I just got my first tablet computer (an Asus Transformer), and of course right away installed KGS to see how it works. I learned what I'm guessing the iPad owners have known for a while now - a tablet really feels like exactly the right kind of computer to play go on. A phone is doable but too small to be perfect, a computer (even a laptop) is a bit big and clunky. With the tablet you just have the board in front of you, at a decent size, and you touch it to drop your stones. It's the next best thing to playing over a real board I think.

The KGS client works pretty well but has lots of room for improvement. Having to press the "chat" button to enter anything is ridiculous, and there's plenty of room for user lists alongside the chat areas. Other things too could be tweaked but those are the top "this is just dumb" things that I noticed.

But sheesh, if I'd known it was this fun I would have shelled out for a Xoom a few months ago. Well, at least I saved some money by waiting.

You might wish to include the screen dimensions in terms of pixels so we can compare the experience against other pad-like displays.

david boise ID

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David Bogie, Boise ID
I play go, I ride a recumbent, of course I use Macintosh.

I have had the same experience when playing a number of different types of games (and Go) on my iPad, too. It felt much more natural and "human". See, wms, now you know why us iDevices owners have been so sad about the lack of a KGS client. I am forced to do most of my online Go playing on Tygem!

But I know, the mountain won't move, so at some point in the future I may have to pick up an Android tablet just so that I can play on KGS! I'll wait until the market settles a little, though. And for the spare money to build up.

I'm wondering, wouldn't misclicks be common enough to be a real problem?

I've played on IGS a number of times from my iPad, and yeah, it seems like every game I tried I managed to misclick at least once...

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That which can be destroyed by the truth should be.
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My (sadly neglected, but not forgotten) project: http://dailyjoseki.com

I haven't had problems with mis-taps using the Tygem iPad client, Igowin HD and various other board games. Normal sized hands.

You still have to confirm. So you touch the board to drop a red square; then if it's right press "confirm." It's a little slower than a mouse click but not bad.

10.1" Android tablets (ie, Xoom and Asus Transformer): 1280x800

9.7" Apple tablets: 1024x768

I have played my last 35 KGS games on a pad. For me the key to accuracy is using a stylus. I wouldn't play without one. I do not use the "antislip" function. I have been playing 4:10, 4/3 blitz. It took about 20 games to get the hang of it.

I think the tablet form is more natural and accurate for me than a mouse/touchpad with PC. At this point I think using the pad format is an advantage in a fast blitz game. I am having a lot of fun with it. It feels like eating chocolate.

With the Tygem client, you have an option. If it's on, you tap once to place a sort of "ghost" of a stone, then, if it's in the right place, you tap again to actually place it in the game.

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My blog about Macs and more: Kirkville

[quote="Mivo"]I have had the same experience when playing a number of different types of games (and Go) on my iPad, too. It felt much more natural and "human". See, wms, now you know why us iDevices owners have been so sad about the lack of a KGS client. I am forced to do most of my online Go playing on Tygem!

But I know, the mountain won't move, so at some point in the future I may have to pick up an Android tablet just so that I can play on KGS! I'll wait until the market settles a little, though. And for the spare money to build up.[/quote]

You can play on KGS on iPad, check some other topics here on Lifein19x19. There is simple solution at the cost of an Android client ($15 or $20 not sure right now) and it works. Try google this: AlwaysOnPC.

Tomasz

I'm looking for an advice.
what pad fit the best with go playing?
what system?
What kind of screen? 16/9 or 4/3?
is 10" enough? ( 11" or 12" exists)
is a stylet necessary? usefull?
I will use it only for go and reading.

bakshi

I can only speak for what I have, but I find that my tablet is great for playing go and for reading. In fact, I prefer my tablet to my computer for playing go; being able to hold the board in front of you and touch where to move is very nice. For reading it works well also, showing two paperback-like pages at a time, although the screen isn't as nice for that as the kindles. I don't find the need for a stylus; the only time I have trouble is some web pages I need to zoom in a little bit to make sure I touch the links properly, otherwise everything on the screen is big enough that my fingers can hit them accurately.

So I'd say that a 10" screen is big enough for both of these. I have an Asus Transformer which I think is still the cheapest 10" Android Honeycomb tablet that is available.

I bought one of these, in part on WMS's suggestion, and don't regret it. KGS in particular looks great!

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Someday I want to be strong enough to earn KGS[-].

Thank you for your advices.

I agree with others. Aside from not having KGS (without using virtualization), the iPad is fantastic, and I think a great size (9.7" I think). Also, iPads have SmartGo, which I don't believe is available for Android (again, without using virtualization).

So Android = KGS, iPad = SmartGo. There are other applications available for one and not the other, but I think KGS and SmartGo are my two favorite apps--unfortunately there isn't a device that runs both natively.

I don't like using a stylus myself, but some prefer it.

Well, a Windows tablet should be able to handle both of those (and the full desktop versions, no less).

That's some nice trolling, LocoRon.

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Occupy Babel!

That's pretty much how I use my netbook.

Granted. But then you're stuck with a Windows tablet