Electronic ideas? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Electronic ideas?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
darkseid109
Nov 25, 2010 15:22:40 Hey everyone, I was hoping to get some advice about a character sheet problem I seem to have. Seeing as how ink is expensive and my handwriting is horrible, I was wondering if anybody knew of a product that could store a few PDFs and excell spreadsheets imported through a usb link? I know a laptop would do it but I'm looking for something a little cheaper. Any ideas are much appreciated.
#2
inarai
Nov 25, 2010 15:45:00
Hey everyone, I was hoping to get some advice about a character sheet problem I seem to have. Seeing as how ink is expensive and my handwriting is horrible, I was wondering if anybody knew of a product that could store a few PDFs and excell spreadsheets imported through a usb link? I know a laptop would do it but I'm looking for something a little cheaper. Any ideas are much appreciated.

If you have any sort of computer available at the table (netbooks work), that would do - just throw it on a flash drive. Short of that, I'm not sure what would be a sufficiently large screen... Although some E-Readers may work, if that's within your budget.
#3
kenlar
Nov 26, 2010 1:27:05 Basically what Inarai said, but (assuming you play at home) if you already own a desktop PC or an iMac, you can just move it to always have it near the table (although this may be a bit difficult if you play in different places). Or, you can see if one of the other players has a laptop/netbook/Macbook and as if you can have them open your Character Sheet on their laptop/netbook/Macbook (Note that the Macbook only works if it's a regular PDF-file or if you use the new Online Character Builder).
#4
zmortis
Nov 26, 2010 7:05:44 It really is a matter of budget and desired form factor. If you are looking for something in the $300 range, then netbook is the way to go. If you are looking to get a bit more functionality, then a regular laptop or macbook may be what you're looking to obtain for a somewhat higher price. I would avoid "tablet" devices because their price is generally greater than their functionality warrants for the moment (unless a touch screen interface is more important to you than an ability to handle various file types). For .pdf files of course acrobat reader is free and comes in multiple platform editions, and for spreadsheet files like .xls the free Java Open Office also supports that file type in addition to supporting multiple platforms.

I hope this helps.
#5
modern_iconoclast
Dec 02, 2010 14:35:29 If your cell phone accepts SD cards and can display PDF's, it could be another option.
Else the 250-300$ netbook is one of the cheaper solutions.

Maybe an electronic picture holder? It stores JPG but a PDF can be conveted to JPGs. Just brainstorming here.
#6
mock26
Dec 03, 2010 17:37:29 What about using Excel to create your character, take a screen capture of it, and then host it on a website? There are plenty of free webhosting services that do not require knowledge of HTML to host files.

I am the DM of my group and I keep a spreadsheet copy of everyone's character and one player keeps fogetting his character sheet and the last time I had not printed out a spare copy. So, I did a screen capture and posted it on my personal website. He then accessed it via his iPhone.
#7
beeq
Dec 13, 2010 8:34:27 As for programs out there, I was pointed to this site: iplay4e.appspot.com/ which does a nice job of tracking your stuff with your ddi account.
#8
TheAbstruseOne
Dec 13, 2010 17:46:19 Smartphones: Almost all of them have a PDF reader. Most of them also have some program or app that will allow them to display Word or Excel documents. You can also view (but not edit) documents on Google Docs (at least on the iPhone) including Word, Excel, PDF, and pretty much any document format at this point.

eBook Reader: They're pretty much built to read documents as cheaply as possible. I can't speak for all of them, but my roommate's Kindle can display PDFs (even if in B&W).

Netbook and Laptop: Useful, but large and expensive. Only get one of these if you have non-D&D reasons to get one.

MP3 Players: Most of the higher end ones can display documents or images. Might take some fiddling to get them in a format that can work, but you might already have one laying around that will work.

Small image viewers: This one takes the most work and is the most troublesome, but it is also the cheapest. I know woot.com sells them occasionally, but you can probably find them all over the place online dirt cheap. They're little keychain things that can hold digital images. You'll then have to convert them to .jpg or .gif images and have to fumble through them on the tiny screen (like one picture for each power, then one for the abridged sheet that prints with the CB). They're usually less than $10, but they have crappy screens and not much storage space.

Just Printing the Damn Thing: If you don't want to pay for the paper, go to the library and print it there cheaply. Or Kinkos. Or Office Depot. Or your school/office's computer (if it won't get you in trouble (or you won't get caught)). Or bug a friend to use theirs. It might seem expensive, but unless you're actually buying a brand new printer, it's actually the cheapest option.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 darkseid109 Nov 25, 2010 15:22:40	Hey everyone, I was hoping to get some advice about a character sheet problem I seem to have. Seeing as how ink is expensive and my handwriting is horrible, I was wondering if anybody knew of a product that could store a few PDFs and excell spreadsheets imported through a usb link? I know a laptop would do it but I'm looking for something a little cheaper. Any ideas are much appreciated.
#2 inarai Nov 25, 2010 15:45:00	Hey everyone, I was hoping to get some advice about a character sheet problem I seem to have. Seeing as how ink is expensive and my handwriting is horrible, I was wondering if anybody knew of a product that could store a few PDFs and excell spreadsheets imported through a usb link? I know a laptop would do it but I'm looking for something a little cheaper. Any ideas are much appreciated. If you have any sort of computer available at the table (netbooks work), that would do - just throw it on a flash drive. Short of that, I'm not sure what would be a sufficiently large screen... Although some E-Readers may work, if that's within your budget.
#3 kenlar Nov 26, 2010 1:27:05	Basically what Inarai said, but (assuming you play at home) if you already own a desktop PC or an iMac, you can just move it to always have it near the table (although this may be a bit difficult if you play in different places). Or, you can see if one of the other players has a laptop/netbook/Macbook and as if you can have them open your Character Sheet on their laptop/netbook/Macbook (Note that the Macbook only works if it's a regular PDF-file or if you use the new Online Character Builder).
#4 zmortis Nov 26, 2010 7:05:44	It really is a matter of budget and desired form factor. If you are looking for something in the $300 range, then netbook is the way to go. If you are looking to get a bit more functionality, then a regular laptop or macbook may be what you're looking to obtain for a somewhat higher price. I would avoid "tablet" devices because their price is generally greater than their functionality warrants for the moment (unless a touch screen interface is more important to you than an ability to handle various file types). For .pdf files of course acrobat reader is free and comes in multiple platform editions, and for spreadsheet files like .xls the free Java Open Office also supports that file type in addition to supporting multiple platforms. I hope this helps.
#5 modern_iconoclast Dec 02, 2010 14:35:29	If your cell phone accepts SD cards and can display PDF's, it could be another option. Else the 250-300$ netbook is one of the cheaper solutions. Maybe an electronic picture holder? It stores JPG but a PDF can be conveted to JPGs. Just brainstorming here.
#6 mock26 Dec 03, 2010 17:37:29	What about using Excel to create your character, take a screen capture of it, and then host it on a website? There are plenty of free webhosting services that do not require knowledge of HTML to host files. I am the DM of my group and I keep a spreadsheet copy of everyone's character and one player keeps fogetting his character sheet and the last time I had not printed out a spare copy. So, I did a screen capture and posted it on my personal website. He then accessed it via his iPhone.
#7 beeq Dec 13, 2010 8:34:27	As for programs out there, I was pointed to this site: iplay4e.appspot.com/ which does a nice job of tracking your stuff with your ddi account.
#8 TheAbstruseOne Dec 13, 2010 17:46:19	Smartphones: Almost all of them have a PDF reader. Most of them also have some program or app that will allow them to display Word or Excel documents. You can also view (but not edit) documents on Google Docs (at least on the iPhone) including Word, Excel, PDF, and pretty much any document format at this point. eBook Reader: They're pretty much built to read documents as cheaply as possible. I can't speak for all of them, but my roommate's Kindle can display PDFs (even if in B&W). Netbook and Laptop: Useful, but large and expensive. Only get one of these if you have non-D&D reasons to get one. MP3 Players: Most of the higher end ones can display documents or images. Might take some fiddling to get them in a format that can work, but you might already have one laying around that will work. Small image viewers: This one takes the most work and is the most troublesome, but it is also the cheapest. I know woot.com sells them occasionally, but you can probably find them all over the place online dirt cheap. They're little keychain things that can hold digital images. You'll then have to convert them to .jpg or .gif images and have to fumble through them on the tiny screen (like one picture for each power, then one for the abridged sheet that prints with the CB). They're usually less than $10, but they have crappy screens and not much storage space. Just Printing the Damn Thing: If you don't want to pay for the paper, go to the library and print it there cheaply. Or Kinkos. Or Office Depot. Or your school/office's computer (if it won't get you in trouble (or you won't get caught)). Or bug a friend to use theirs. It might seem expensive, but unless you're actually buying a brand new printer, it's actually the cheapest option.