Judge Devices

The judge console of the application has been optimized to be used in combination with tablet computers. This does not mean that judges will not be able to do their work with other types of computers, but in our opinion tablets are the most efficient way to provide each judge with a device.
There are some exceptions though. In trampoline for example, the number of score values for a single exercise is too big to fit easily on a tablet screen. For those cases we have been using Chromebooks, which are a good mix of a laptop (screen size and keyboard) and tablets (touchscreen, battery life).

Tablet requirements

When looking for tablets to use for the judges, keep following thing in mind:

• Battery life: you need to plan for the tablets to work during the whole competition. Even if switching out tablets can be done very fast, it is mostly not feasible to have a spare tablet for each judge to charge while they are working. So you either make sure that battery autonomy is long enough for a whole competition day (and possibly load during breaks) or you will need to have power outlets at the judge tables to charge.
• WiFi: as mentioned in the section about Access Points, it is preferred to work with a 5G WiFi band. Make sure that the tablets you provide support 5G.
• Screen size: the minimal screen size is 7 inch, but 10 inch is preferred.

Storage space is not needed for running the scoring interface, so you can chose the lowest spec there.

Alongside with the tablets, you should think about the transportation of the tablets. You can keep the tablets in their original boxes, but this will be cumbersome to pack and unpack each time and in the long run the boxes will wear.
There are companies who sell cases for transporting tablets. Most of them also have the power sockets for charging the tablets built-in. The price tag for these cases might high, but they offer a great comfort and will certainly prolong the lifetime of your tablets.

Chromebook requirements

If you want to use Chromebooks for the judges you want to look for the same qualities as the tablets, except for the screen, which should have Full HD (1920 × 1080) resolution at least. Also be sure to choose a model with touch screen.

Device examples

Tablets

So far, we haven’t tested with a lot of different models of tablets. Based on the features listed, we have selected the Acer Iconia One 10 B3-A40-K86R model and have been quite satisfied with the results. It has support for 5G WiFi, 10 inch screen with a resolution of 1200 × 800. When fully charged, we manage get at least 7 hours of active use out of them. Charging them in the breaks, allows us to use them for the longest of competition days.

Chromebooks

Also for the Chromebooks, we have landed with Acer devices, currently Acer Chromebook R13 CB5-312T, which is rather high-end in the Chromebook range. The screen is 13 inch with Full HD resolution. It is also quite sturdy in the standard position (keyboard on the table and screen in upward position), which is important when using the touchscreen.
You can also put it in so called ‘tent’ mode, or flip the screen over to put it in tablet mode.