I'm thinking of getting a Surface Pro or Levano Touch for using Avilasoft EFB and pdf charts & checklists. Anyone else use the EFB on a similar device? Is an 11" or 13" screen large enough to see anything clearly?

Funny this question comes up, because for two weeks I'm the proud owner of a Surface Pro. I've started to use it as an EFB. I run Aivlasoft EFB, TOPCAT and Jeppesen Flitedeck on it. Especially as a chart viewer the device works wonderful. I also use it to read the PDF weather reports I create with Active Sky and of course there's always a browser available whenever you should need it. The fact that I can now do al these things by just touching the screen makes all information faster to reach, in my opinion. However, especially with EFB you have to first find the right scaling settings that suite your needs. EFB runs best with the Surface in landscape orientation whereas viewing charts and PDFs works best in portrait orientation, so you have to rotate the screen now and then, which doesn't bother me at all. One more tip: open the Windows Store and download the free OneNote app. With the Surface Pro pen it works just GREAT for taking notes and you won't need pen and paper ever again!

 

Should you have any questions, feel free to ask me.

Funny this question comes up, because for two weeks I'm the proud owner of a Surface Pro. I've started to use it as an EFB. I run Aivlasoft EFB, TOPCAT and Jeppesen Flitedeck on it. Especially as a chart viewer the device works wonderful. I also use it to read the PDF weather reports I create with Active Sky and of course there's always a browser available whenever you should need it. The fact that I can now do al these things by just touching the screen makes all information faster to reach, in my opinion. However, especially with EFB you have to first find the right scaling settings that suite your needs. EFB runs best with the Surface in landscape orientation whereas viewing charts and PDFs works best in portrait orientation, so you have to rotate the screen now and then, which doesn't bother me at all. One more tip: open the Windows Store and download the free OneNote app. With the Surface Pro pen it works just GREAT for taking notes and you won't need pen and paper ever again!

 

Should you have any questions, feel free to ask me.

 

Awesome, sounds really interesting! Do you find the 11" screen OK to read text in PDFS like checklists? How is the responsiveness of the EFB when using touch? Do you sit on on your lap or desk?

The Surface Pro isn't exactly the lightest of all tablets, but I still I can just hold it in my hand while using it. For taking notes I lay it flat on my desk. The device is incredibly fast for a tablet and responsiveness is the best I've ever seen on a tablet (we also own a New Ipad). The display is the most beautiful I've ever seen with its full HD resolution. Reading PDFs on it works perfectly and the ability to take notes directly in your PDF documents with the pen is a nice touch.

Battery life indeed is poor for a tablet, but what would you expect from an i5-equipped device? I feel the battery life just suites my needs and when using the Surface as an EFB I always have the power supply around.

Thansk for all the info, i really appreciate it   I'll prob wait until the haswell cpu comes out and see what ultrabooks are available then.

The Surface Pro isn't exactly the lightest of all tablets, but I still I can just hold it in my hand while using it. For taking notes I lay it flat on my desk. The device is incredibly fast for a tablet and responsiveness is the best I've ever seen on a tablet (we also own a New Ipad). The display is the most beautiful I've ever seen with its full HD resolution. Reading PDFs on it works perfectly and the ability to take notes directly in your PDF documents with the pen is a nice touch.

Battery life indeed is poor for a tablet, but what would you expect from an i5-equipped device? I feel the battery life just suites my needs and when using the Surface as an EFB I always have the power supply around.

 

Could you be so kind as to take some pics or a video of it in action please?

<p>Just saw this vid, apprently the EFB and Navigraph does not work on Win8. he also says its slow and unresponsive.</p>

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