We had a chance to meet with Dave Dusanek, president of DigiFarm, at the 2015 Farm Progress Show to talk about the unveiling of the Beacon. The Beacon is the industry’s first Apple MFi certified Bluetooth Device called the Beacon v3.0 and a companion iOS NTRIP App. The tool streams RTK correction data to any GPS receiver without needing radios or cellular modems — using an iPad in the cab instead. Due to the work in recent years of companies like Precision Planting, tablets, specifically the iPad, have become widely used as in-cab tools.
The move by DigiFarm is another step toward manufacturers and service providers targeting tablets and other mobile devices as platforms for their products.
The Beacon v3.0 breaks ground as the first Apple MFi certified Bluetooth Device used for RTK corrections. MFi, which stands for ‘made for iPhone, iPod or iPad’, is an Apple licensing program for developers of hard- and software components that work with iDevices. If Digifarm’s new device is successful, achieving this certification may soon become a developer trend in it’s own right.
