BS: a pad for crosswords........?

Subject: BS: a pad for crosswords........?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 31 Jul 13 - 05:58 AM

My wife loves crosswords. I was thinking of maybe getting her a pad so she can download a crossword on. Then if it had an illuminated screen - she do crosswords in bed at night, without turning the light on. Also as she has rheumatoid arthritis in her fingers - it would need to be light. Is anyone else using a pad with similar needs - one that does crosswords from the newspaper.

Subject: RE: BS: a pad for crosswords........?
From: Musket
Date: 31 Jul 13 - 06:33 AM

Al, go for any pad, whether iPad or one of the many cheaper Android ones. Whilst you both end up using it for far more, (trust me) both iOS (iPad) and Android (everything else) have many good crossword applications.

Whilst I don't do them myself, I am aware that some of the newspapers have interactive crosswords on their own downloads too.

The 7" screen ones are more than large enough and should be light enough also. Whilst I am not clever enough for crosswords, I do like to do Suduku on the train, and find my 5" phone (phablet as they annoyingly call them) is more than big enough for my fat fingers, so I am sure a small pad is good.

Check out Amazon, search under tablets, Android.

Subject: RE: BS: a pad for crosswords........?
From: Charmion
Date: 31 Jul 13 - 08:56 AM

I do the New York Times crossword on my iPad. While it s a highly enjoyable way to pass time, I find the on-line version sometimes not quite up to the task, especially when the NYT runs one of their novelty puzzles. On the other hand, you get instant checking and scoring with the on-line version, a major plus.

The iPad is heavy, however, and the glowing screen causes eyestrain in low-light conditions. Consequently, it has never occurred to me to do the crossword in bed; it's an amusement for after breakfast on the kitchen sofa with the cat.

Subject: RE: BS: a pad for crosswords........?
From: bobad
Date: 31 Jul 13 - 09:33 AM

Charmion, do you pay for the the NY Times puzzles? Our subscription to the Ottawa Citizen gave us access to all the online newspapers in the Postmedia chain so we could download the NY Times xwords from the ones that carried them but they have recently changed their policy on ePapers and now give access only to the Citizen online. We are looking for a way to get the puzzles some other way. Are only interested in Thursday, Friday and Saturday's ones, the small daily ones that is as we do get the big one on Saturday.

Subject: RE: BS: a pad for crosswords........?
From: bobad
Date: 31 Jul 13 - 09:57 AM

Al, the Google Nexus7 is getting very good reviews and the price is right, too. Have a look here.

Subject: RE: BS: a pad for crosswords........?
From: JennieG
Date: 31 Jul 13 - 06:29 PM

A very timely thread, because yesterday I bought a Samsung T3100 - they are fairly new, and had only arrived in the shop in the morning. As I have never even had a smart phone up till now I am still learning to drive it, but I reckon it will be fun. I'll keep an eye on this thread because I like crosswords too.

Subject: RE: BS: a pad for crosswords........?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 01 Aug 13 - 07:29 AM

With a ipad you can't use flash, which means we can't use it for the Telegraph crossword, and have to print it from a pc instead. (Rather not buy the Telegraph, naturally.)

Subject: RE: BS: a pad for crosswords........?
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Aug 13 - 02:16 PM

Yes, bobad, I am such a patsy that I subscribed to the NYT crossword. I'm a hopeless addict.

Subject: RE: BS: a pad for crosswords........?
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 01 Aug 13 - 02:38 PM

My tablet is a 10" Android (Acer Iconia A200). There seems to be a fair amount of debate over 7" vs 10" but I feel I would find a 7" to small for browsing websites comfortably and am not worried about the extra bulk.

The only web site with a crossword I visit is the Guardian. Their crosswords can be completed on line but I do the crossword in the pare and only go there to cheat.

(And I usually only attempt Rufus in the Guardian - mostly I just do the ones in the Eastern Daily Press. I have completed an Aurcaria without cheating but it took me a couple of days and I found it a real struggle)

A couple of resources I sometime use when I'm stuck:

The Crossword Solver
Andy's Anagram Solver

Subject: RE: BS: a pad for crosswords........?
From: bobad
Date: 01 Aug 13 - 05:08 PM

"Yes, bobad, I am such a patsy that I subscribed to the NYT crossword. I'm a hopeless addict."

I'm afraid we will be going the same route as we are also addicted to them.

Subject: RE: BS: a pad for crosswords........?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 02 Aug 13 - 12:33 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: BS: a pad for crosswords........?
From: Zhenya
Date: 02 Aug 13 - 02:27 PM

I do crosswords on an iPad using the Crux puzzle app. There are several free puzzle sources available from this app. New puzzles arrive daily for many sources, so it's unlikely someone would run out of free puzzles to do. For newspapers with premium content, like the NY Times, you can only access the puzzles if you have the premium subscription. I do have this for the NY Times. I just had to create a link one time, and now I can download the NY Times puzzles like any other puzzle on Crux. I believe the app. itself is $4.99. There was no additional charge to link to my NY Times puzzle subscription.

I tried a few other apps and ways of doing crosswords electronically, and for me, Crux proved to be the best one. As far as the NY Times subscription goes, it also gives access to the puzzles on the NYT website. You can print out the puzzles in pdf form there if you want, so they look just like they do in the newspaper. I mostly use the iPad to solve the puzzles, but sometimes a comment is included alerting you that you need to solve the puzzle on paper, due to an abnormal grid or some other issue. In that case, I just print out that particular puzzle. The Crux app. does allow you to put up to 5 letters in one box, which will accommodate some of the special puzzles that crop up now and then. There's no way to put symbols in, however.

I'm including some links if you want to learn more about Crux. By the way, I'm not trying to sell this over another app. It's just the one I use so it's the one I'm familiar with.


http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=85013


http://puzzles.about.com/od/crosswords/fr/CRUX-crossword-app.htm


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: RE: BS: a pad for crosswords........?
From: sheila
Date: 03 Aug 13 - 08:54 AM

Can anyone recommend a version of AcrossLite for Android?

Subject: RE: BS: a pad for crosswords........?
From: KarenH
Date: 31 Dec 18 - 08:51 AM

Can't find a better thread: anybody get anywhere with the Guardian Xmas cryptic this year. I could do with a few more to get me going: I have Generation X and Ipad and that is about it.

Subject: RE: BS: a pad for crosswords........?
From: DaveRo
Date: 31 Dec 18 - 09:17 AM

This one?

A print is still sitting on the coffee table. We've done 7 answers. Aptly, one is IPAD.

Subject: RE: BS: a pad for crosswords........?
From: KarenH
Date: 01 Jan 19 - 07:36 AM

Yep. That one. 39 down is 'unsettle' (anagram); 54 across 'Edelweiss' (anagram); 42 down 's shape'; 13 across 'generation x'. 3 down 'nerve gas' (anagram). That's more or less all, plus 'unit' (unfit losing the f ).

Swopsies??

Subject: RE: BS: a pad for crosswords........?
From: DaveRo
Date: 01 Jan 19 - 09:05 AM

I've not picked it up again.
16a HHour
14d The Exterior
11d Lochan (so 13a = XGeneration?)
50d iPad

Subject: RE: BS: a pad for crosswords........?
From: KarenH
Date: 01 Jan 19 - 09:30 AM

Thanks, you are right, so that means that non u was correct for 8 down.

Never heard of Hhour, had you?

Subject: RE: BS: a pad for crosswords........?
From: DaveRo
Date: 01 Jan 19 - 10:41 AM

I've read it in the context of military history: "D-day was to be 1st April, H-hour 0600". I've never heard it used.

I thought this was too hard, and not interesting enough to persevere with. I probably spent an hour or two over a couple of days getting 7 answers - one of which was wrong - 'Nerve Gas' is much better than my answer! Those undefined ones are difficult - I resorted to guessing answers - Plan B say - and seeing if there was an appropriate light. I might have got Generation X that way - but never X Generation.

I like the alphabetic puzzles where there are no clue numbers, or double puzzles where you don't know which one a clue applies to. They're more interesting - I stick at them and can usually finish them.

Subject: RE: BS: a pad for crosswords........?
From: Jos
Date: 01 Jan 19 - 11:37 AM

I would have guessed that 'HHour' meant Happy Hour - but that doesn't seem to have much to do with military history.

Subject: RE: BS: a pad for crosswords........?
From: Mr Red
Date: 01 Jan 19 - 06:22 PM

screen late at night are not good policy, you can offset the effect by choosing colour schemes that reduce the blue content (that fools yer brain into thinking it is day).

If fat fingers are a problemo, get a rubber-tipped pen for prodding. Get one that writes, so in daylight she can jot things down when hunting for anagrams. I have three 4 inch ones called "Poquito Stylus". The only place I can get them (hence 3 - I loose them) is a stationers in Malvern. The company do mail-order but not with the pens, the shop will send them though.

I find my 5 inch Sony copes with my slender fingers anyway.