Support Thread for the TND 500, TND 700 or future Rand McNally products. (part two)

I recently purchased the TNDT70, 7 inch Rand Mcnally Tablet.

There are a few issues worth mentioning on this thing.

First is that it does not play well with polarized lenses. If you're wearing them, the screen will be almost completely blacked out. You can alleviate this issue by tilting the screen slightly.

2nd is that it is running an old version of android; 4.4.2 "Kit Kat" There are two newer versions that have already come out.

3rd The built in dash cam is a disappointment. There is no way to position the tablet with the included hardware without getting the mounting hardware into the view of the dash cam. The best I was able to do was to get it off to the side. You are also limited on how you can position the tablet. If you intend to use the dash cam, before you mount the thing, you should open up the dash cam, find a place where the tablet is not blocking your view of the road, but is easy to glance at and reach without distracting you too much from the road, and has a clear view ahead of you, or wherever you intend to record video. It just makes it very difficult to find a decent place to mount the tablet.

4th issue, there is no Google Play Store. Rand McNally partnered with AMAZON when they developed the operating system on the 7 inch tablet. So you do not have access to the google play store. The 8 inch tablet has google play store, but 7 inch users will be stuck with the limited apps available on AMAZON. You CAN download APK files from 3rd party websites such as apkmirror.com, BUT you will only be able to install apk files which are compatible with the outdated version of android that comes installed on this tablet, you will just get crashes, and error messages.. It would be much easier to have the play store because you would have access to pretty much every android app, and apps that are not compatible with KitKat would be automatically filtered. I have tried installing the Google Play Store, but haven't had much success yet, it just crashes before it finishes loading.

5th issue.. this ties in to the 3rd issue.. The suction cup mount that comes with the 7 inch tablet is TERRIBLE. mine had these thin cracks on the outer layer of the rubber suction cup, the side that sticks to the window, so it was very difficult to get a good seal. If you're having trouble, try pressing VERY firmly on the center of the suction cup as you pull the lever to apply suction. You will want the tablet to be attached to find a good location for the mount, but once you find a good spot, remove it from the mount, and drive a few miles without the tablet attached to make SURE it's going to stay. You do not want your brand new $400 GPS getting banged up, or falling out the window.

6th issue, Once you connect to wifi (i use my mobile hotspot) you will get constant crash notifcations. "Unfortunately VM Services has stopped"

7th, The brightness doesn't automatically adjust, and the lowest brightness setting is a bit high. I recommend downloading an app that allows NEGATIVE brightness values. This will just allow brightness values lower than 0. There is an app called "Lux" which does this, AND it can automatically adjust brightness. Since this tablet does not have a light sensor, Lux can pull data from the front facing camera to see how bright it is, and adjust brightness accordingly. Unfortunately, since a recent update, you can't use the front camera to do this anymore, unless you get the paid version. It's only a couple bucks though, or if you are savvy it can be found for free..

All in all, it looks like a VERY cheap android tablet. BUT.. most of the value on this thing is in the GPS software.

I will say that the GPS software works very well, and it is extremely simple to use. Compared to a standard RandMcnally GPS unit, this one is just as easy to use, and has all the features of the standard unit. As far as the price goes, you have to figure, the cheapest RandMcNally runs about $200, the TND 525. This unit does NOT come with lifetime map updates, that's an extra $90. You also don't get traffic and weather information with that unit, and it features only a 5 inch screen.

Compared to the TND 730 LM, once you tap the gps widget on the 7 inch tablet, this is the SAME EXACT THING! and the price? Guess what, IT'S THE SAME!!!! (after mail in rebate, at a truck stop, online prices may vary..)

As for the 8 inch tablet.. I would go for the 8 inch one if it wasn't 8 inches lol. Honestly, even the 7 inch tablet is overkill for a GPS, and that's pretty much what you're paying for, a gps unit. If you don't mind the extra size obstructing your view, and the extra $$, go with the 8 inch tablet, you get google play with that one. You can't really compare the TNDT80 to anything else, because there aren't any other 8 inch gps units "That I know of".

I do not know the full specs of the 8 inch tablet, but.. here are some specs for the 7 inch, for those of you who are obsessed with numbers.

Spoiler

• Wi-Fi only (802.11a/b/g) (no cellular)
• 7" capcitive touch screen
• Resolution: 1024 x 600
• Android 4.4.2 (Kit Kat)
• Micro SD slot supports up to 32 GB flash (if you use larger sd, only 32gb will be accessible)
• Battery: 2500 mAh
• Tablet: micro USB 2.0
• Mount: micro USB, video in
• U.S. and Canada map coverage
• One-year limited factory warranty
• .3 megapixel front-facing camera
• Storage: 2gb Internal, about 1.5gb usable + 16gb NANDFLASH (I'm guessing this is for map storage)
• RAM: 512mb
• CPU: ARM Cortex-A7 1.54ghz Dual Core

Dash Cam

• 5 megapixel camera
• Records in continuous loop
• Background recording continues while using other apps
• Records up to approximately 6 hrs. on internal storage (photo gallery), or up to available space on external storage (SD card or micro USB drive)
• Segment option allows recording of any length from 1-150 min.

I do not know the specifics on the GPS hardware itself. But since I blew a pretty big wad of cash on this thing, I like to assume that it's pretty decent. Normal smartphones use the cellular connection to triangulate your position, and most modern smartphones also include hardware that communicates with GPS Satellites themselves.

Since this tablet doesn't communicate with cell towers, I can only assume that it uses only satellite signal to get location information. I also like to think that it's better than what comes on most smartphones, since this thing's main purpose is GPS. The box says under contents "Powered magnetic mount with commercial grade GPS boost" So I'm guessing that when this thing is connected to the magnetic mount, it gets even better GPS accuracy. I have yet to test it without the mount though. Also a replacement magnetic mount with "Commercial GPS boost" is only $24.99 at the RM store, and another $24.99 if you want a 2nd crappy suction cup setup.

Bottom line.. As for the hardware itself, it's cheap, reallllly reallly cheap. You can buy an equivalent tablet for under $50. But you're not paying for a tablet, you're paying for a GPS unit. And on that end, it's a great value. The whole android tablet aspect has to be looked at as a bonus feature, if at all.

If you've already got a decent truck gps unit with traffic, weather, etc. Stick with what you've got, and get a cheap tablet to play around with. If your GPS didn't come with lifetime maps, and you'd rather not spend the $90 just to make your cheap gps unit useful again, and you want to just throw it out the window and get a new one, or if you don't have a GPS unit to begin with.. go for it. This is a good way to go, and not a bad deal in my mind. If you're just one of those truck drivers that just has to have the latest and greatest electronic devices, go for the 8 inch tablet. It's way more useful out of the box, and the extra screen size will make all the other drivers jealous.

I hope all this information helped you decide weather or not you wanted to sink some cash on this thing, and I hope RM reads some of my complaints here and fixes these issues in the next revision. Thanks.

 

OK so after updating the maps and running the diagnostics twice my 730 still freezes up. Slot, sometimes 4 or 5 times in a row. Sometimes it won't even finish calculating. Mark is there a fix for this ? I'm very disappointed and frustrated. To spend 400 bucks and it not work properly is just shameful. Any help mark ?

 

Any way to force update. Not seeing an option. Just bought the 80 yesterday. Thanks.

 

Do the tablets not use the dock software. My macbook pro refuses to see the thing plugged in. Have gone as far as resinstalling El Capitan and it still does not see it. Sees my Gamin Dēzl fine. Any help appreciated!!

Ver: 1.0.19.3450

 

Any ideas on why RM services constantly is failing? Does not appear to be any updates available.

Perplexed