Scrabble for the iPad: stir in some iPhones and it's the best $1,000 you ever spent on a board game
By Paul Miller 
posted April 4th 2010 3:18PM
posted April 4th 2010 3:18PM
Surprisingly, it makes a game of scrabble go much faster, since the computer does all those difficult maths for you, but the experience isn't without its shortcomings. If you exit the Scrabble app to the home screen, or accidentally brush the "Menu" button on the iPad app, your game is completely gone. There isn't even a helpful warning like "are you sure you want to end this game you just invested an hour of your life into without even saving or something?" There's also no option to save a game and resume at later date. The app is more forgiving if you drop a connection with your iPhone, or lock the screen on the iPad for a moment, but we'd really appreciate it if EA rounded off some of these rough edges before we chuck the iPad across the room in a Scrabble-induced rage. Check out video playthrough after the break.
Shouldn't that say $100+ iPhones? Or do you need the compass for some reason? :/
One word : HILARIOUS
The future!
Honestly this is what those smug Apple devotees can now play.
Not surprised about the lost game issues. The Scrabble app for the iPhone is embarrassingly buggy, as well as being so user hostile I hate myself every time I launch it (despite having paid for it, and loving the game of Scrabble itself). EA should be ashamed. There are 13 year olds writing better iPhone apps.
Multi-tasking has a plus side?
Yeah...you can't cheat in Scrabble
It's actually not as crazy if you think about it - if you have friends with iPhones or iPod touches and one of you bought an iPad, then you've just split the 1000 in different ways. Expensive? Yes, but not $1000 expensive.
I rather play real scrabble but cool nonetheless
The title of this article should read "How to pay 1200 dollars for a 20 dollar board game, and be a douche all at once."
Hmmm... we love tech but not when it violates so rudely and irresponsibly our efforts to be a little more friendly to the environment. Why waste energy (battery, recharging) on something that can be done so easily on a board that requires no battery or electricity?
And where is the fun in calculating the scores by hand?
Computers are great at saving people's time, especially work/productivity time. Scrabble, however, is a game -- meant to *spend* time, not save it. Why computerize it? Where is the fun?
Can you play against people anywhere, or do they have to be on the same WiFi connection?
I know plenty of scrabble nerds who live hundreds or thousands of miles apart and would probably enjoy this if it worked that way...any idea?
You wouldn't buy an iPad and 4 iPhones/iPod Touches just to play scrabble. *rolls eyes* This is just an added bonus.
@DavBach
Maybe in a future version, as you connect the tile apps, it prompts for your position relative to the board and automatically rotates the board.
The UI could also be improved to make the actual board bigger; make the the score card shorter or a pop-over and the tile rack vertical.