at any angle, in any light. The worst for both is the sun orb directly reflected from the glass, neither is readable there although you can see the edges of the iPhone. At slightly off that angle you can read the iPhone first, and it is simply better in all conditions. Of course the resolutions and touchscreens are not even in the same century. The iPhone display is both physically larger and higher resolution (1920 x 1080 vs. 480 x 272). The less said about the Avier touch screen the better.

I also have Winpilot iOS installed on it, this is also pretty modern and has some nice ideas incorporated, however for me it has been too buggy to use, yet.

I'm looking forward to flying with it.

Jon,

All more brightness will do is make a marginal display slightly more readable but not good in direct sun.

An excellent display has a very high contrast ratio and several specialized coatings and no touch screen. This is exactly the screen that the Ultimate Le and Ultimate Le 57 offer. In addition it has a 2 gHz processor to effectively run the programs. Unfortunately WinPilot did not have the time to port to the Ultimate, SeeYou PNA, StrePla xcsoar, run on the Ultimate.


Richard
www.craggyaero.com

Richard

Despite being years old and no longer developed, pocketStrePla is still my go to for in fly moving map software

They use 3D Printing to make super light and easy to install sunshades for iPhone 6+. I bought one and iLove it.

http://www.shapeways.com/product/BL6...ionId=43875203

On Sunday, March 29, 2015 at 9:59:49 PM UTC-7, GR8 wrote:
They use 3D Printing to make super light and easy to install sunshades for iPhone 6+. I bought one and iLove it.

http://www.shapeways.com/product/BL6...ionId=43875203

Wrong orientation for glider software though.

I don't think it is needed, if so I will print my own (costs about $2 in plastic). Printing my own mount now, all the ones I have seen are lacking.

Good review. I have been flying with iGlide for 2 years and look forward to flying with it this week in TN for the FAI PanAm event with a new iPhone 6+. The UI is intuitive and simple just as you would expect from apple. iGlide is an exceptional soaring app when compared to the rather dated Oudie or others. The screens are so outdated compared to the latest generation smart phones. XC Soar on a modern Android device is also excellent of course for the same reason.

I still use my oudie - SN10 - PowerFlarm as my primary but always have the iPhone on my knee as a backup or to cross reference certain navigational scenarios. To be perfectly honest find myself using the iGlide far more than the Oudie. iGlide is far, far better than the Oudie other than the simple integration the Oudie has with the SN10.

Here is a screenshot of iGlide on the iphone 6 plus: https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A253qWtHBcPl9





On Sunday, March 29, 2015 at 4:23:59 PM UTC-4, jfitch wrote:
Since the board seems kind of dead today (everyone getting their gliders ready for the season?) I will weigh in with a brief review of this combo. I like iGlide, which seems quite modern compared to the other commercial offerings and it pairs well with the Butterfly/Air variometer. Last year I was running it on an iPhone 5s alongside an Avier(Oudie/V2) running SYM, XCSoar, and Winpilot on various days. The problem with the 5s is the screen is considerably smaller and not apparently as bright as the Avier. Though the display is much higher resolution, you have to hold it closer to you (not ideal for mature eyes) and sometimes hope you are under a cloud.

I bought an iPhone 6 Plus just to run iGlide. It's pretty big to carry around as a phone, however you can swap the SIM card back and forth if you have a 5/ 5s and want to use it that way. In any case, I did so with some trepidation that though the display is bigger and reputedly a bit more sunlight readable, it is an expensive experiment to perform. I now have it running, though I have not flown with it yet.

It is a great deal better than the iPhone 5s, it seems a little brighter held side by side in the sunlight but the shear size means a lot more light is falling on your eyeballs. It is quite readable even in direct sun behind while the 5s was not. Only when you get a direct refection of the sun orb on the screen is it illegible. iGlide just scales up everything to fit the display, so the text, icons, everything is bigger and easier for someone over 50 to read. The touchscreen is also better than the 5s, which seemed to take just a bit more firm touch than the previous iPhones. The 6+ is very sensitive and nice.

The surprise was holding it next to the Avier. There is a mismatch of specs, the Avier/Oudie/V2 claims are in the 800 - 1000 nit brightness and the iPhone 6+ has been independently tested at around 560. However they seem about the same apparent brightness held side by side with both at highest brightness. And the iPhone 6+ is more readable at any angle, in any light. The worst for both is the sun orb directly reflected from the glass, neither is readable there although you can see the edges of the iPhone. At slightly off that angle you can read the iPhone first, and it is simply better in all conditions. Of course the resolutions and touchscreens are not even in the same century. The iPhone display is both physically larger and higher resolution (1920 x 1080 vs. 480 x 272). The less said about the Avier touch screen the better.

I also have Winpilot iOS installed on it, this is also pretty modern and has some nice ideas incorporated, however for me it has been too buggy to use, yet.

I'm looking forward to flying with it.

On Monday, March 30, 2015 at 8:52:32 AM UTC-7, Sean Fidler wrote:
Good review. I have been flying with iGlide for 2 years and look forward to flying with it this week in TN for the FAI PanAm event with a new iPhone 6+. The UI is intuitive and simple just as you would expect from apple. iGlide is an exceptional soaring app when compared to the rather dated Oudie or others. The screens are so outdated compared to the latest generation smart phones. XC Soar on a modern Android device is also excellent of course for the same reason.

I still use my oudie - SN10 - PowerFlarm as my primary but always have the iPhone on my knee as a backup or to cross reference certain navigational scenarios. To be perfectly honest find myself using the iGlide far more than the Oudie. iGlide is far, far better than the Oudie other than the simple integration the Oudie has with the SN10.

Here is a screenshot of iGlide on the iphone 6 plus: https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A253qWtHBcPl9





On Sunday, March 29, 2015 at 4:23:59 PM UTC-4, jfitch wrote:
Since the board seems kind of dead today (everyone getting their gliders ready for the season?) I will weigh in with a brief review of this combo. I like iGlide, which seems quite modern compared to the other commercial offerings and it pairs well with the Butterfly/Air variometer. Last year I was running it on an iPhone 5s alongside an Avier(Oudie/V2) running SYM, XCSoar, and Winpilot on various days. The problem with the 5s is the screen is considerably smaller and not apparently as bright as the Avier. Though the display is much higher resolution, you have to hold it closer to you (not ideal for mature eyes) and sometimes hope you are under a cloud.

I bought an iPhone 6 Plus just to run iGlide. It's pretty big to carry around as a phone, however you can swap the SIM card back and forth if you have a 5/ 5s and want to use it that way. In any case, I did so with some trepidation that though the display is bigger and reputedly a bit more sunlight readable, it is an expensive experiment to perform. I now have it running, though I have not flown with it yet.

It is a great deal better than the iPhone 5s, it seems a little brighter held side by side in the sunlight but the shear size means a lot more light is falling on your eyeballs. It is quite readable even in direct sun behind while the 5s was not. Only when you get a direct refection of the sun orb on the screen is it illegible. iGlide just scales up everything to fit the display, so the text, icons, everything is bigger and easier for someone over 50 to read. The touchscreen is also better than the 5s, which seemed to take just a bit more firm touch than the previous iPhones. The 6+ is very sensitive and nice.

The surprise was holding it next to the Avier. There is a mismatch of specs, the Avier/Oudie/V2 claims are in the 800 - 1000 nit brightness and the iPhone 6+ has been independently tested at around 560. However they seem about the same apparent brightness held side by side with both at highest brightness. And the iPhone 6+ is more readable at any angle, in any light. The worst for both is the sun orb directly reflected from the glass, neither is readable there although you can see the edges of the iPhone. At slightly off that angle you can read the iPhone first, and it is simply better in all conditions. Of course the resolutions and touchscreens are not even in the same century. The iPhone display is both physically larger and higher resolution (1920 x 1080 vs. 480 x 272). The less said about the Avier touch screen the better.

I also have Winpilot iOS installed on it, this is also pretty modern and has some nice ideas incorporated, however for me it has been too buggy to use, yet.

I'm looking forward to flying with it.

I'll agree with that. Now you just need the Air vario to go with it. The instantaneous wind driven thermal assistant is very interesting.

+1 on the outdated look and UI of SYM (and XCSoar too).

But, still no US contest rules on iGlide - can't do MAT tasks. I know how you love them.

On Monday, March 30, 2015 at 3:07:27 PM UTC-4, jfitch wrote:
On Monday, March 30, 2015 at 8:52:32 AM UTC-7, Sean Fidler wrote:
Good review. I have been flying with iGlide for 2 years and look forward to flying with it this week in TN for the FAI PanAm event with a new iPhone 6+. The UI is intuitive and simple just as you would expect from apple.. iGlide is an exceptional soaring app when compared to the rather dated Oudie or others. The screens are so outdated compared to the latest generation smart phones. XC Soar on a modern Android device is also excellent of course for the same reason.

I still use my oudie - SN10 - PowerFlarm as my primary but always have the iPhone on my knee as a backup or to cross reference certain navigational scenarios. To be perfectly honest find myself using the iGlide far more than the Oudie. iGlide is far, far better than the Oudie other than the simple integration the Oudie has with the SN10.

Here is a screenshot of iGlide on the iphone 6 plus: https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A253qWtHBcPl9





On Sunday, March 29, 2015 at 4:23:59 PM UTC-4, jfitch wrote:
Since the board seems kind of dead today (everyone getting their gliders ready for the season?) I will weigh in with a brief review of this combo. I like iGlide, which seems quite modern compared to the other commercial offerings and it pairs well with the Butterfly/Air variometer. Last year I was running it on an iPhone 5s alongside an Avier(Oudie/V2) running SYM, XCSoar, and Winpilot on various days. The problem with the 5s is the screen is considerably smaller and not apparently as bright as the Avier. Though the display is much higher resolution, you have to hold it closer to you (not ideal for mature eyes) and sometimes hope you are under a cloud.

I bought an iPhone 6 Plus just to run iGlide. It's pretty big to carry around as a phone, however you can swap the SIM card back and forth if you have a 5/ 5s and want to use it that way. In any case, I did so with some trepidation that though the display is bigger and reputedly a bit more sunlight readable, it is an expensive experiment to perform. I now have it running, though I have not flown with it yet.

It is a great deal better than the iPhone 5s, it seems a little brighter held side by side in the sunlight but the shear size means a lot more light is falling on your eyeballs. It is quite readable even in direct sun behind while the 5s was not. Only when you get a direct refection of the sun orb on the screen is it illegible. iGlide just scales up everything to fit the display, so the text, icons, everything is bigger and easier for someone over 50 to read. The touchscreen is also better than the 5s, which seemed to take just a bit more firm touch than the previous iPhones. The 6+ is very sensitive and nice.

The surprise was holding it next to the Avier. There is a mismatch of specs, the Avier/Oudie/V2 claims are in the 800 - 1000 nit brightness and the iPhone 6+ has been independently tested at around 560. However they seem about the same apparent brightness held side by side with both at highest brightness. And the iPhone 6+ is more readable at any angle, in any light. The worst for both is the sun orb directly reflected from the glass, neither is readable there although you can see the edges of the iPhone. At slightly off that angle you can read the iPhone first, and it is simply better in all conditions. Of course the resolutions and touchscreens are not even in the same century. The iPhone display is both physically larger and higher resolution (1920 x 1080 vs. 480 x 272). The less said about the Avier touch screen the better.

I also have Winpilot iOS installed on it, this is also pretty modern and has some nice ideas incorporated, however for me it has been too buggy to use, yet.

I'm looking forward to flying with it.

I'll agree with that. Now you just need the Air vario to go with it. The instantaneous wind driven thermal assistant is very interesting.

+1 on the outdated look and UI of SYM (and XCSoar too).

But, still no US contest rules on iGlide - can't do MAT tasks. I know how you love them.

If more of us send emails to Marc maybe something happens. I did.

AK

On Monday, March 30, 2015 at 1:23:33 PM UTC-7, Andrzej Kobus wrote:
On Monday, March 30, 2015 at 3:07:27 PM UTC-4, jfitch wrote:
On Monday, March 30, 2015 at 8:52:32 AM UTC-7, Sean Fidler wrote:
Good review. I have been flying with iGlide for 2 years and look forward to flying with it this week in TN for the FAI PanAm event with a new iPhone 6+. The UI is intuitive and simple just as you would expect from apple. iGlide is an exceptional soaring app when compared to the rather dated Oudie or others. The screens are so outdated compared to the latest generation smart phones. XC Soar on a modern Android device is also excellent of course for the same reason.

I still use my oudie - SN10 - PowerFlarm as my primary but always have the iPhone on my knee as a backup or to cross reference certain navigational scenarios. To be perfectly honest find myself using the iGlide far more than the Oudie. iGlide is far, far better than the Oudie other than the simple integration the Oudie has with the SN10.

Here is a screenshot of iGlide on the iphone 6 plus: https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A253qWtHBcPl9





On Sunday, March 29, 2015 at 4:23:59 PM UTC-4, jfitch wrote:
Since the board seems kind of dead today (everyone getting their gliders ready for the season?) I will weigh in with a brief review of this combo. I like iGlide, which seems quite modern compared to the other commercial offerings and it pairs well with the Butterfly/Air variometer. Last year I was running it on an iPhone 5s alongside an Avier(Oudie/V2) running SYM, XCSoar, and Winpilot on various days. The problem with the 5s is the screen is considerably smaller and not apparently as bright as the Avier. Though the display is much higher resolution, you have to hold it closer to you (not ideal for mature eyes) and sometimes hope you are under a cloud.

I bought an iPhone 6 Plus just to run iGlide. It's pretty big to carry around as a phone, however you can swap the SIM card back and forth if you have a 5/ 5s and want to use it that way. In any case, I did so with some trepidation that though the display is bigger and reputedly a bit more sunlight readable, it is an expensive experiment to perform. I now have it running, though I have not flown with it yet.

It is a great deal better than the iPhone 5s, it seems a little brighter held side by side in the sunlight but the shear size means a lot more light is falling on your eyeballs. It is quite readable even in direct sun behind while the 5s was not. Only when you get a direct refection of the sun orb on the screen is it illegible. iGlide just scales up everything to fit the display, so the text, icons, everything is bigger and easier for someone over 50 to read. The touchscreen is also better than the 5s, which seemed to take just a bit more firm touch than the previous iPhones. The 6+ is very sensitive and nice.

The surprise was holding it next to the Avier. There is a mismatch of specs, the Avier/Oudie/V2 claims are in the 800 - 1000 nit brightness and the iPhone 6+ has been independently tested at around 560. However they seem about the same apparent brightness held side by side with both at highest brightness. And the iPhone 6+ is more readable at any angle, in any light. The worst for both is the sun orb directly reflected from the glass, neither is readable there although you can see the edges of the iPhone. At slightly off that angle you can read the iPhone first, and it is simply better in all conditions. Of course the resolutions and touchscreens are not even in the same century. The iPhone display is both physically larger and higher resolution (1920 x 1080 vs. 480 x 272). The less said about the Avier touch screen the better.

I also have Winpilot iOS installed on it, this is also pretty modern and has some nice ideas incorporated, however for me it has been too buggy to use, yet.

I'm looking forward to flying with it.

I'll agree with that. Now you just need the Air vario to go with it. The instantaneous wind driven thermal assistant is very interesting.

+1 on the outdated look and UI of SYM (and XCSoar too).

But, still no US contest rules on iGlide - can't do MAT tasks. I know how you love them.

If more of us send emails to Marc maybe something happens. I did.

AK

Another thing to email Marc about: they really need a "free" demo version on the iTunes store. It should have the Advanced or Pro features, but only work with the simulator. Nearly every other package is available this way, try before you buy. The cost of the Lite version is too much for people to experiment, and you really want the Adv feature set anyway. I think if people could try it, they would have many more sales. I want it to be successful so they continue to put effort in, so more people buying is better.