Announcing the Bad Elf GPS Pro!

Jay

April 06, 2013

Hi, will non IOS connectivity be achieved through firmware updates or are these different devices- I am planning to use this for geotagging on Nikon cameras using the foolography Bluetooth interface that works with common Bluetooth GPS units. If more than firmware I’d required, I’ll have to return the device

Brett

April 07, 2013

Hi Jay,

It will be a firmware update, no hardware changes. Don’t have an ETA yet but it’s on the list for next major release of the app/firmware. Stay tuned to the blog for more information.

Best regards,
Brett

Jay

April 09, 2013

Brett, Thanks – I realized you had already answered the question previously; can’t wait to try it out!

Liz

February 14, 2013

Hi there,

1) Is there a way to lower the sampling rate to preserve data storage space ont he BadElf Pro?

2) Is there a faster way than bluetooth to transfer the the data from the unit to an iPad?

Thanks!

Brett

February 14, 2013

Hi Liz,

We have an app/firmware update in the Apple review queue that includes support for 10sec, 30sec, and 1 min logging intervals. You can also use the existing Smart Filter setting to set a speed threshold. Both of these will allow you to reduce the log file sizes considerably! Keep your eye on our blog for more information in the next week or so.

We made some big improvements to the log transfer speeds over Bluetooth in app version 2.0.14, and will likely revisit this again in a future release.

Any other comments, suggestions, or feedback is greatly appreciated!

Best regards,
Brett

Brett

January 01, 2013

Hi Adam,

Good questions! The GPS Pro includes an internal LithIon battery, the same used for all cell phones on the market today. We don’t have hard lifespan test data yet, but we do use a very high quality battery. We’re expecting 2-3 years of normal usage (or 500+ charge/discharge cycles) before the reduced capacity is noticeable (< 80%).

We don’t have a formal battery replacement program, but plan to provide one in the future. I would expect this to be offered at a MUCH lower cost than a new unit, and not a profit driver for us. We want happy users for life!

We have a number of military users already, and like you we are expecting this to ramp up considerably in 2013. There are so many benefits to electronic chart products on the iPad and other tablet devices. We DO plan to add support for non-iOS devices soon, but haven’t announced a timeframe just yet. We should be able to nail that down soon, so keep an eye on our blog. The HW is ready, so it’s “just” a firmware update.

Hope that helps.

Best regards,
Brett

Jeremie Lariviere

January 11, 2013

I’m looking about buying the Pro model, and also would love it if it was compatible with my Sony Laptop too!

Brett

January 11, 2013

Hi Jeremie,

You’re not the only one. We have non-iOS platform support planned for the near future, stay tuned. What apps/scenarios do you want to work?

Thanks,
Brett

Enzo

December 16, 2012

Just bought your pro model for my I pad mini : just can’t wait to test it !

Adam

January 01, 2013

Before purchasing this product, I have read about the internal rechargeable battery not being able to be replaced and have a few questions that may also benefit other individuals.

If and when the battery depletes, do I have to spend the full purchase price to buy a new unit?

Is there any development being pursued to have the ability to replace the battery with a new one in the future?

I am currently only flying in Army Aviation (UH-60 Blackhawks) and not yet in civil aviation, but I believe there is a huge audience within my community that would benefit from this product as I believe very shortly a transition may possibly be made to some sort of tablet use aside from paper charts. Will this product develop into a multi-system Bluetooth or remain within the apple community?

Thank you and I look forward to doing business in the future.

Alfred

December 12, 2012

Does the Pro have any altitude and/or speed restrictions ?

Brett

December 12, 2012

Hi Alfred,

We use the MediaTek MT3339 chipset, which has a speed restriction of 515 m/s and altitude restriction of 50,000m. If either is violated the chipset will stop providing location updates, so it’s not suitable for high-altitude ballooning (if that’s why you’re asking). If you have another use-case that will hit these limits then I’d love to hear about it!

Best regards,
Brett

Alfred

December 12, 2012

No, that should be ok ;-)

I was just checking to see if it’s geared towards general aviation or commercial aviation as well.

Brett

December 05, 2012

Hi Ed,
We’re working on a few possible mounting options, but in the meantime, for portable applications most people are keeping it in their pocket or using the neck lanyard included in the box. If you have a fixed location and want to see the screen easily then some of the car mounts/cradles will work (especially the side or top/bottom clamp-style mounts). Hope that helps!
Thanks,
Brett

Patricio

December 09, 2012

Hi guys, I´ve been working with the Pro for about 2 months now, and it goes just fine, the only thing I need for it is a mount, to secure the unit in the back side window of the plane, why don´t you ask to RAM to build a suction style mount for the Pro?

Brett

December 10, 2012

Hi Patricio,

Thanks for the feedback! We are working on a mount solution and RAM would be a great way to go (either manufactured by them or compatible with their system). We’re hoping to have something to announce soon, so stay tuned to the blog or mailing list.

Best regards,
Brett

Brett

August 14, 2012

No, sorry, we aren’t offering any trade-in or discounts on the new product at this time.
Best regards,
Brett

Ed

December 04, 2012

Hi

Will you be releasing a pouch or case to store the GPS. I planning on buying one for hot air balloon flying so a way of mounting it would be great too.

Satori

August 08, 2012

Hi.
I got Bad elf Pro from myGoFlight online shop last week. It is really an amazing product. It works perfect with my new iPad and iPod touch 4G at the same time.
Its battery lasts for virtually a day as advertised.
Time to lock seems shorter and sensitivity does better than original bad elf.
I strongly recommend this unit for all who are interested in.

By the way, I have a question and a suggestion (both are minor things).
1. A few days ago, the Bad elf software informed me there was a new firmware and I installed it with no problem. Although I wanted to know what were changed, I couldn’t find a release note. Where can I get it ?

2. The design of Bad elf Pro is quite conservative and I think it is OK for aviation. However, now Bad elf Pro has a logger function; therefore some variations on its appearance would be preferable for out door use (eg. trekking, cycling).
I would say that carabiner or some tough hook makes the GPS unit more usable for example. Honestly, the current key chain lanyard looks unreliable.
I put a link for a ETON radio with a carabiner for a reference.
http://www.etoncorp.com/product_card/?p_ProductDbId=1776057

Thanks

Brett

August 10, 2012

Hi Satori,

Thanks for your support and feedback. We’re very excited about new product and have some great features planned for the coming months.

Sorry for the lack of info related to v2.0.30. We do plan on doing a better job of communicating the release notes via our website and within the app in the future. But to answer your question, this firmware update fixed several bugs related to Bluetooth connectivity with 2-6 devices connected in noisy RF environments, as well as re-enabled the “Save POI” dialog screen. This dialog pops up after doing a long press of the GPS button when datalogging is currently active. A new iOS app is headed for Apple review on Monday that will fix several issues there, and enable the POI info to correctly flow into the GPX and KML log files generated by the app.

We’ll certainly take your feedback on the lanyard loop seriously as we consider revisions of the GPS Pro and/or new designs going forward.

Keep the comments and suggestions flowing!

Best regards,
Brett

Richard Moore

August 13, 2012

Is a trade in program or other discount for those of us who have the original bad elf unit planned? Thanks for any info!

Kent

July 31, 2012

Brett,

Will this unit work with the wifi Ipad 2 and Navionics software? Will the tracking be as good or better than using the hard connect Bad Elf unit?

Thanks.

Kent

Brett

August 03, 2012

Hi Kent,
Yes, the new GPS Pro is compatible with iPad 2 (as well as the original iPad and iPad 3rd generation), and we expect full compatibility with Navionics apps. We’re seeing faster lock times with the new unit, and the accuracy is same or better. It does have a larger antenna and ground plane than the original Bad Elf GPS.
-Brett

Brett

July 27, 2012

Sure! mygoflight.com will ship to you in Brazil. It will be a few more weeks before our other resellers have the GPS Pro in stock.

Thanks,
Brett

Eddy Emons

July 29, 2012

Will this unit be available in the UK Apple Stores?
What is the selling price for this new GPS Pro?

David

July 30, 2012

Wow, am I impressed. I have the original Bad Elf, and loved the accuracy, quick lock, and small size. What I did not like is that the unit kep falling out of my iPad. I thought this was a design problem, and just lived with it.
What an ignorant decision that was! I lived with it for almost a year, and the great folks at Bad Elf heard about it. They INSTANTLY sent me a new unit and this one fits tightly, and does not fall out. It works perfectly.
I cannot tell you how much I value good customer service, and how rare it is these days. I will be a customer and cheerleader for Bad Elf and I cannot wait to try the Pro u it.
Thanks for the extra good service.

Joey

July 27, 2012

This is a great product! We use this for navigation on our charter boats on lake Michigan and works great! We are excited for the new product. When will it be available?

It would be nice if this was compatible with regular OS’s and could be used as an USB GPS for a laptop or such. Don’t know what that would entail but just a thought.

Thanks

Paulo Silva

July 27, 2012

Please can you tell me where I can buy the bad Elf gps pro.
I leave in Brazil.
Thanks

Paulo

Brett

July 27, 2012

Hi Joey,

Glad to hear the original Bad Elf GPS has been working great for you! The GPS Pro is available now from one of our resellers, mygoflight.com, and we should have inventory headed to our other resellers in the next few weeks. So not too much longer.

At this time the GPS Pro only works with iOS devices, but we may consider other devices/computers in the future. We have lots of ideas for the iOS app and firmware so those are first priority for the next few months.

Best regards,
Brett

John

July 24, 2012

Did I miss the Tuesday afternoon announcement?

Zack Jones

July 25, 2012

Brett,

This is great news. If you guys need any help beta testing or anything let me know. I’d love to help out.

Brett

July 23, 2012

Hi Michael,
I’m assuming you mean that the Bad Elf GPS tends to fall out when you have the pass-thru charging cable attached? This can be a problem since our cables are fairly thick to support the iPad’s higher charging current requirements. A good trick to alleviate this issue is to fold the cable 180 degrees and run it back under the iPad or secure it to a mount. This will reduce the amount of leverage on the 30-pin dock connector, and depending on your installation, can actually help lock the dongle in place.
Hope that helps!
-Brett

Zack Jones

July 24, 2012

I have been corresponding with Jeff through email but wanted to add my 2 cents worth here. I think this is a great update and will be getting one for geotagging photos in Adobe Photshop Lightroom. I would love to be able to transfer the log files directly from the device instead of having to email them from my iPhone/iPad. Ideally the logs would be on my iDevice and then I could save them to the computer using iTunes. I can’t wait for this new product to be released!

Brett

July 24, 2012

Hi Zack,

Thanks for the feedback! Photo geo-tagging was definitely one of the scenarios we considered when designing the GPS Pro. We’re looking at more options for transferring and sharing the log files, and the iTunes app/file integration seems like a promising approach. I passed this along to the development team for review when we get back from the Oshkosh show this week.

Best regards,
Brett

Mike Macdonald

July 23, 2012

I jsut bought the orginal Bad Elf and its a real pain to keep it plugged in.

Any increased accuracy?

We use it at work to sight in equipment and would love a bit mroe accuracy.

Brett

July 23, 2012

Hi Mike,
I dropped you an email to discuss your use-case in more detail. Accuracy for both of our products is 2.5m (provided by SBAS/WAAS).
Thanks,
Brett

Brett

July 23, 2012

Hi Wayne,
Thanks for the kind words! At this time we’re only supporting Apple iOS devices via Bluetooth, and the USB port is used only for charging. But I will pass along your request for Mac OS support.
Best regards,
Brett

Michael Baum

July 23, 2012

Would like something to secure your first product on the iPad. It tends to fall out when powered. Thanks

Wayne Kaufman

July 23, 2012

Will this connect to a Mac book pro as well to run software on the
Mac as well
Keep up the great work looking forward to getting this new unit