I figure this time next year will be good time to purchase a tablet, right after all the tech companies launch gadgets for Xmas.

Of course, living outside Steve’s rules does seem like a necessity, and the fact that you would need to do that to get at the device’s full functionality does seem… odd at best.
.-= MrLich´s last blog ..Sketchwork Dumpage =-.

I don’t have a problem with virtual die rolling, but many players do – there’s a physical pleasure to casting one’s luck that they want to keep. Putting that aside, though, the main benefit of an iPad would only arise if there were some software that could be used to help everyone share the gaming tasks. For example an iPad could remove all the trouble that usually occurs in Rolemaster, turning it into an actually playable system. That would be great!!!
.-= faustusnotes´s last blog ..Current reading: The Court of The Air =-.

I’m also amenable to the view that a good tablet computer could significantly improve gaming. One of my DMs already used his iPhone to access rules, but it was cumbersome and a bigger game device would have been better. On the other hand, the only thing that really is amenable to digital improvement is the seamless application of rules to dice rolls, and this means making the dice rolls digital, which a lot of players object to.

I think iPads would improve the game if they had a networkable app which enabled a kind of open game table type of device to be used, so everyone could view their character sheets and make dice rolls on the app. But ultimately I think that this would still run afoul of many players’ objection to virtual dice. I’m an Apple computer fan (I use an iMac with windows installed for games, and I really like OS X) but I don’t think the iPad is the killer technology that Apple claim it is.
.-= faustusnotes´s last blog ..Current reading: The Court of The Air =-.

I believe you’ve hit the crux of it when you state you’d rather have “the greater control and precision of the manual.” The iPad is designed for more people who need to achieve what it can do without being distracted by themes, task managers, widgets, and other fiddly bits. They don’t really *want* to run ten programs at once, they want to look up some info and get on with their lives. It sounds like you’re the type of person who likes to fiddle with those bits, and that’s fine, a netbook running Windows or Linux certainly sounds like it would be better for that role.

In the use cases where I’d want to do what an iPad can do (say interact w/web via surfing, e-mail, etc), I would not be happy with a netbook. In the use cases where I’d want to do things the iPad can not do (say, programming), I would still not be happy with a netbook. Heck, right now I’d rather be surfing your site, adding to this conversation, with an iPad then my laptop. Later, when I’m working on one of my projects, I’ll be happy to be on my full, 15″ notebook.

However when we are not talking about either you or me, but the hypothetical “RPGer,” I can think of many ideas for apps that could enhance their experience without getting in the way like laptops tend to. Laptops and netbooks siting around the gaming table are mostly distractions, an iPad can be more like an electronic piece of paper.
.-= awmyhr´s last blog ..When RPGs Meet SMGs, Part One =-.

@anarkeith: Was there an advantage in there somewhere? The app doesn’t have an app for me.

@Awmyhr: Does it support FLAC? A ton of my music is in that format. Besides, I wouldn’t purchase an iPad to be a glorified MP3 player or PDF reader; I already possess tools to do that. This may sound elitist, but the lock-in Apple provides doesn’t equate to a spectacular user experience for me. I think it boils down to the same reason I refuse to drive/maintain a car with an automatic transmission. I prefer the greater control and precision of the manual and easier (and often cheaper) to maintain than the automatic (a much more internally complicated device). Half stolen idea from John Gruber.

I highly suspect there are a lot of features we have not yet heard about as they will be part of iPhone OS 4.0 (the iPad is only running 3.2) which will come out this summer (likely to be announced first week of June). There are some fairly obvious areas where Apple is playing its cards close to its chest.

However, MadBrew, I do think you’d be able to bring a lot of your stuff to the device. iPhone OS already has native support for PDF’s, and the iBook application will use ePub, thus I’m going to go out on a limb and guess iBook will read any non-DRM ePub and PDF (based on the fact that the iPod application will play any non-DRM AAC and MP3, and the video application will play any non-DRM h.264 and MPEG-2 in the right format).

The publishers likely will demand Apple uses DRM on the books it sells. I really don’t think if all the publishers said “really Apple, no DRM at all please” that Apple would invest the time, effort, and money into the losing battle that DRM is. Aside from Apps, the “lock-in” they provide is an (usually) awesome end-to-end user experience.

I’ll have more to say about these topics on my blogs, and enjoy reading everyone else’s view as well, later…

awmyhr
.-= awmyhr´s last blog ..When RPGs Meet SMGs, Part One =-.

I’ve DM’d a session using only my iPhone. I put my notes in a tiddlywiki format. The iPhone kept going into sleep mode (I didn’t want to risk running out the battery) and even with my precautions, the battery barely lasted a four hour session. Looking at the little screen wasn’t ideal, but it worked.

The iPad has the potential to answer all those complaints. I use my iPhone about 90% as a web-surfing/e-reading utility (and about 10% as a phone). For me, the iPad seems like a nice solution. That said, because of the storage limitations, I’m going to look seriously at a netbook instead.
.-= anarkeith´s last blog ..Obtaining a Miniature for your D&D Character =-.