Mike_P

Just in case folks here haven't seen the other thread, the javascript enabled browser from www.skyfire.com allows me to kibitz with my Sprint Touch Diamond (Windows Mobile 6.1) smartphone. May be the answer for many of you for whom a downloadable version is available. -- Mike

Ah, this may be a breakthrough. :D I have a pretty capable smartphone (Sprint Touch Diamond) that apparently does not support javascript. The skyfire browser mentioned above seems to enable javascript sites and I can now indeed kibitz on my cellphone. Life is worth living again. :) Many thanks for the heads-up on this. Having said that, with my relatively high screen resolution (but small real estate) I can't quite change the card sizes and hand spacings just right, so it's still pretty awkward to see everything at once without some scrolling around.... but just a little appropriate squishing from the server side (or options for us to do it) would make this just perfect. -- Mike

I know this topic comes up periodically but thought I'd check again on what's available nowadays. I just ordered a new Diamond Touch (Windows Mobile 6.1) with legitimate VGA screen (640x480) and am wondering what my options are -- a quick initial google search shows the newly updated Omar Sharif as well as a couple of flavors of Bridgepower for the PocketPC. Anyone know of any others and have any experience with any of the available programs? I know they are not nearly as good as virtually any human, but I still wonder if anyone has any favorites in terms of graphics, gameplay, user interface, etc. And, of course, the wonderful screen on the Diamond Touch makes me wonder again whether there are reasonable BridgeBase applications, even if only for kibitzing. Of course, once I receive the device I can experiment a bit on this. Any comments/inputs? -- Mike

Thanks everyone. And as for Frances Hinden, I assume everyone is aware of this: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...757C0A962958260 -- Mike

No, I meant "compact disc." :P Sorry, I meant "director," "contest director," or "bridge director," or whatever the proper name is. I told you we were casual and clueless. -- Mike

...between my regular partner and I. This one should be easy for you guys. We play mostly offline and in easygoing non-sanctioned duplicate events, so I suppose this problem doesn't come up that often. The question, briefly, is: Is any deviation in bidding from what appears on the convention card grounds for a CD call and possible penalty? If I open a 4 card major but convention card says 5 card majors, am I subject to CD call? If I decide I need to open 1NT with 18 points, and our convention card says 15-17 am I subject to a CD call? When my partner alerts "15-17" and I don't "correct" her, am I subject to a CD call? If we play standard SAYC, and I have a complete mental breakdown and open 3S with 18 points and 5 spades (resulting in either a terrific or awful outcome), am I subject to a CD call? My partner claims that anytime you don't strictly follow your convention card, you are subject to a challenge and penalty. It seems to me that, presuming that you and your partner have no previous hidden agreements (and are therefore cheating), you are free to make whatever cockamamy bid you want, regardless of what cards you're holding, as long as there are no hidden agreements and your partner is as confused as everyone else. If this is not true, then it seems to me that the bidding process is based not on skill and a sense of context, but instead on who has the best memory to successfully navigate through complex, byzantine bidding systems. -- Mike

Hmm... I assumed the answer was going to be a quick and simple "no," but maybe it's more complicated than that.... ?? -- Mike

Sorry, still a little confused. I bought the commercial CD of GIB for about $80 some time ago, not realizing that it was not being actively supported. Thus, I didn't use it much and bought other bridge software. Is there some sense in which my local copy of GIB can be used in conjunction with BBO in some way? -- Mike

There are also apparently some 3rd party flash players for Palm O.S. I've got a Palm based Treo 700p and would love to find a way to make BBOFlash mobile. Anybody manage to cobble together any kind of capability on this family of smart phones? -- Mike

Ah-h-h-h ............ the last great frontier............

The new client looks good and I'm sure will be terrific in no time, given Fred's history of excellence. However, I still don't get the point. If this is to increase the user base by making the client not system or OS dependent, and not requiring users to maintain/update their resident BBO software, than I'm all for it -- what's good for BBO is good for me. :) But I don't mind the appearance or functionality of the current client, I run Win XP, and I am not overwhelmed running the occasional update. What aspect of this new thing should excite me? :) -- Mike

Agreed. Maybe this can be a portal into BBO for the PDA/Smartphone folks. As a Treo/Palm user my browser is Blazer but can run Opera. But don't need no steenkin' Java.

Why assume that? Because people would inevitably tend to evaluate their opponents as a pair and (out of laziness if nothing else) would tend to rate them identically. This leads to people declining partnerships for fear they will be "dragged down" by opponents' ratings of the pair.

I assume you're suggesting that one would only be given the opportunity to rate one's partner, not either or both of the opponents.....

What a great game. Where else can you get your feelings hurt pretty much continuously? ;)