[jillybean]

Our game is outgrowing the 22 Bridgemates (+2 dead BM).
Purchasing additional BM is expensive, importing them from the USA unpalatable, the technology passe.

I don't know if we would be ready to dispose of 22 BM's and introduce a new system in one go. Has anyone any experience of a gradual migration of BM's to another technology?
I imagine there would be issues with uploading/merging different scoring and name data (I'm thinking of using bridgewebs). There could be some confusion for North using different technology. (we could give the new tech to our smart North's), and of course just the general push back against anything new.

Is this a ridiculous idea, are we committed to BM's until we replace the entire inventory?

Thanks

[pescetom]

jillybean, on 2025-April-25, 17:55, said:

Our game is outgrowing the 22 Bridgemates (+2 dead BM).
Purchasing additional BM is expensive, importing them from the USA unpalatable, the technology passe.

I don't know if we would be ready to dispose of 22 BM's and introduce a new system in one go. Has anyone any experience of a gradual migration of BM's to another technology?
I imagine there would be issues with uploading/merging different scoring and name data (I'm thinking of using bridgewebs). There could be some confusion for North using different technology. (we could give the new tech to our smart North's), and of course just the general push back against anything new.

Is this a ridiculous idea, are we committed to BM's until we replace the entire inventory?

I can see where you are coming from and I am one of the few that would not accept BM as a gift, but then I was lucky enough to a) not have an investment in BM in the first place and b) have a "free" viable alternative in the MYFIGB app ("free" as in that we already paid for it through membership fees and tournament fees). I still find it hard to imagine giving up BM in your situation unless you have a decent low cost app available that is compatible with your scoring software.

The negative aspects of BM in 2025 are obvious, but I'm sure you are well aware of the (many) positive aspects, in particular the foolproof nature of the whole system. You have to be equally aware of both sides when evaluating any alternative.

For me the real advantage of our current app is not so much in score entry (ironically, by conservative design it apes some of the defects of BM: if you entered the wrong level of contract or wrong Declarer then you have to undo every successive piece of information, rather than simply correct the only parameter that is wrong) but in other aspects such as tournament movement (where should we be, against whom and with which boards) and team tournament results presentation (no need to reconcile results manually, or even to keep a paper score just in case: the whole thing is there automatically as soon as the last board is finished).

A final consideration is the cost of further BM units and servers. From what I have read, there are many clubs folding (in the US at least) and so I would expect it is easy to pick up used equipment at relatively low cost. That's not happening in Italy yet, but it is only a matter of time.

But once you have a credible app available on a sustainable economic basis, the rest is basically a cultural shift that will induce push back but ultimately succeed. Even a year ago, I was treated as crazy when I refused to keep notes during a team tournament scored with BM and simply opened the app at the end. A few months ago I noticed that almost nobody was keeping notes any more in similar tournaments. Now I run team tournaments or multi-section MP without BM and nobody thinks I am crazy any more. I think we are all crazy because we still use bidding boxes and trays, but that is another story (or the next chapter).

[jillybean]

I've asked about BM's before,,cant find the thread

[barmar]

Two of the clubs I frequent use BridgeTab, which is an app for Android tablets. It doesn't require any special server hardware like BridgeMate, just a local WiFi network that the PC is connected to.

I'm not sure if it's feasible to have a mix of BM and BT in the same event, so you may have to do a full replacement.

Outgrowing your scoring technology seems like a problem most clubs would really like to have.

[jillybean]

Thanks, this looks like what is used in clubs in NZ, I liked it.
However, I don't really want to move to tablets, I was thinking phones, apple watches.

This is all idea's in my head, I think we will be limping along with BMs for a while yet.


bridgeTab:SILENT TD CALLS (NEW)
The players call the TD by pressing the TD button on any BridgeTab screen and the TD is notified on his phone (or tablet).

We can then approach the table in a stealthful manner and apprehend the OS

[barmar]

jillybean, on 2025-April-29, 15:59, said:

Thanks, this looks like what is used in clubs in NZ, I liked it.
However, I don't really want to move to tablets, I was thinking phones, apple watches.

The website says it can be used on Android phones as well. I don't know how easy it is to use on smaller screens, but everything is pretty big on tablets so I imagine it would be usable.

[jillybean]

COMPATIBILITY
BridgeTabs are compatible with other electronic systems. That is to say, you can run a mix of Bridgemates, BridgePads, BridgeTabs and BridgeTabs.

I'll look into this further


Oh! BridgeMate has an App to interface to andoid/iPhone

See it all live as it's happening. Your scores and rankings conveniently and individually displayed
in an intuitive app on your iPhone or Android smartphone. Follow your results and your opponents'
scores during the game, and analyse your play. Enter results in the Bridgemate app when you are
short of Bridgemates or playing at various locations simultaneously.

[pescetom]

 jillybean, on 2025-April-30, 18:35, said:

Oh! BridgeMate has an App to interface to andoid/iPhone

See it all live as it's happening. Your scores and rankings conveniently and individually displayed
in an intuitive app on your iPhone or Android smartphone. Follow your results and your opponents'
scores during the game, and analyse your play. Enter results in the Bridgemate app when you are
short of Bridgemates or playing at various locations simultaneously.

If you wish to break free from an expensive legacy system then surely the last place to look is the purveyor of same system

How expensive is the BridgeTab solution per user/table each year? There is no shortage of such apps, but the recurring cost can be quite daunting. And even if the cost is currently reasonable, they may have a business plan to tighten the screws gradually, like BBO.

[jillybean]

pescetom, on 2025-May-02, 02:21, said:

If you wish to break free from an expensive legacy system then surely the last place to look is the purveyor of same system

How expensive is the BridgeTab solution per user/table each year? There is no shortage of such apps, but the recurring cost can be quite daunting. And even if the cost is currently reasonable, they may have a business plan to tighten the screws gradually, like BBO.

The costly part of the system is in obtaining new and replacing old bridgetabs. CAD $240 , interestingly, all suppliers are indicating they are out of stock. If there is an option to use tablets or even players own devices this gives us the option to purchase less expensive hardware with better visibility, and perhaps a better user interface.
Bridgetab Cost $6 per unit/year plus an additional $2 if we want the bidding module, no more insufficient or bids out of turn, and the ability to track breaks in tempo. I’m just starting to look at options, exploring what others outside NA are using, the benefits, issues and the reliability. I have not collected numbers to compare costs.

[pescetom]

jillybean, on 2025-May-02, 05:36, said:

The costly part of the system is in obtaining new and replacing old bridgetabs. CAD $240 , interestingly, all suppliers are indicating they are out of stock. If there is an option to use tablets or even players own devices this gives us the option to purchase less expensive hardware with better visibility, and perhaps a better user interface.
Bridgetab Cost $6 per unit/year plus an additional $2 if we want the bidding module, no more insufficient or bids out of turn, and the ability to track breaks in tempo.

So a very significant initial investment in equipment and then $6 per table if only scoring or $26 per table with bidding.
It sounds attractive, but ultimately you are still getting locked into another proprietary system.

jillybean, on 2025-May-02, 05:36, said:

I’m just starting to look at options, exploring what others outside NA are using, the benefits, issues and the reliability. I have not collected numbers to compare costs.

You already know what I am using in Italy, but for anyone else new to the discussion it is the MyFigb app developed by the national RA. It is Italian only and closely locked into the RA ecosystem, so only of interest as a model. It handles scoring and movements and also some aspects of tournament direction (no Director call yet), strictly no bidding (I was looked at like crazy when I suggested it to my bosses). It has no direct cost to clubs, but of course the SW development is financed by the fees paid by clubs to the RA.

An interesting national competitor is the Bridgest Pro system, which is an easy to use solution for small to medium clubs. Last time I looked was still very reasonably priced at about $140 per year. It interfaces BridgeMate but also it's own app which is simple and well designed. They added USEBIO compatibility recently too. Unfortunately all only in Italian AFAIK.