Tablet and a windows laptop recommendations

[jon9000]

Need two bits of hard ware. A laptop to keep in the pickup for mainly sheet work and hopefully backing up Trimble ab lines etc. Also need a tablet for sheet work in sprayer and tractor that will run green light grower in the future. Any recommendations?

 

[Boysground]

Greenlight grower app will only work on iOS so you will need a iPad. I have a mini 3 and the app works very well on it. Put the iPad in a good case to keep it safe.
The main version is in the cloud so will work on any browser but chrome is best.

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[ollie989898]

MS surface can do both of those things.

 

[Boysground]

MS surface can do both of those things.

The OP said he wants to run greenlight grower. It’s app which is what you need to be able to use it in a field with no internet is only available on iOS. Muddy boots have told me there are no plans to develop an Android app. That was a couple of years ago so it may be worth a call to check.

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[ollie989898]

The OP said he wants to run greenlight grower. It’s app which is what you need to be able to use it in a field with no internet is only available on iOS. Muddy boots have told me there are no plans to develop an Android app. That was a couple of years ago so it may be worth a call to check.

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That is a joke.

 

[Boysground]

That is a joke.

No joke. Think they told me the costs of developing 2 apps were too high. TBH it does work very well and works fully with no internet connectivity. I use it on a mini 3 which was the cheapest iPad I could find at the time.

Bear in mind when I moved to greenlight I looked at the competition and the gatekeeper app needed internet to work, that made it useless for me. It may have changed now though.

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[jon9000]

MS surface can do both of those things.

I'm tempted what model do you recommend?

 

[ollie989898]

I'm tempted what model do you recommend?

I do not own any of them but Ive had a play with them. You will need to pop into a big box store like PC world and have a go. I cant see any typical user will need the one with the i7 processor, I would focus on the amount of storage they have instead. I would want the 256SSD option. I would probably avoid the base model which used to have a mobile type processor but they may have just got to i5s now.

If you are taking it on a sprayer you will need a tough case for it. Not sure if the surface pen is bundled with it, I doubt it.

MS tend to have special offers on them from time to time so worth looking at the MS shop website. John Lewis also sell them and possibly offer a warranty though they are known for their superb aftersales service. Might be worth taking your software into John Lewis and getting one of their sales people to install it so you can road test it? John Lewis staff always seem very very good.

EDIT

Just had a look on the JL website. They have offers on them:

https://www.johnlewis.com/microsoft...b-ssd-12-3-inch-touchscreen-platinum/p3801346

£80 for 2 years accidental damage cover as well. 256GB of storage and it isn't the base spec i3. I suspect a lot of people are getting away with doing similar workloads and running green light on machines with maybe 128GB of storage but worth asking. My OS and everyday apps sit on a 256GB SSD and I am using about 100GB of it.

EDIT

As Boysground said, can you run with the main version of greenlight or do you want to use the app which is iOS only?

 

[jon9000]

Well just future proofing it really... havnt got green light grower yet. Was really thinking of a cheap tablet plus a laptop however these things look very good. Been looking at a surface pro. Amazon reviews seam very positive

 

[jon9000]

We coming back to theis thread.... in the end I bought a s3 tablet.... which although is good it's no laptop. So my quest begins again. I dont do much typing so I'm planning on either a surface pro or a Lenovo yoga. I'm more inclined to the Lenovo as it looks more tough.... going to be living in my pickup!
Although the Lenovo is dear what do others think

 

[Tealo]

Bought a surface pro for similar work and happy with it so far.

 

[ollie989898]

Bought a surface pro for similar work and happy with it so far.

Which model? I'm envious if your handwriting is good enough to use the pen.

 

[Cowabunga]

Reading from the beginning of this topic, and starting from scratch, I would say that a combination of iPad for use of the mobile app plus any laptop for use with Chrome browser where there is a signal and a keypad is prefered. The model of laptop is totally flexible depending on the work it may be expected to do. If only used for work, something cheap and rugged would do and since the program works through Chrome, and presumably The Cloud, there's hardly any need for storage locally, so something like a lower end Chromebook laptop would be great. Any Windows or Apple laptop, including convertibles would also be fine of course, the choice depending on use and budget.
iPads can now be used with keyboards of course, which may be a better choice for some people. Even with a rugged case, they can be connected through Bluetooth. Check models for compatibility before purchase though.
I suspect that an Android tablet would only be good using Chrome when either a mobile or wi-fi signal was available, because the off-line app wouldn't work in Android. I use a similar system for my herd records, which is Cloud based and works through Chrome. It too has an app that works offline and synchronises with the Cloud when it gets a wi-fi or mobile signal. Indeed I have a choice of using either on my phone, depending on whether there is a signal or not. The app is best on the phone, because it is better designed for smaller screens. It works on my iPad also and even on my jailbroken Amazon Fire Android tablet. The Farmwizard app does work on both Apple and Android devices though.