It’s been a long time since the KGS android app was released and, ever since then, I’ve been interested in making a videoreview of it. Though I’m not really a regular user, I wanted to contribute in keeping up the KGS server, so I decided to buy it. Nonetheless, the KGS app costs 12,12 euros on google play. Expensive, you may say, but it includes a 2 months subscription to the KGS plus service. Take it or leave it, but it’s the only legal way to obtain the app.

The white circle on the screen is the tip on my finger. The review is made on a Samsung Galaxy S2 and connected through WiFi, though it works fine with 3G and GPRS. However, if you travel by train it’s not uncommon to get disconnected several times (with the consequent annoyance) while in tunnels or areas with low internet coverage.

So, here it is, enjoy it:
http://youtu.be/y7OahMozAFw

Though the app is great for playing, it has a couple of issues you should bare in mind before buying. First of all, and most annoying, you can’t view a game you’ve just played. If you play a game, it’s stored on KGS but you can’t access it from your phone. The only solution is to go to kgs site, download the sgf file and open it on another program. Yes, on another program, because you can’t load sgfs on this app. The second issue is related with internet: connection is required always, even if you play a local game with a friend on your phone.

All in all it’s a good app for playing into KGS, but just that, it won’t replace your main sgf viewer.

By the way, if you wan to watch the video at full resolution, set it to 720p or go to my blog. It's 480px wide per 800px high, so youtube's horizontal video doesn't really fit very well...

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My blog about Go and Boardgames: Alejo's Tenuki