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All IFD units have built-in BlueTooth and Wifi.
With firmware update 10.1.1 (now released), you will notice a WiFi node appear in your plane -- from the IFD540/440! Avidyne is using BT for hardware, like keyboards (now shipping), and has reserved Wifi for navdata transfer, app interconnectivity, direct internet access, and who knows what else in future.
There are two levels of WiFi access. Anyone can apply for a $0 license, get access to the API, and can write their own personal (or public) app to pull data. For a license for both data push and pull there is a certification process, for obvious reasons.
Avidyne will not announce who they have been working with, and at the developer's requests will leave it to them to announce on their own. It is widely expected that Foreflight and Seattle Avionics Fly-Q will be among the first big developers to enter the arena. FltPlan is surely a good bet too. But given the construct of the access program, most anyone can enable their aviation app to work, even the little guy one-man shop.
I will get 10.1.1 installed this week. All firmware updates, major & minor, thus far have been free of charge to the end-user.
I'm not a big in-cockpit tablet use guy, other than for tertiary backup or if I get bored on a longer flight -- I keep FltPlan and the Jepp viewer available and up to date. But, clearly a lot of folks do heavily rely on their tablet and tablet apps when flying, so this will be an interesting development for sure.
* Orest
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