Like the title states, is it possible to force the app drawer to be always open when a device is a tablet? 

Hi Brenna,

You can use a SplitView instead of a Drawer, as suggested in the following forum post:

http://www.telerik.com/forums/keep-drawer-open#tq7Yo9ejPEOsMzUluxb1Aw

I have put the example in a dojo, so you can inspect it with the Simulator:

http://dojo.telerik.com/uMAki

The mentioned Pane's collapsible option is now a built-in one:

http://docs.telerik.com/kendo-ui/api/javascript/mobile/ui/pane#configuration-collapsible

I hope this helps.

Regards,
Dimiter Topalov
Telerik