# DDI and IPAD



## Nathal (Mar 29, 2010)

Does anybody know if some DDI stuff is Flash based? Like the Compendium? I know Dungeon and Dragon are just PDF, so that's fine. I've been thinking about getting an IPAD, but the lack of Flash support has me re-thinking the decision.


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## Enclave (Mar 29, 2010)

Nathal said:


> Does anybody know if some DDI stuff is Flash based? Like the Compendium? I know Dungeon and Dragon are just PDF, so that's fine. I've been thinking about getting an IPAD, but the lack of Flash support has me re-thinking the decision.




The Compendium works on my iPhone so I assume it would work on the iPad.


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## catsclaw227 (Mar 30, 2010)

I am pretty sure you won't be able to run the CB or Adventure Tools, since they are developed with the .NET framework.  Those are the key DDI applications, along with Compendium that makes a difference to me.


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## deadsmurf (Mar 30, 2010)

The old "bonus tools" Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article () (encounter builder and the old monster builder and ability generator) were flash
but there isn't even a link to these anymore really.


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## Enclave (Mar 30, 2010)

catsclaw227 said:


> I am pretty sure you won't be able to run the CB or Adventure Tools, since they are developed with the .NET framework.  Those are the key DDI applications, along with Compendium that makes a difference to me.




Oh you most definitely will not be able to use those.  Only the Compendium will work.


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## Obryn (Mar 30, 2010)

One of my players has a character manager which just reads his .dnd4e file.  I'm assuming the iPad should work for that, too.

-O


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## Keefe the Thief (Mar 30, 2010)

You should be able to use iplay4e to view your characters made with the charbuilder in a browser. If you´re unsure, ask the guys at iplay4e if the ipad can view their site.


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## pedr (Mar 30, 2010)

iPlay4e works perfectly on the iPhone/iPod Touch, so I'm sure it'll be amazing on the iPad. It will need a constant Internet connection, though. I expect their are other offline dnd4e readers - alternatively you could get a PDF printer for the computer you're using the Character Builder on, and print character sheets to PDFs which you can read on the iPad. (I use CutePDF: CutePDF - Create PDF for free, Free PDF Utilities, Save PDF Forms, Edit PDF easily.)

The Scryer gateway to the Compendium (Scryer - D&D Insider Compendium Searcher) will avoid the WotC site which is optimised for desktop browsers and doesn't play well with mobile ones. (Just Items and Monsters at the moment - I hope it's still being developed!). Having said that, I just tested the Compendium on the iPod Touch and it was quite usable. It benefited from changes in orientation at times and quite a lot of screen resizing, and response time to button-presses was between 5 and 15 seconds so you need to be patient, but it does work. I expect - again - that some of the fiddle is due to screen size and would be reduced on the iPad. 

It works better than 'Browser' or Dolphin on the Nexus One, which doesn't seem to want to display the results which is a shame as the interaction with the interface works better.


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## tylerthehobo (Mar 31, 2010)

There are plenty of other tablets hitting the market, soon, with a wider selection of features.


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## Enclave (Mar 31, 2010)

tylerthehobo said:


> There are plenty of other tablets hitting the market, soon, with a wider selection of features.




The iPad isn't a tablet, it's something far more useless.  A tablet PC is basically a fully functional laptop that has a screen that can swivel and click back down so it's in a tablet form.  I nearly bought one when I got my new laptop 4 months ago.


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## caudor (Mar 31, 2010)

I'm pretty sure at this point that I'm getting an iPad (just waiting for payday).

I like to buy ebooks--especially FR novels, but don't really like being chained to my computer to read them.  I'd much rather read on my recliner.  My eyesight isn't that great, so reading books on my iPhone is not so appealing.

I envision using it for reading Dragon and Dungeon Magazines too, and if WotC ever start selling electronic version of sourcebooks, I'd buy them too. Right now, WotC is missing potential sales.

Before the iPad, I was considering a Kindle.  But the iPad does so much more than the Kindle DX at about the same price.  Plus I get full color, games, apps, surfing, etc.

The iPad is a great value is you like reading eBooks and don't mind not having the e-ink.


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## thewok (Mar 31, 2010)

Enclave said:


> The iPad isn't a tablet, it's something far more useless.  A tablet PC is basically a fully functional laptop that has a screen that can swivel and click back down so it's in a tablet form.  I nearly bought one when I got my new laptop 4 months ago.



Those are convertible notebooks, actually.  A pure tablet has no keyboard.  The input device is the pen/stylus/whatever you want to call it.

Even so, your point is correct.  The ipad is not a tablet computer.  A tablet computer is a fully-featured computer that uses an alternate method of input. (stylus instead of keyboard).  The ipad is more of a bigger ipod touch.  It's not a full computer.

I would love to see the limitations of the ipad come back to bite Apple in the rear, but it won't happen.  If you're wanting a device with limited functionality that can check e-mail, browse the web, display ebooks and play music, then the ipad is a good device.  If you want a full computer, it's not worth the cash.

edit: I guess I should add that I am planning on a convertible notebook for myself.  I was considering an ipad, but a machine that can't multitask is useless to me.  If WotC ever hops on the electronic sales bandwagon again, I'd want the ability to have multiple books open at once.  I've also become quite a fan of Master Planner, which uses the .net framework as its base.


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## kenmarable (Mar 31, 2010)

caudor said:


> I'm pretty sure at this point that I'm getting an iPad (just waiting for payday).
> 
> I like to buy ebooks--especially FR novels, but don't really like being chained to my computer to read them.  I'd much rather read on my recliner.  My eyesight isn't that great, so reading books on my iPhone is not so appealing.
> 
> ...



I'm with you. The iPad certainly isn't for everyone, but it looks to be a perfect fit for my uses. However, I never considered the Kindle because I can't imagine spending that much for basically a single-function device (but that's just my opinion - my mom has one and it's perfect for her). I read about 100-200 pages of journal articles for grad school a week and it's great to have them to read anywhere (I lurv Dropbox!) but, I agree that reading them on a small screen is just a pain.

Plus I am really looking forward to incorporating it into my games and am even considering re-subscribing to Pathfinder for the PDFs and DMing Kingmaker just from the iPad. I have plenty of the other campaigns to run, but the idea of shiny newness beckons!




thewok said:


> Even so, your point is correct.  The ipad is not a tablet computer.  A tablet computer is a fully-featured computer that uses an alternate method of input. (stylus instead of keyboard).  The ipad is more of a bigger ipod touch.  It's not a full computer.
> 
> I would love to see the limitations of the ipad come back to bite Apple in the rear, but it won't happen.  If you're wanting a device with limited functionality that can check e-mail, browse the web, display ebooks and play music, then the ipad is a good device.  If you want a full computer, it's not worth the cash.



Exactly, the iPad meets the needs of some consumers but not others. Personally, not only do I not need a full computer to carry around, I actually don't want a full computer to carry around between the extra maintenance and using an interface that is primarily designed for desktop computers. I know plenty of people who have netbooks and love them. Personally I can't stand netbooks. Full laptops are great (I have to struggle to get our laptop away from my wife who LOOOOVES it), but not portable enough for me going to and from work and home and school.

For me the iPad looks to meet those needs great and I really hope that Apple doesn't get bit in the rear over them (although looking at the estimated sales figures so far, they seem to be doing just fine).


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## Morrus (Mar 31, 2010)

thewok said:


> I would love to see the limitations of the ipad come back to bite Apple in the rear.




Harsh!


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## Morrus (Mar 31, 2010)

For me, I think it suits me - a portable device for media consumption and web browsing, and the occasional idling on various games.  Sort of a "things to do on the train/plane" type thing.


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## Nathal (Mar 31, 2010)

Multi-tasking and lack of flash support is dissapointing, but the IPAD to me is a great Ereader concept. I don't own an Ipod or an E-reader of any kind, so it will be nice. I could wait for the Windows based HP Slate or other offers bound to come down the pike soon, but I think the IPAD meets my needs well enough. If I wasn't in the market for E-Books, especially in color with PDF support, I'd stick with my laptop.


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## pollochicken (Mar 31, 2010)

With tablets and ereaders on the rise, I hope Wizards will eventually reconsider its stance on the selling of PDF sourcebooks.  I would love to have an ereader and a PDF of all the books than a stack of 10+ books hidden under the table when I play.

Hell, knowing me I'd probably double dip and buy the hardcover and digital copies of most books.


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## caudor (Mar 31, 2010)

pollochicken said:


> With tablets and ereaders on the rise, I hope Wizards will eventually reconsider its stance on the selling of PDF sourcebooks.  I would love to have an ereader and a PDF of all the books than a stack of 10+ books hidden under the table when I play.
> 
> Hell, knowing me I'd probably double dip and buy the hardcover and digital copies of most books.




Yes, I would probably double dip as well.  I wonder if it is possible to present the current sourcebooks as epub and keep the formatting the same?  I wonder if WotC still has the electronic sourcebook issue on the table.


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## Lidgar (Mar 31, 2010)

*Multitasking*

While I do not plan to buy one any time soon, multitasking is likely not that far off for the iPad. Would love to see not only WotC, but other publishers continue their initial efforts on mobile devices to bring great apps to the gaming table. Having hyperlinked PDF'ed rulebooks on my mobile device of choice would be excellent. With an iPad or similar device, could also show off graphics of monsters/situations through a search function. Size does make a difference.


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## Enclave (Mar 31, 2010)

kenmarable said:


> I'm with you. The iPad certainly isn't for everyone, but it looks to be a perfect fit for my uses. However, I never considered the Kindle because I can't imagine spending that much for basically a single-function device (but that's just my opinion - my mom has one and it's perfect for her). I read about 100-200 pages of journal articles for grad school a week and it's great to have them to read anywhere (I lurv Dropbox!) but, I agree that reading them on a small screen is just a pain.
> 
> Plus I am really looking forward to incorporating it into my games and am even considering re-subscribing to Pathfinder for the PDFs and DMing Kingmaker just from the iPad. I have plenty of the other campaigns to run, but the idea of shiny newness beckons!
> 
> ...




You should note that I'm not talking about netbooks.  I'm talking about tablet PC's that can do EVERYTHING the iPad can do, including the touch based interface.  Hell, they can even read your hand writing and convert it into text.

They're far more versitile than the iPad and far more powerful and on top of that have been around for years.  They really do render the iPad obsolete even before the iPad was ever made.  The only reason the iPad is doing at all well is because Apple has a load of loyal followers, many of whom don't even know that tablet PC's exist.


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## hexgrid (Mar 31, 2010)

pollochicken said:


> With tablets and ereaders on the rise, I hope Wizards will eventually reconsider its stance on the selling of PDF sourcebooks.  I would love to have an ereader and a PDF of all the books than a stack of 10+ books hidden under the table when I play.




When it comes to use in-game, the Compendium is already far more useful than PDFs would be.


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## Plane Sailing (Mar 31, 2010)

catsclaw227 said:


> I am pretty sure you won't be able to run the CB or Adventure Tools, since they are developed with the .NET framework.  Those are the key DDI applications, along with Compendium that makes a difference to me.




The .Net framework itself doesn't preclude web applications which are perfectly accessible on iPhone/iPad etc.  Sadly, the CB is a windows application, so it can't work on iPad), I'm guessing that Adventure Tools is similar.

Just mentioned for a minor point of clarity.

Cheers


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## Vicente (Apr 1, 2010)

Well, the main problem for the CB is that it uses WPF which Mono is not going to port any time soon.


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## darjr (Apr 1, 2010)

Hmmm... wasn't there supposed to be some layer in .net that made it easier to make your .net app a web app? Maybe it was a web app only for windows machines.

I'm getting an ipad. There is this NASA app where you hold the thing up to the sky and it becomes this annotated window to the night, labeling stars and planets and the international freaking space station.

You can move it around the the sky so it shows you details of the sky behind it. You can zoom and dig down and find out about the objects tagged and get video and audio and history and way cool.


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## Vicente (Apr 1, 2010)

You can deploy a WPF app as a Web app, but the CB needs lots of permissions a web app shouldn't have (mostly reading and writing from your hard drive), so that's going to be nearly impossible to do :S


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## Prism (Apr 1, 2010)

I like the idea of the ipad but its just not flexible enough for me. At the moment I'm using maptools, and combat manager at the table and CB and MB to prep. Non of these would run on the ipad due to the requirement of java/.net and also simply because it wouldn't have the performance. I can't see any of these being easily ported to the appstore or being converted to web apps without the use of flash or silverlight. So it will be a windows tablet for me

Also, I would seriously not consider anything like this for novel reading. Reference stuff yes but I wouldn't want to look at an lcd screen for that long. E-ink is the only option at the moment I reckon


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## UngainlyTitan (Apr 1, 2010)

darjr said:


> Hmmm... wasn't there supposed to be some layer in .net that made it easier to make your .net app a web app? Maybe it was a web app only for windows machines.
> 
> I'm getting an ipad. There is this NASA app where you hold the thing up to the sky and it becomes this annotated window to the night, labeling stars and planets and the international freaking space station.
> 
> You can move it around the the sky so it shows you details of the sky behind it. You can zoom and dig down and find out about the objects tagged and get video and audio and history and way cool.



Not specifically, it is more of an architecture issue. In that you can design the application so that all the heavy lifting is done in dlls that have no UI and the UI only does UI stuff, calling out to those modules for anything else.
In a web app they reside on the server and so you cannot run the application off line.

 However, as mentioned above to work as intended the CB and MB need to write to your local drives, which is something you really do not want web applications to. 
The big issue here is not so much the character files but the stuff to allow the application run off-line.


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## WizarDru (Apr 1, 2010)

Enclave said:


> You should note that I'm not talking about netbooks.  I'm talking about tablet PC's that can do EVERYTHING the iPad can do, including the touch based interface.  Hell, they can even read your hand writing and convert it into text.
> 
> They're far more versitile than the iPad and far more powerful and on top of that have been around for years.  They really do render the iPad obsolete even before the iPad was ever made.  The only reason the iPad is doing at all well is because Apple has a load of loyal followers, many of whom don't even know that tablet PC's exist.




Plenty of people know of Tablet PCs.  The industry has been trying to sell them for years....but consumers have been rejecting them continually.  Dell, Samsung, HP, OQO, Fujitus and many others haven't succeeded at selling them.  Most 'tablet' pcs that are out there are regular PCs with swivel screens.  True tablet PCs are few and far between.  They are also EXPENSIVE.  And the OS of choice has usually been a modified form of Windows, which offers only kludgy support for the touch-interface.

The cover of today's tech section in the Wall Street Journal is a glowing review of the iPad by Walter Mossberg.  Mossberg has reviewed plenty of tablet pcs over the years and the answers have usually been the same:  poor battery life, slow performance, clumsy OS, expensive and marginal benefit.  Great for a small niche set of users, lousy for everyone else.  Why pay $1200 for a Q1 when you can get a netbook with the same performance for $700 less?  Reading my handwriting is all well and good, but I type a LOT faster than I write...and I type a LOT each day.  The last tablet PC I had my hands on was buggy and impractical.  While I'm sure they've improved over time, they offer little benefit to the average consumer.

The iPad is lacking several features that I consider deal-killers: no Flash support being a biggie, lack of USB connector another, more expensive applications and so on.  However, people generally aren't seeking it out because they're mindless trendsetters (though I'm sure there is a contingent of them), but are seeking it out because it fills a need.  It offers some pretty nice features, an OS that actually makes gesture-based navigation work and is expansion of an extremely popular design.  The excellent no-contract deal with AT&T is nothing to ignore, either.  No other tablet PC can offer that.

With support for ebooks and PDFs, the iPad would be great as a reference book at the table.  And if WotC doesn't make an iphone/ipad D&D app, they're leaving money just sitting on the table.  AGAIN.

I personally think the iPad is attractive but over-priced for my needs.  But I think it could ultimately offer some really great gaming options down the line, if the price lowers and Apple revises the hardware as they almost certainly are apt to do next year.


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## darjr (Apr 1, 2010)

Not to turn this into a technical talk, but all those files would be stored on the server or access via activex. I remember going to Microsoft for a big spiel about how awesome it would be to have .net apps that could be either desktop or web based. All you had to do was flip this little switch in the development tool and viola! A web app with nary any extra effort.

they had working demo's and everything.

I wasn't fooled then either.

It was a big waste of a perfectly good afternoon.


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## Thanlis (Apr 1, 2010)

Prism said:


> I like the idea of the ipad but its just not flexible enough for me. At the moment I'm using maptools, and combat manager at the table and CB and MB to prep. Non of these would run on the ipad due to the requirement of java/.net and also simply because it wouldn't have the performance.




Oh ye of little faith. The guy who wrote Dicenomicon has Maptool running on the iPhone, and there's a nice screenshot of it running on the iPad emulator at that link. I imagine he had to rewrite the client, since as far as I know Java doesn't run on the iPad, but apparently it's not impossible.

From all reports, the iPad is really fast for a handheld device. People seem to be assuming it's slow, which is perhaps an unwise assumption.


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## Prism (Apr 1, 2010)

WizarDru said:


> And if WotC doesn't make an iphone/ipad D&D app, they're leaving money just sitting on the table.  AGAIN..




I'm not sure Wizards are interested in making money from selling a piece of software. You don't even make much money from iphone apps. All it really wants to to sell more DDI - and to do that you focus on the core market which is windows running on a PC. I don't think adding extra cost to DDI to support another platform is worthwhile sicne I doubt it would sell more DDI

They are probably very happy however for others to create cool tools like iplay4e. I'd like to see an ipad combat/initiative manager


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## Plane Sailing (Apr 1, 2010)

darjr said:


> Not to turn this into a technical talk, but all those files would be stored on the server or access via activex. I remember going to Microsoft for a big spiel about how awesome it would be to have .net apps that could be either desktop or web based. All you had to do was flip this little switch in the development tool and viola! A web app with nary any extra effort.
> 
> they had working demo's and everything.
> 
> ...




I wonder, they may have been talking about their WPF/E plans (WPF/Everywhere), which later metamorphosed into 'Silverlight' which was a long way short of WPF but there you go...

I could imagine writing a nice character builder application using .Net back end services and JQuery/Ajax for front end presentation. Character files would be exportable and importable from such an application, but it wouldn't be able to run disconnected, so it would miss one of the key features of the existing application.

Cheers


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## Plane Sailing (Apr 1, 2010)

Prism said:


> They are probably very happy however for others to create cool tools like iplay4e. I'd like to see an ipad combat/initiative manager




I'm not sure about that - haven't they specifically prohibited anyone from writing 4e software?


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## Prism (Apr 1, 2010)

Thanlis said:


> From all reports, the iPad is really fast for a handheld device. People seem to be assuming it's slow, which is perhaps an unwise assumption.




Its mainly because its not really pitched as a traditional handheld device. The size and pricing pitch it against ereaders, netbooks and windows 7 tablets. Its going up against the intel atom processor which is considerably more powerful and is going to be compared to the full functionality they can offer

The reason multi tasking is taking so long to arrive is because of performance worries and battery drain. I don't think we will ever see something as functional as CB on the ipad. In general I'm unsure what D&D use the ipad will really offer


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## filthgrinder (Apr 1, 2010)

Prism said:


> In general I'm unsure what D&D use the ipad will really offer




As a player or as a DM?

Player: character sheet, e-book reader, Pages app for games notes.

DM: Compendium access, e-book reader, PDFs of maps, combat tracker.
Throw something like the "familiar" app or "dungeon manager" trackers on it, and it's beautiful.


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## catsclaw227 (Apr 1, 2010)

Plane Sailing said:


> The .Net framework itself doesn't preclude web applications which are perfectly accessible on iPhone/iPad etc.  Sadly, the CB is a windows application, so it can't work on iPad), I'm guessing that Adventure Tools is similar.
> 
> Just mentioned for a minor point of clarity.






Vicente said:


> Well, the main problem for the CB is that it uses WPF which Mono is not going to port any time soon.



Yes, I didn't mention it only because I didn't want to bog the discussion down into all the technical issues.



darjr said:


> Hmmm... wasn't there supposed to be some layer in .net that made it easier to make your .net app a web app? Maybe it was a web app only for windows machines.



There are some ways to port your WPF app into a web app, but it requires some important design considerations in the beginning and good use of separation of UI from the db/application layer.

There are even 3rd party components that help you design your back-end in a way that will allow it to be utilized by Web, WPF or Silverlight UIs.


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## Prism (Apr 1, 2010)

filthgrinder said:


> As a player or as a DM?
> 
> Player: character sheet, e-book reader, Pages app for games notes.
> 
> ...




If only it could be used as an e-book reader it would be great - if d&d ebooks were available. The iplay4e app is certainly a decent enough tool. I like the idea of using it as a map reference

If a good tracker app came out then that might tempt me but I wouldn't buy something that price in the hope that it did. What I'm not convinced with is the choice I would get from a variety of apps that offer similar functionality


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## catsclaw227 (Apr 1, 2010)

Plane Sailing said:


> I could imagine writing a nice character builder application using .Net back end services and JQuery/Ajax for front end presentation. Character files would be exportable and importable from such an application, but it wouldn't be able to run disconnected, so it would miss one of the key features of the existing application.



Dang... that's twice today I have been Ninja'd by PC.

There's something fishy about this.....


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## Thanlis (Apr 1, 2010)

Prism said:


> Its mainly because its not really pitched as a traditional handheld device. The size and pricing pitch it against ereaders, netbooks and windows 7 tablets. Its going up against the intel atom processor which is considerably more powerful and is going to be compared to the full functionality they can offer




Not to be rude, but how do you know how powerful the iPad processor is? It's developed in-house. It's certainly true that ARM processors as found in your typical mobile device are slower than the Atom processor found in a current netbook. It's also almost certainly true that the A4 is ARM-based. 

On the other hand, it's not laboring under the need to run Windows. If you're comparing to a Windows 7 tablet, that matters. And so far, all the reviews say it's, well, fast. There's a nice one at PC World, with video, including Need for Speed running on the iPad and looking way better than any game I've ever run on my netbook. Heck, you can watch video on it. Let me tell you how choppy Hulu is on my netbook...

It's already got a functional word processor and spreadsheet application. Character Builder is not exactly a huge load of complexity. That said, I don't expect to see CB on it because I don't expect WotC to do the port -- but it seems a bit silly to write it off for performance reasons given what we know about it already.

Edit: and yeah, what you said about apps actually existing. I mean, as much as I'd love to get fully indexed D&D ebooks, I don't expect I will. I would not get one of these purely for D&D; if I do get one, the nice iPlay4e and Compendium functionality is just gravy.


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## darjr (Apr 1, 2010)

What they showed worked. I'm not saying it didn't.

It was marketing, and the downsides and the caveats were left clear out.

I'd think that if WotC could have done a .net web app with functionality of the current character builder, they would have.


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## Prism (Apr 2, 2010)

Thanlis said:


> Not to be rude, but how do you know how powerful the iPad processor is? It's developed in-house. It's certainly true that ARM processors as found in your typical mobile device are slower than the Atom processor found in a current netbook. It's also almost certainly true that the A4 is ARM-based.




I meant an atom is considerably more powerful than a handheld device ie phone which is why people might assume it was going to be slow in comparison. Personally I agree with you - there is no way or need to compare since they arr running totally different operating systems. 



> Edit: and yeah, what you said about apps actually existing. I mean, as much as I'd love to get fully indexed D&D ebooks, I don't expect I will. I would not get one of these purely for D&D; if I do get one, the nice iPlay4e and Compendium functionality is just gravy.




Thats the main point for me. I can see this being good for a number of other uses. if I was to use it for D&D I can no real benefit over my current netbook but lots of downsides in that I lose all my .NET and Java apps. As far as I can tell there are no combat trackers for iphone, no D&D pdfs and no other apps that I am aware of. Iplay4e is good but I can do that already and might not always have access to wireless. Its a shame really that for such a good bit of hardware and OS its currently pretty useless for me. 


My other non D&D uses ie work requires me to use microsoft software so it doesn't help me much there either. (I get my content delivered to me via onenote and silverlight)


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## Thanlis (Apr 2, 2010)

Prism said:


> I meant an atom is considerably more powerful than a handheld device ie phone which is why people might assume it was going to be slow in comparison. Personally I agree with you - there is no way or need to compare since they arr running totally different operating systems.




Oh, we're totally on the same page, yeah. Sorry! I am personally not making any real bets on speed till I get my hands on one, because what really matters is speed for the stuff any individual user cares about.

There are a couple of combat trackers for the iPhone, but nothing that really excites me. The iPlay4e combat tracker might be awesome, given the general quality of their work, but I've learned not to buy hardware for software that isn't out yet. I'm an Apple fanboy, but I didn't get an iPhone the first day either.


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## Vicente (Apr 3, 2010)

I am a heavy TabletPC user (I have a convertible HP tx2500z, an old model without multitouch support), and I love it. When I was looking to replace my old laptop (a high end Dell), I was very sure I wanted a TabletPC because I would use it mostly for:

- Give conferences
- Take notes in meetings or for my random ideas

For both things, a TabletPC performs beautifully: drawing in a powerpoint you are presenting helps a lot when talking or explaining things, and OneNote is probably one of the best products I have found to organize my notes and ideas. I also use it a lot when I'm DMing.

I have used it for a lot of other things, and with Windows 7 it works like a charm (W7 support for writting, touch, and speech is superb, and more if you are a native english speaker).

Really, in my opinion, they may not sell very well, but it's because they cover a specific market, not because they are bad gadgets themselves.


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## OchreJelly (Apr 3, 2010)

As an early adopter I'm here to say I've browsed the compendium with the iPad.  

Navigating the insider site works generally pretty well on the iPad.  I'm surprised by how much I like the software keyboard for entering my user and pw.  It took much less of an adjustment over my iPhone for pretty obvious reasons.  Nonetheless, the homepage of DDI looks nice, the carousel rotation displays nicely (I figured that it was going to be Flash but I guess not).

I was very hopeful when I got to the compendium itself and performed a random search.  I searched on hobgoblins and clicked on a result.  The "thickbox" style overlay displays.  I figure these are javascript controls so ipad safari should have no problems with it.  True enough the display popped.  I could pinch-scale the stat block nicely or rotate it.  The JS pagination controls work, as does the close button.  

All in all it's a very nice experience.  The wifi is super responsive.  I can totally see it being a good table-side asset as I'm able to search on compendium entries very quickly.

I haven't messed with the iBook much yet.  It comes preloaded with one book: Winnie-the-Pooh.  It looks pretty amazing.  If wotc gets on board with this and offers iBook versions of DND books I will be a happy camper.

Let me know if you have other questions.


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## PaulofCthulhu (Apr 4, 2010)

Have you tried reading PDFs on it yet? I'd be interested to know how it behaves.

Also - can you delete podcasts from the _iPad_ without having to sync through _iTunes_.


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## Thanlis (Apr 4, 2010)

PIM68 said:


> Also - can you delete podcasts from the _iPad_ without having to sync through _iTunes_.




Entire podcasts, or individual episodes? You can delete individual episodes on the iPhone, so I would assume you can on the iPad.

Edit: regarding PDFs, see this thread. People seem quite happy. I played with an iPad briefly this morning and I'm not surprised; the screen is really lovely.


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## OchreJelly (Apr 4, 2010)

Yeah the UI is pretty similar.  Of note, you can specify which apps you want independent of iphone / touch apps or you can just say "give me everything".  It's smart enough not to install apps that won't work (like "Red Laser" which requires the camera).  

I haven't tried PDFs yet.  Will try it out later.


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## Prism (Apr 4, 2010)

Is there a remote control app that would allow you to acces character builder on a pc over wireless?


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## abetterway (Apr 4, 2010)

Prism said:


> Is there a remote control app that would allow you to acces character builder on a pc over wireless?





Yes, there is already a VNC application and I am sure there will be others  soon.

I will have to give that a shot.

Kyle

(sent from my iPad)


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## darjr (Apr 4, 2010)

well, that's a great idea.


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## guivre (Apr 4, 2010)

PIM68 said:


> Have you tried reading PDFs on it yet? I'd be interested to know how it behaves.
> 
> Also - can you delete podcasts from the _iPad_ without having to sync through _iTunes_.





It beats the pants off of every other e-reader out there, soundly. The only thing missing is e-ink and that cuts both ways as that's part of the reason it's so responsive.

PDFs work great. I'm using GoodReader which was .99. I'll pay more for more features if another pdf reader comes along that looks good but this will do. It renders both landscape and portrait pdfs well. Swapping pages is near enough to instant on reasonably sized pdfs. Large pdfs, like Pathfinder work as well though page switching is slightly slower. 

Worth the price as an e-reader alone. Between iBooks, the Kindle app, and GoodReader (or something similar) you've covered all your bases. 

You can delete podcasts from the iPod app.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Apr 5, 2010)

Actually, from what I understand, there is one aspect in which the iPad stumbles as an e-reader.  Its glass screen- while capable of color and all kinds of nice high-res stuff- apparently washes out a bit in bright light...and can produce some distracting reflections.

The other e-readers, apparently, with their B&W screens are a bit more visible under those conditions.


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## Mistwell (Apr 5, 2010)

darjr said:


> Hmmm... wasn't there supposed to be some layer in .net that made it easier to make your .net app a web app? Maybe it was a web app only for windows machines.
> 
> I'm getting an ipad. There is this NASA app where you hold the thing up to the sky and it becomes this annotated window to the night, labeling stars and planets and the international freaking space station.
> 
> You can move it around the the sky so it shows you details of the sky behind it. You can zoom and dig down and find out about the objects tagged and get video and audio and history and way cool.




That is a Droid app as well.  My wife has it on her Motorola Droid phone.


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## OchreJelly (Apr 5, 2010)

The ebooks look very nice to me so far.  You can adjust the brightness of the backlight.  The true test for me will be to read an entire book casually, so I'll hold off final judgment until then.  

In very bright situations, eInk probably has it beat.  Personally, I wouldn't use something like this for beach-reading anyway.  

It bares mentioning that it does have some heft to it, but really no more than a typical hardcover.


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## Morrus (Apr 5, 2010)

Somewhat related, I've put a list of iPhone/iPod applications for RPGs on the news page.


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## Tarrl (Apr 5, 2010)

Link to a Slate article. 

HP Promises Everything the iPad Isn't with Slate - PCWorld Business Center


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## PaulofCthulhu (Apr 5, 2010)

Morrus, will you be getting an iPad?


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## coyote6 (Apr 5, 2010)

I dunno, that article (on the Slate) sounds like FUDish marketing-speak -- "the iPad is awesome, but the HP Slate will be more awesome! Look at these features!"

Note that I don't own an iPhone or an iPad; if either had USB or SD cards or some of the things mentioned in the article, I probably would, so I'm entirely open to a better device. 

Articles like that just trigger cynical instincts, though. Can the Slate do everything the iPad can? How fast is the Slate? How's the battery life? WiFi? 3G wireless? As information goes, the article just makes me curious to see if the author's bank accounts have deposits from HP, Microsoft, their marketing/PR agencies, or proxies thereof. 

Me, I'm hoping Notion Ink's Adam lives up to its promise/hype. It sounds awesome.


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## Morrus (Apr 5, 2010)

PIM68 said:


> Morrus, will you be getting an iPad?




Not in the first generation, no.  I'll do what I did with the iPhone - wait a year.


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## Enclave (Apr 6, 2010)

coyote6 said:


> I dunno, that article (on the Slate) sounds like FUDish marketing-speak -- "the iPad is awesome, but the HP Slate will be more awesome! Look at these features!"
> 
> Note that I don't own an iPhone or an iPad; if either had USB or SD cards or some of the things mentioned in the article, I probably would, so I'm entirely open to a better device.
> 
> ...




Since there are already tablet PC's out there that already do more than the iPad, well it's not hard to believe that HP could and would build a tablet of this sort and not be exaggerating on it's capabilities.

In fact, HP already makes tablet PC's.  Look up their TX line of laptops.


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## WizarDru (Apr 6, 2010)

Enclave said:


> Since there are already tablet PC's out there that already do more than the iPad, well it's not hard to believe that HP could and would build a tablet of this sort and not be exaggerating on it's capabilities.
> 
> In fact, HP already makes tablet PC's.  Look up their TX line of laptops.




Well, specs just dropped on the Slate, per Engadget.  Decent, but I don't think it's going to be enough to fulfill the title of "iPad Killer".  Only 5 hours of battery life is going to be an achilles heel.  Running Windows 7 with 1GB of RAM on an Atom processor may not provide the speed of the iPhone OS on the iPad, though I'm sure it will be decent for most casual tasks.  The iPad has gotten marks for being fairly fast at its tasks...it remains to be seen how well the Slate will perform.  It looks like a good piece of hardware, but I'm not seeing it stealing a huge chunk of the iPad's market share.  Especially since it comes in around the same price point as the least expensive iPad and has no 3G options by itself.  Also, the lack of speakers seems pretty odd, when they're showing the use of skype video in the ad.

I think a large part of the problem is that many are looking at the iPad as a laptop replacement, when at best it's a netbook replacement.  Great for a specific set of tasks.  Just like I don't consider my iPhone to be a replacement for a real laptop or even netbook...but for e-mail, facebook, twitter, youtube, wikipedia access, online store browsing, gps maps and most web browsing tasks, it's become my platform of choice.


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## Traveon Wyvernspur (Apr 6, 2010)

I'm waiting for this summer and the Lenovo Hybrid. Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid: laptop by day, unhinged tablet by night -- Engadget

This looks to be pretty sweet to me, it's a coming out to be a little more expensive than the top of the line 3G iPad, but it will provide you with the functions of a "tablet" and netbook. I can see myself using this for everything on a normal pc/laptop as well as a multi-media device like the iPad.


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## Longtooth Studios (Apr 6, 2010)

Traveon Wyvernspur said:


> I'm waiting for this summer and the Lenovo Hybrid. Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid: laptop by day, unhinged tablet by night -- Engadget
> 
> This looks to be pretty sweet to me, it's a coming out to be a little more expensive than the top of the line 3G iPad, but it will provide you with the functions of a "tablet" and netbook. I can see myself using this for everything on a normal pc/laptop as well as a multi-media device like the iPad.




Drool! 
The fact that the pop out screen gets a power boost when it it docked into the folding case makes it much more versatile. 
Thanks for the tech update!


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## Traveon Wyvernspur (Apr 6, 2010)

Longtooth Studios said:


> Drool!
> The fact that the pop out screen gets a power boost when it it docked into the folding case makes it much more versatile.
> Thanks for the tech update!




No problemo


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## WizarDru (Apr 6, 2010)

Traveon Wyvernspur said:


> I'm waiting for this summer and the Lenovo Hybrid. Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid: laptop by day, unhinged tablet by night -- Engadget




That's....huh.  I'm not sure what to think of that.  It's an interesting idea, but I'm not sure how practical it actually is.  A linux tablet that doubles as the monitor for a netbook?  It's an interesting concept, certainly.  Kind of like having a regular laptop the undocks to become a tablet for more casual use.  But hopefully the production models perform better than their initial hands-on at Engadget.  That think is awfully sluggish, at times and the viewing angle problem would be a deal-killer for me.


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## Traveon Wyvernspur (Apr 6, 2010)

Yeah prototypes are exactly that prototypes, they work out the bugs and make things more responsive after the initial testing. I'd want to certainly handle it in the store before committing $1k to buying it, but if all the bugs are worked out I can certainly see using this for DM'ing games putting my PDF's on, and use it for my college classes as well. It'd be the perfect new gadget for my everyday life.


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## catsclaw227 (Apr 6, 2010)

I am confused about something.  Does the iPad come with 3G browsing out the gate? According to this article, it only does Wi-FI, and the Wi-Fi is sketchy.

iPad has Wi-Fi problems, some users say - CNN.com


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## ki11erDM (Apr 6, 2010)

catsclaw227 said:


> I am confused about something. Does the iPad come with 3G browsing out the gate? According to this article, it only does Wi-FI, and the Wi-Fi is sketchy.
> 
> iPad has Wi-Fi problems, some users say - CNN.com





For $630 it does.

Oh and a nice monthly bill.     

I don’t think people understand how hugely expensive this item really is.


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## OchreJelly (Apr 6, 2010)

3G models won't be out until the end of the month.
Apple - iPad - Price starting at $499

The service is still through AT&T, however, there is no contract.  So you can buy a month of 3G with no obligations.  Otherwise the 3Gs will work like the wireless ones.


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## catsclaw227 (Apr 6, 2010)

ki11erDM said:


> For $630 it does.
> 
> Oh and a nice monthly bill.
> 
> I don’t think people understand how hugely expensive this item really is.



If I already have an iPhone, can this piggy-back on my wireless plan, or do I have to register it as another device like a second phone?  Also, can you talk on it like a phone?

I can imagine someone holding a huge iPad to their ear while driving....


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## catsclaw227 (Apr 6, 2010)

OchreJelly said:


> 3G models won't be out until the end of the month.
> Apple - iPad - Price starting at $499
> 
> The service is still through AT&T, however, there is no contract.  So you can buy a month of 3G with no obligations.  Otherwise the 3Gs will work like the wireless ones.



OK... I see.

It's $30/month for an unlimited data plan?  That means the iPad is basically gonna cost $1000 after the first year, $360 per year afterwards.

And from what I can tell, you CAN'T use this like a phone?


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## OchreJelly (Apr 6, 2010)

I don't believe AT&T has announced anything about bundled service but I could be wrong.  No the iPad has no phone or camera capabilities.  

A friend of mine thought it would be hilarious if you could use it as a giant phone.

For those with questions on the device itself, I think this is the best review I've read:
Apple iPad review -- Engadget

It's pretty evenly measured and nicely asks you, the reader, if you are the target audience for such a device.


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## Enclave (Apr 6, 2010)

WizarDru said:


> Well, specs just dropped on the Slate, per Engadget.  Decent, but I don't think it's going to be enough to fulfill the title of "iPad Killer".  Only 5 hours of battery life is going to be an achilles heel.  Running Windows 7 with 1GB of RAM on an Atom processor may not provide the speed of the iPhone OS on the iPad, though I'm sure it will be decent for most casual tasks.  The iPad has gotten marks for being fairly fast at its tasks...it remains to be seen how well the Slate will perform.  It looks like a good piece of hardware, but I'm not seeing it stealing a huge chunk of the iPad's market share.  Especially since it comes in around the same price point as the least expensive iPad and has no 3G options by itself.  Also, the lack of speakers seems pretty odd, when they're showing the use of skype video in the ad.
> 
> I think a large part of the problem is that many are looking at the iPad as a laptop replacement, when at best it's a netbook replacement.  Great for a specific set of tasks.  Just like I don't consider my iPhone to be a replacement for a real laptop or even netbook...but for e-mail, facebook, twitter, youtube, wikipedia access, online store browsing, gps maps and most web browsing tasks, it's become my platform of choice.




Odds are it's running a modified version of Windows 7, probably a version that has a lot of the bloat cut out of it, so that 1 gig of ram shouldn't be a problem.

The 5 hour battery life though, I'm not a huge fan of that.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Apr 6, 2010)

OchreJelly said:


> A friend of mine thought it would be hilarious if you could use it as a giant phone.




I agree- that would be hilarious!


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## abetterway (Apr 6, 2010)

catsclaw227 said:


> And from what I can tell, you CAN'T use this like a phone?




Skype, TruPhone, etc, etc will let you make phone calls on it if you really want to.  Making a phone call on the device might be fun and all, but its not really what it was designed for in my opinion.  Its an incredible media consumption device.  Web browsing, movie watching, PDF viewing, playing games, displaying my character sheets and accessing my computers at work and around the house are all wonderful on it.  

Am I the only one around here who "gets" the iPad?  Its an incredible device.  Of course I am biased... the iPhone is probably the greatest gadget I have ever owned and this is pretty much just a larger version of the greatest gadget I have ever owned. 

Kyle


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## guivre (Apr 6, 2010)

catsclaw227 said:


> I am confused about something.  Does the iPad come with 3G browsing out the gate? According to this article, it only does Wi-FI, and the Wi-Fi is sketchy.
> 
> iPad has Wi-Fi problems, some users say - CNN.com




The WiFi has been solid for me. Keep in mind those support comments are a tiny subset of the total current iPad owners. Every device that comes out has people complaining about it. It's just as likely people on  networks as it is a hardware issue. At least at this point very few people are reporting problems.



catsclaw227 said:


> OK... I see.
> 
> It's $30/month for an unlimited data plan?  That means the iPad is basically gonna cost $1000 after the first year, $360 per year afterwards.




If you get 3G yes. The plan they came up with is great, but they should have negotiated a rider on existing phone plans for less. Had they charged $10 a month extra to my iPhone to tack on 3G for the pad I'd have gone 3G. That being said a data plan with no contract for that low of a price is a great deal. I just don't think it's a must have on the iPad.



OchreJelly said:


> No the iPad has no phone or camera capabilities.





Not true actually. It's true that it has no camera, and it doesn't behave like a cell phone but it does have phone capabilities. VOIP works, and if you have access to Google Voice (lucky you, I'm envious) you can use that as well.

Prior to January you could only do this on Wifi, but Apple distributed a new SDK while the news was still fresh on the iPad that unlocked the capability on 3G as well. I'll bet anything that taking calls on the iPad is part of Jobs vision and he intends to get there a little at a time... boiling the frog.

I've personally attended teleconferences on the iPad, it works great.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Apr 6, 2010)

abetterway said:


> Am I the only one around here who "gets" the iPad?  Its an incredible device.  Of course I am biased... the iPhone is probably the greatest gadget I have ever owned and this is pretty much just a larger version of the greatest gadget I have ever owned.




I "get" it- I'm just not getting it anytime in the near future.  I'm prone to wait a while on new tech.

Heck, I don't have a laptop and I may just get my first smartphone this year.  My first iPod is still in its shrinkwrapped box after 4 years- it didn't have enough storage for my purposes.


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## guivre (Apr 6, 2010)

abetterway said:


> Skype, TruPhone, etc, etc will let you make phone calls on it if you really want to.  Making a phone call on the device might be fun and all, but its not really what it was designed for in my opinion.  Its an incredible media consumption device.  Web browsing, movie watching, PDF viewing, playing games, displaying my character sheets and accessing my computers at work and around the house are all wonderful on it.




I'll place a bet on that  I'm positive it's meant to handle direct voice interaction. The move to unlock VOIP on 3G was subtle but powerful and foreshadows their plans. I'd consider betting that Apple has some bigger plans, like their own version of Google Voice, but time will tell.



> Am I the only one around here who "gets" the iPad?  Its an incredible device.  Of course I am biased... the iPhone is probably the greatest gadget I have ever owned and this is pretty much just a larger version of the greatest gadget I have ever owned.
> 
> Kyle




Nope, you're not the only one. This is a fantastic device and I think more people will get it in the future. A lot of people have this binary view of consumer devices, they don't have the imagination to understand where a device like this fits in.

Give it 6 months and you'll start to see some killer apps out for it. With any luck more hardware manufacturers will jump on the bandwagon and machines in this form factor will be prevalent.

The uses of a device like this are limitless. 

I bought one because I've been waiting for a device like this, but also because I want to fund development for this platform. I don't care who makes it, as long as they're being made.


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## PaulofCthulhu (Apr 6, 2010)

abetterway said:


> Am I the only one around here who "gets" the iPad?  Its an incredible device.  Of course I am biased... the iPhone is probably the greatest gadget I have ever owned and this is pretty much just a larger version of the greatest gadget I have ever owned.




Certainly not the only one. It looks to be great for Web Administration, and the 3G version has a great potential as a true field device.

As usual I suspect it's the 'Apps' that will be deveoped for it that will be the "Killer USP", as with the iPhone itself.

I've just thought of a way I could possibly use one to do live podcast creation & streaming too. When I manage to get one, I will have to try it!


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## OchreJelly (Apr 7, 2010)

I also "get" it, and got it in fact!  To be perfectly honest I was skeptical but approached it with an open mind.  I also am generally not an early adopter when it comes to tech.  While I was out shopping my only intention was to try a demo model because I felt it was really something that had to be experienced.

So I tried it and was sold.  Now mind you, for me there's a couple things at work:  1) I had gift cards and tax return money burning a hole in my pocket.  2) For years I've been in the market for a secondary device.  I don't own a laptop, but was considering getting a netbook for lite computing, media consumption, surfing etc.  I was considering this for a long time, but kept waiting for netbooks to get "a little better".  I also played with the idea of getting a portable dvd player to have in my office to watch tv while I worked.  Again, I put that off for not having a strong enough need to take the plunge.  

So when the ipad arrived that familiar itch for a secondary device gnawed at me.  I have now had it since Saturday and don't feel the buyers remorse.

But what about DND?
I actually used it to great effect last night during our session.  I had need for a quick random encounter, and had the compendium up and ready to pull something up in their level range.  Later that night, a player had a question about an item they had lost their card for and no one brought the book it was in.  15 seconds later I had the compendium entry up.  Another player imported his character sheet using the iplay4E and it looked great.  This probably isn't anything special to those used to having computers at the table, but for me it was an eye-opener.  Especially when table space is a premium, this took up no more space than an additional book.  

So yes, I like it so far


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## AdrianWerner (Apr 14, 2010)

I like the idea of tablet device as a way of consuming media and iPad looks sweet, I even played a bith with it and it has awaken a huge gadget lust, but ultimately I satified it by buying a  for convertible Thinkpad laptop/tablet. ipad just lacks the access to plenty of media I want plus I need my tablet to be helpful during RPG session and there's just so many cool Windows apps to use for that purpose, plus I find iPad screen simply too small to read RPG pdfs comfortably, since those books were designed for the size that's equivalent of 14 inches screen. Och..and writing by hand with stylus is great for roleplaying sessions.
Still, while iPad isn't for me I do hope it will push the idea of tablets and will speed up the digitalization of media, we really do need it as fast as possible


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## rjdafoe (Apr 15, 2010)

WizarDru said:


> Well, specs just dropped on the Slate, per Engadget. Decent, but I don't think it's going to be enough to fulfill the title of "iPad Killer". Only 5 hours of battery life is going to be an achilles heel. Running Windows 7 with 1GB of RAM on an Atom processor may not provide the speed of the iPhone OS on the iPad, though I'm sure it will be decent for most casual tasks. The iPad has gotten marks for being fairly fast at its tasks...it remains to be seen how well the Slate will perform. It looks like a good piece of hardware, but I'm not seeing it stealing a huge chunk of the iPad's market share. Especially since it comes in around the same price point as the least expensive iPad and has no 3G options by itself. Also, the lack of speakers seems pretty odd, when they're showing the use of skype video in the ad.
> 
> I think a large part of the problem is that many are looking at the iPad as a laptop replacement, when at best it's a netbook replacement. Great for a specific set of tasks. Just like I don't consider my iPhone to be a replacement for a real laptop or even netbook...but for e-mail, facebook, twitter, youtube, wikipedia access, online store browsing, gps maps and most web browsing tasks, it's become my platform of choice.





I am currently looking at this:

Newegg.com - ASUS Eee PC T101MT-EU17-BK Tablet PC Intel Atom N450(1.66GHz) 10.1" Wide SVGA 1GB Memory 160GB HDD Intel GMA 3150

it is out now, multi-touch, Windows 7 Starter, 160Gb HD, upgrade to 2Gb ram for $30 as it takes standard SODIMM, and a real netbook replacement for $499

My problem is, I look at the iPad and I say meh. It is a big iTouch. While it is neat, I don't find to much to be able to do with it (we have one here at work).  I want more (or the same), not less and to me, that is what Apple is providing.


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## WizarDru (Apr 15, 2010)

rjdafoe said:


> it is out now, multi-touch, Windows 7 Starter, 160Gb HD, upgrade to 2Gb ram for $30 as it takes standard SODIMM, and a real netbook replacement for $499.




The reviews on Newegg don't make it look that attractive, unfortunately.  I did note that the Multi-touch support is only on Windows 7 Premium and it only ships with Windows 7 Starter, which is kind of a bait-and-switch, IMHO.  Another device with a 1024x600 screen!  Why is it so hard to do 1024x768?  Why did they standardize on that size for netbooks?  It drives me nuts.  Also, I didn't know they MADE 0.3 megapixel cameras. I don't know WHY the made 0.3 megapixel cameras. 

I'm interested on hearing performance info on devices like these.  [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ise4yQhCWq0&NR=1"]This video shows it in action[/ame].  Not slow, but not super-punchy, either.


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## rjdafoe (Apr 15, 2010)

WizarDru said:


> The reviews on Newegg don't make it look that attractive, unfortunately. I did note that the Multi-touch support is only on Windows 7 Premium and it only ships with Windows 7 Starter, which is kind of a bait-and-switch, IMHO. Another device with a 1024x600 screen! Why is it so hard to do 1024x768? Why did they standardize on that size for netbooks? It drives me nuts. Also, I didn't know they MADE 0.3 megapixel cameras. I don't know WHY the made 0.3 megapixel cameras.
> 
> I'm interested on hearing performance info on devices like these. This video shows it in action. Not slow, but not super-punchy, either.





That is a reason I haven't bought it.  With the iPad, I can go look and feel.  I don't seem to be able to do that with this one.  Version of Windows is no big deal for me.  I can have extra Home licenses I can use.

BTW, those reviews were not there yesterday!  No reviews on it, which was anothe reason I am just looking right now.

But this is the type of device I am looking for.  Something that is to me, alot more usefull than an iPad.


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