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Is that something you would pay for? Physical interfaces and keys are something of an obsession of mine (I don't use any keyboards that don't have Cherry MX swi

Is that something you would pay for? Physical interfaces and keys are something of an obsession of mine (I don't use any keyboards that don't have Cherry MX switches, for example).

deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
tjmc 15y ago
Yep - I'd definitely pay for a stylish hardware icalc keypad over a whole calculator. Im studying mech engineering. So it needs to be more than just a numeric keyboard - a scientific calc layout with brackets, exponents, logs and trig functions at a minimum. I guess the ultimate would be e-ink keys that you could relabel, but it wouldn't be too bad to use the screen for rarely used functions and just have a sensible set nicely laid out in hardware.
- jrockway 15y ago
  It sounds like someone needs to introduce you to computer algebra systems. I recommend Mathematica, Maple, or Matlib.
  - tjmc 15y ago
    Slightly different issue. Entering equations quickly and accurately is very hard with a virtual keyboard. I'd like to use my phone rather than a calculator in situations when i dont have a full pc handy. I've used Maple extensively and it's a great tool. But I'm not looking for a pc replacement, I'm looking for a calculator replacement. The app side could certainly work like Maple or Mathmatica.
    - jrockway 15y ago
      So you are willing to carry around a full mechanical keyboard to attach to your phone and type complex equations, but you can't carry around a netbook or something for that purpose? I have to say, I'm a little baffled. Phones are for phoning. Computers are for computing.
      - tjmc 15y ago
        Smart phones are computers that are capable of phoning too. Netbooks and laptops aren't ideal for entering a lot of numbers either because they don't have a numeric keypad. Calculator keyboards are laid out better for working with equations. Let me put it another way - do you think calculators are completely redundant?

Is that something you would pay for? Physical interfaces and keys are something of an obsession of mine (I don't use any keyboards that don't have Cherry MX switches, for example).

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

tjmc 15y ago

Yep - I'd definitely pay for a stylish hardware icalc keypad over a whole calculator. Im studying mech engineering. So it needs to be more than just a numeric keyboard - a scientific calc layout with brackets, exponents, logs and trig functions at a minimum. I guess the ultimate would be e-ink keys that you could relabel, but it wouldn't be too bad to use the screen for rarely used functions and just have a sensible set nicely laid out in hardware.

jrockway 15y ago
It sounds like someone needs to introduce you to computer algebra systems. I recommend Mathematica, Maple, or Matlib.
- tjmc 15y ago
  Slightly different issue. Entering equations quickly and accurately is very hard with a virtual keyboard. I'd like to use my phone rather than a calculator in situations when i dont have a full pc handy. I've used Maple extensively and it's a great tool. But I'm not looking for a pc replacement, I'm looking for a calculator replacement. The app side could certainly work like Maple or Mathmatica.
  - jrockway 15y ago
    So you are willing to carry around a full mechanical keyboard to attach to your phone and type complex equations, but you can't carry around a netbook or something for that purpose? I have to say, I'm a little baffled. Phones are for phoning. Computers are for computing.
    - tjmc 15y ago
      Smart phones are computers that are capable of phoning too. Netbooks and laptops aren't ideal for entering a lot of numbers either because they don't have a numeric keypad. Calculator keyboards are laid out better for working with equations. Let me put it another way - do you think calculators are completely redundant?