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.
Almost as exciting as watching grass grow.
@tklr08
Actually, I prefer paint drying.
@tklr08
Can someone explain to me why http://www.engadget.com/exclude/apple
this STILL has an iPad banner at the top? I can't get away from this thing!
@VictorBush
Well yeah, if you get the good paint you can close all the windows and doors to get a pretty good buzz going.
@tklr08. If you strike me down(again) I will become more powerful than you could ever imagine! I have retuned though to the sight of this scrabble digitalised and even though I find this concept cool, it is nothing compared to hologram scrabble
@tklr08
Although the song is kinda catchy
@tklr08
All we need now is a pic of a fake 70s family pretending to enjoy this game while holding their ipods and we'll have perfect advertising for this game.
@Wiizer
Jesus can you complain a bit more?? All you "omg mac suxor"-fanbois constant whining about the iPad is more annoying than the many iPad news themselves...
@tklr08 Sign of the times
@tklr08
Have these two even tried to play Scrabble on an iPod Touch or iPhone without the unnecessary iPad?
For $2.99 and one iPod Touch or iPhone you can play Scrabble with up to four buddies by simply passing the device. Don't want to pass it around then just add an iPod Touch or iPhone (along with $2.99 for each additional copy of the app) for each additional player.
Eliminating the iPad allows you to save at least $500 plus...
You don't have to first slide you tiles to the iPad screen and then go to that display and again slide them into position. You also don't have to rotate the iPad for each players turn. Each player can also just sit back and not have to deal with having a centralized second display they have to go to for each turn. Heck, you don't even have to take bathroom breaks. Also note that the version of Scrabble I play doesn't allow your game to accidentally end.
Conclusion - Even if I owned four iPod Touches or iPhones* and an iPad I still wouldn't use the iPad to play Scrabble.
*Note - I won one iPod Touch in a golf outing and have dropped about $15 on apps and $0 on music and videos at the iTunes store. I also have no desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel.
@McKirf
And...I'm done
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/5191/fakefam.jpg
Sweet, guys.
Could you also post about any improvements in the iFart app? Or maybe just start cataloging all applications that are on the iPad and iPhone, that would be quite helpful. Thanks.
@tklr08
hey board games are fun, also, the iPad really would be pretty awesome if it only supported flash.
if Apple suddenly supports flash i'll be tempted to use it.
actually i am kind of hoping that MS will come out with a slate that is based off of the Zune software, with the added support of, you guessed it, flash.
it would also be nice to see office available. i dont want to write an essay on it, but i would like the option of opening one and editing/read one.
All that money, and just for this experience:
http://xkcd.com/492/
@VictorBush
If you are into watching paint dry. I got an old fence to white wash, give me an apple and you can take a turn.
Now that'll test your childhood reading
@tklr08 I think this was Apple's plan all along!!! Totally didn't see this coming.
@DaveBach ignoring music and videos OK
Not licking Coffee OK
But not wanting a quality New York bagel. You sir are a soulless evil bastard.
@Professor Hubert J Farnsworth As for the count of the iPad apps, for sure it'll skyrocket, just give it a month or two. I think right now, what we should be looking for are those new apps that the iPad promises to the users. http://bit.ly/top-apps-for-ipad
@Arkv2 : dude, that's pretty good.... where the heck did you find that picture?
@tklr08
Dear all if you want it to sound terrific just have a look at this site : http://www.sylviusmedia.com/index.php?lang=en
Now you can get excited by watching grass grow ;)
That's really cool. My parents both have iPhones and are HUGE scrabble nerds... They might like this.
@SolidSnake The iPhones just seem redundant in this. I could understand a game of Poker as you don't want someone else to see your cards but in Scrabble, nobody really cares what you've got.
Even in Poker, the software can just hide the cards and you just pass the iPad around and it would prompt you to show your cards and then hide when you're done.
Games like Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit would be more usable and no cleanup or missing plastic pieces you step on in the carpet a week later.
One thing that's interesting is board games don't seem to come out much any more due to publishing cost and difficulty of gaining adoption. Digital board games might become more popular. The iPad is far too expensive for that of course but a sub-$100 Android slate might do the trick.
@TinWard
Maybe if you're bad at Scrabble no one cares; but, if you are any good, knowing which letters the other players have matters.
@SolidSnake
Since your parents are scrabble nerds, as you describe... would you please ask them if "BRR" constitute a word?
http://imgur.com/Sjm5V.jpg
lol
@Almo
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2003/8/25/
@Almo wrongly spelled word in a cartoon about scrabble? "Touchs" my heart!
@Groggle "I'll have to hire three hookers..." "... I can't just sit there naked"
does not compute
yeah it looks fun
but still...1000 bucks for scrabble???
@RyanWhit123
yeah if you buy an ipad plus two iphones just to play scrabble ... yeah 1000 bucks.
@ engadget great article by the way, i'm totally enlightened.
@RyanWhit123
And you can't make up words anymore!
goodbye "Fucksicle" triple word score :(
@RyanWhit123 I think the point is more "one person gets an iPad" and then anyone else with an iPhone can join in.
@RyanWhit123 Who buys iPhones and an iPad just to play Scrabble!? Most people have them anyways so it isn't a problem! Engadget can be stupid sometimes... These thigns can be used for more than playing Scrabble anyway.
@Alexicov actually, I hope you can still make up words. That's part of the strategic portion of Scrabble. Make up a word that sounds like it's a word and see if someone has the guts to challenge it and possibly lose a turn. Personally I think this is crap. Sad really. It does the math for you? Why not set it up so you still have to do the math? Games are a great way to trick kids into learning. Apple is getting really good at selling devices that people don't have to do a lot of thinking to use. But I guess that's what keeps those consumers coming back.
Back in my day, scrabble was played with little wooden pieces that you inevitably lost.
@Nitesh
Or eaten.
@xbit
Or get used as chess pieces.
STUPID... just stupid.
But go ahead, keep on hyping up this overpriced piece of garbage.
@ChrisAnderson
CTFO
@ChrisAnderson Takes ONE to know one.
Zoiks!
Is that a word?
@onlymyrailgun
No, it's "Zoinks!"
:P
I honestly was expecting more... this looks tedious.
what's next? poker?
@koolerz1569
Poker would be sweet. There's always doubt about the shuffling. That and passing cards around 10-12 peeps.
However I do like to play with my chips.
@koolerz1569 Spin the bottle.
That`s pathetic!
@substance90
Jep, you’re right. I expected more of the engadget staff, instead they are as creative as: "there", "port" and "wipe".
Ipod touch would probably do the job.
Someone needs to create some sort of hacked iPhone app that will suggest the best word you can use, than maybe I can win.