So, I have a class where I plan on buying a tablet so I can look up our book on pdf. I also would like to read books on it.
My question is, what have you guys found as the best tablets for Pathfinder? I plan on purchasing one and I feel this may be one of my primary uses for it.
I can do my own research on each one to figure out which one works best for me, though any input is much appriciated.
Thank you!!
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Not actually owning a tablet myself, but seeing people with them, I would recommend something with a decent amount of ram and if you can, try opening one of the PDFs on a tablet before buying, just put it on an SD card and ask if you can test the speed in store.
The Paizo PDFs have a thing with not flattening properly (I think) which can cause a lot of lag when viewing them on a tablet.
Go for lite, chapter by chapter versions when ever possible.
I'll let you know that for me, it depends on how many PDFs you have. I have a 4th gen iPad with 16 GB of space. Although the processor is very good at handling PDFs and PDF readers without a lot of lag (something I could NOT say of iPad 3 and earlier), I am definitely running tight on space due to Paizo PDF sizes (and that is using the lites when possible).
I have seen many GMs and players with others though, such as Nexus 7s.
Do you use HeroLab at all? They now have a free iPad app for their software which lets you run characters and monsters from your iPad. Depends on your HeroLab use it may swing it in favor of apple over android.
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I've p.ayed with an android and own a iPad and thus far, to me, the only edge that the iPad has is Goodread. It's an awesome PDF reader and you can even download an unzip files right from Paizo.
My suggestion is you consider what you can afford, ask questions , screen for bias as best you can and DEFINITELY play with any floor models you can.
Then buy what you're comfortable with.
Both Andriod and iOS tablets have lots of options going for each. I see folks using both all the time.
More thoughts here.
Additionally, if you have access to the various cloud repositories, you can easily find something around 30GB of space. I don't remember all the ones I use, but if you use jolidrive (jolicloud?), it makes it much easier to organize and find available space.
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I have a Nexus and it treats me rather well. I will echo the qualms that my PDFs can sometimes take a while to load each page (not minutes, just 10-45 seconds depending on what else I'm doing), so I do need to look into using the Lite versions.
The big perk I've seen from having a tablet (particularly one that runs on Android), from a GM's point of view, is there are some reference apps for both rules and spells so I can look something up on the fly when a player whips out a spell of dramatic cheese sauce, CLπ, and I have to figure out what's happening.
Note, I don't use anything Apple, so I don't know if iOS has similar apps. Probably does.
I have an iPhone so I can probably get hero lab on it.
Money isn't an issue, though I will compare usefulness to price of products.
I have an iPhone so I can probably get hero lab on it.
No, unfortunately it is an iPad only app.
Hero lab only works on iPad no iPhone sadly.
I'm planning on getting an iPad for my birthday so yay hero lab.
There was another topic about this just last week, so you might want to give it a look-see.
Link: Tablet for Pathfinder PDFs
EDIT: Oops, ninja'd by Fig.
Sior: Are you using a Nexus 7 or 10? Also, what PDF Reader are you using? I'm running Moon+Reader Pro on my Nexus 10 and pages load almost instantly. Also, it has built-in Dropbox support so you can avail yourself of cloud storage as Fig suggests.
Was looking at a windows tablet, since is it Microsoft, Hero Lab should work on it!
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Was looking at a windows tablet, since is it Microsoft, Hero Lab should work on it!
Be careful with that assumption. There are two distinctly different versions of Windows tablets and you risk getting burned if unfamiliar with the differences.
Windows RT runs on ARM-based processors similar to what powers Android tablets. You can install apps from the Windows Store, however you cannot install the desktop versions of software packages as they are compiled for Intel-based CPUs.
Windows 8 is the more full-featured version and runs on Intel-based processors. This is the same OS currently shipping with new desktops, laptops, etc. By and large, these tablets are significantly more expensive than their Win RT counterparts due to the hardware required.
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Was looking at a windows tablet, since is it Microsoft, Hero Lab should work on it!Be careful with that assumption. There are two distinctly different versions of Windows tablets and you risk getting burned if unfamiliar with the differences.
Windows RT runs on ARM-based processors similar to what powers Android tablets. You can install apps from the Windows Store, however you cannot install the desktop versions of software packages as they are compiled for Intel-based CPUs.
Windows 8 is the more full-featured version and runs on Intel-based processors. This is the same OS currently shipping with new desktops, laptops, etc. By and large, these tablets are significantly more expensive than their Win RT counterparts due to the hardware required.
Thank you for the distinction! I could have easily screwed that up. XD
Last month I acquired an iPad mini in a raffle. I like it. I use the Herolab character sheet on it. It works very well.
It may not be the best option for reading pdf's. I have to zoom and scroll to read the Pathfinder rulebooks. However, that's due to the fact that I have the iPad mini and the screen is smaller. That said, I have been doing ALL my rulebook and AP reading on it, so it's not that big an issue for me. I have not tried out GoodReader yet, though I want to look into it.
Also, as a Tales Subscriber, I have copies of all the Pathfinder Tales novels on the iPad mini. It is AWESOME for reading novels. I read during my 30 minute walking commute to work (yes, I read and walk at the same time. No, I don't run into things). Being smaller and lighter than the standard iPad, I can read books on it (using iBooks) while holding it in one hand while walking.
For what it's worth, a friend of mine uses her iPad mini to read all of her college textbooks.
Also, I did not choose what tablet I got. I won it in a raffle, but have been very pleased. I will echo those who say that you should ask around, get your hands on different tablets and try them out. Then, choose the one that meets your needs.
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For those wondering, I ended up grabbing the Surface Pro. Besides the battery life (which isn't that bad, like 7 hours) seems to work pretty well!
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It is interesting that no one mentioned the size of the display. It doesn't matter now since Hazior got the 10" Surface. But if I was comparing tablets today and price was no limit but clarity was important, I would never buy a tablet with a 7" display over a 10" display.
I looking at a new machine myself, and I'm hoping to get an HP Split x2. Full Windows 8, a 13" screen and a dock that makes it a hybrid. The only problems I see with it are that it has a lower battery life, and the processor is a bit weaker (i3 as opposed to an i5 on the base model).
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I have the iPad 2 and with it I use the Hero Lab software, and Goodreader. It loads PDF's almost instantly after an initial loading time that is fairly short (about 10-15 seconds or so) and every page scrolls flawlessly. I use full versions and sometimes lite versions... though now more lite then not.
I used to have the Asus Transformer TF101 before and I can not say it loaded PDF's very fast.
iPad also has the PRSRD app as well as the Spell app that Android has as well as some other really useful apps for running a game as a GM like one of my all time favorite apps. Initiative Board.
Before I would never have considered an iPad now I can't imagine being without one.
iPad runs all of the PDFs smoothly for me.
Update: I paid up for Goodreader for my iPad mini, it is awesome. Almost no lag on loading the full pdf's of some BIG files (Razor Coast). The lite pdf's have no lag unless I try to "flip" through the pages really really quickly.
-Aaron
I just "purchased" an iPad mini through our company's employee recognition point-buy system. It should arrive in about a week or so. It's only the 16g version. I'm assuming that should be enough to load the PF .pdfs. Other than .pdf viewing I primarily plan to use the iPad for light internet browsing and maybe some light writing with a bluetooth keyboard or stylus.
Should I be doing more with it?
I just "purchased" an iPad mini through our company's employee recognition point-buy system. It should arrive in about a week or so. It's only the 16g version. I'm assuming that should be enough to load the PF .pdfs. Other than .pdf viewing I primarily plan to use the iPad for light internet browsing and maybe some light writing with a bluetooth keyboard or stylus.
Should I be doing more with it?
Get the PFSRD for iPad! It's one of the best things ever, very well presented, extremely easy to use and well-optimized for need-of-the-moment perusals. The base app costs about 3 USD and has all the core material; you can then purchase the rest of the books for 99 cents each.
I particularly enjoy the bookmark system, which lets to store specific pages of the SRD for future use. Makes encounters a breeze, as I no longer forget what each spell does (better said, I still forget what they do, but now I can seem like I didn't).
Much easier and less intrusive than going to the SRD through a laptop.
There are also several cool apps to help you with stuff like combat. There is this one called Initiator, I think, which takes care of combat order, damage and the like very neatly, and is free.
Finally, get some speakers and the tablet will make choosing and changing background music for the game very easy.
I've grown really dependent on my tablet for games, as you can induce. But it's a lot of added value.
Klaus and LazarX:
I mostly got the iPad because my wife has developed a severe dislike of the sound of my typing on my laptop if we're watching TV or something.
In game play, as the GM, I use my laptop (which has a ginormous screen) with Combat Manager and hook it up to my digital table for maps or for displaying photos/illustrations that are useful for the group. Since the laptop functions as a GM screen as well, I don't think I'll stop using the laptop during play. I suppose there might be some way to augment the laptop, but I typically have windows open with the PF rules (and even these forums) open while playing.
As a player I tend to have nothing in front of me but my character sheet, my dice and a notepad and pen. I suppose I could use the iPad more while playing a PC.
From a non-gaming perspective I more or less assumed that 16g simply isn't enough to do anything with. I have just learned that there are some wireless hard drive options for an iPad that greatly extend the storage of any iPad quite conveniently. That may mean I'll use the iPad more than I had expected.
The main things I do with my laptop are browsing the net, using office productivity apps (Excel, Word, Powerpoint, etc.) doing graphics work (I have a bamboo tablet for drawing) and managing finances with Quicken.
Once, in a prior life, I used to be a programmer. I wrote a ton of programs for the Mac and PC back in the day. I haven't done much programming lately though. I suppose it's still possible that I'll do some programming in the future, but I assumed that would be on my laptop, not on the iPad mini.
As far as watching movies, listening to music, etc., that's not something I tend to do on my laptop now, so I doubt I'll do much on my iPad. I might read some books from Kindle, my wife reads a lot on her Kindle Fire. When it comes to movies I can browse the web on my TV so I can watch Youtube videos, download movies or watch pay per view movies pretty much at will and my TV is much nicer to watch movies than a laptop or tablet screen. And listening to music is usually something I do with headphones and my smartphone.
I hadn't thought much about email. I suppose email on an iPad mini will be more convenient than cranking up my laptop to manage it. What's the best iPad email app?
Adamantine Dragon, if you are concerned about space on the iPad, you can take the unopened 16GB iPad that you got with company points down to an Apple store (even Best Buy works), and ask to upgrade to a 32 or 64GB. You can pay the difference right there. From what you have said, I think that 16GB will be enough.
Here's what I use frequently on my iPad mini:
-iBooks I get free books from Project Gutenberg. I also read my Pathfinder Tales on it.
-GoodReader Someone here on the boards recommended it. It's one of the only apps I have paid for. It is a great app for reading pdf's. You can save a copy and add annotations and notes to them. It's fast with them, not as much lag as in iBooks. There's hardly any lag with page loading with the lite versions of the books.
-Herolab character sheet If you use Herolab, this turns your iPad into a character sheet.
-Feudz Dice and Gamer Dice I go back and forth between these two dice rollers. Some days I want to roll real dice, some days I just don't want to do all the math.
Outside of gaming:
-Safari I'll look up directions on Google maps, turn off the Wi-Fi and head out the door with iPad in hand. As long as I keep the page open, the directions are there, no need to print them out or write them down.
-AppBox Pro Another App I actually paid for. It's an iPhone/iPod Touch App, so it is really tiny on the iPad, but I use it for quick unit conversions and as a tip calculator. THere's a free version that has fewer apps in it.
-Various Games For when my 4 y/o when he wants to spend his "screen time" playing Angry Birds and/or Jurrasic Park Builder with his Dad.
-Video I ripped our Thomas the Tank Engine and Veggie Tales movies to my hard drive. I can put them on the iPad and let our son use his "screen time" in the car on a long drive.
-Aaron
Edit: Also, I picked up the Otterbox case for my mini and I LOVE it. It's tough (stands up to 4 y/o use). It's grippy (important for me since I read on it while walking to and from work). It adds a small measure of water resistance. One day while walking home and reading Treasure Island, it started to rain. During the sprinkle phase of the rain, I was able to get the iPad back in my backpack and under the protection of the umbrella. No damage noted, no water got in.
@Adamantine Dragon:
Go look for JoliDive. I use it to find and manage various cloud drives. With it, I've managed to find about 50GB or so online. Additionally, you can find cloud storage at solidfile.com, copy.com, and some more here. I was looking at this a while ago and got some interesting responses for it.
Dropbox, Google Drive, JoliDrive and Box all have iPad apps to make it a bit easier to access everything you may not have on hand.
Great advice. I may just test out this suggestion that I can take my unopened 16g iPad to an Apple Store and upgrade it for the price difference. That would mean I could basically get a 32g for $100 or a 64g for $200....
Dang, I didn't need that sort of temptation!
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Great advice. I may just test out this suggestion that I can take my unopened 16g iPad to an Apple Store and upgrade it for the price difference. That would mean I could basically get a 32g for $100 or a 64g for $200....
Dang, I didn't need that sort of temptation!
This the same with a used iPad 2??? :D (4 months old)
Great advice. I may just test out this suggestion that I can take my unopened 16g iPad to an Apple Store and upgrade it for the price difference. That would mean I could basically get a 32g for $100 or a 64g for $200....
Dang, I didn't need that sort of temptation!
I did it. I won a 16GB iPad mini in a raffle. On my way home, I stopped at a Blue and Yellow Big Box Store, walked up to the customer service counter and said, "Hi! I won this in a raffle today. Can I trade it in for a 32 GB version and pay the difference in price?"
The answer was, "Yes."
*Cue Adamantine Dragon digging for change in the couch* :D
-Aaron
Congrats man! What's the difference in price?
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Congrats man! What's the difference in price?
Each upgrade of the mini is $100 (so $100 for the 32g and $200 for the 64g).
Congrats man! What's the difference in price?Each upgrade of the mini is $100 (so $100 for the 32g and $200 for the 64g).
any external memory?
Freehold, according to my web surfing "research" in the last day or so, there appear to be a wide selection of wireless hard drives that you can use with your iPad. I may end up just getting one of them.
AD is right. The difference was $100.
I put the mini into a $40 Otterbox case because I like my technology to be protected and it got rave reviews from a friend.
No external memory, but it meets my needs. I don't put music in it, I don't put a lot of video in it. It's just a few apps, a few pictures, and a LOT of books (both ePubs and pdf's).
-Aaron
I run most of my Pathfinder Game (in terms of using rules as reference) from my 128GB Retina display iPad.
I have Goodreader loaded with most of the Pathfinder PDF's that I'd need (Core, APG, UM, UC, Bestiary 1-3, UCampaign, ARG, UE and NPC codex).
I also have PRF and PFRPG rd (well as DM Tools, Summoner, DMDJ, iCrit, iFumble, PF Battle and Hero Lab Play) loaded which are easier (and quicker) for me to use when I have to look up something.
As the DM I travel to my games and lugging a bunch of books with the game to me is not cool. My iPad cuts that down significantly. And as soon as there's a full featured (or close to full featured version of Hero Lab for the iPad I'll get that too...
So, popped by Best Buy today to check on their trade-in policy and was told that they not only will allow me to trade in the iPad mini to upgrade to a better iPad, but that I could trade it in at cash value to spend on pretty much any tablet they offer. So I was looking at the "Surface" and a Google and Samsung model all in the $300-$400 range, and couldn't make up my mind.
So, if you had $400 to spend on any 7-8" (or thereabouts) tablet you could buy, which one would you get?
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I would buy the Surface RT. But that's mainly because I like it so much (already have one and would give one of them to my wife) and can program apps for it when those apps are not available yet.
So I have basically narrowed it down to the iPad mini or the Nexus 7. I like the screen resolution and the speed of the Nexus 7 more than the iPad mini, but I like the overall size, weight, layout and "feel" of the iPad mini more than the Nexus 7.
So it's a tough call.
All of the reviews I've read pretty much say you can't go wrong with either one of them.
Just because I will be getting a box with the iPad mini in it tomorrow and I will have to take that box, unopened, to Best Buy to exchange it for a Nexus 7, I'm sort of leaning towards keeping the iPad mini just through sheer inertia since I am so close. If I was getting the Nexus 7 instead, I'd stick with it.
Still.... that resolution....
AD,
The decision is up to you (of course), but I'll throw out some questions that I would ask my wife to ask me to help me clarify my decision. I know that sounds odd, but it really helps to have her ask me so I can really quantify things (she's a numbers person).
-The screen resolution on the Nexus 7 is great, I get that. Is that a big enough factor to outweigh the size, weight, layout, and feel of the iPad mini?
-Why do you like the size, weight, layout and feel of the iPad mini more that those of the Nexus 7?
-Would you be interested in running the Herolab app for your character sheet? That's iPad only right now.
I don't know how much rulebook reading you'll be doing on your tablet, but I've got the iPad mini and I was able to read the pdf of SGG's Genius Guide to the Time Thief on my walk to work while holding the iPad in one hand. As far as reading books, I have been reading Pride and Prejudice on my walk to and from work for the last week. My hand doesn't get tired holding the iPad and tapping to turn pages while I walk.
I use the Herolab character sheet for gaming and I really like it. The more I use it, the more I'll get better and faster at using it.
I'll admit, I'm a little slanted in my viewpoint, I'm sure you'll be happy with whatever you buy!
-Aaron
Hmmm.... I admit that the resolution is a major factor. Hero Labis nice, but probably not enough to sway me on its own.