6 ms·

HP releases iPhone versions of classic calculators

12 points by zimbabwe 17y ago

mvbma 17y ago
what good is that? I don't want a virtual HP-11C. I want real buttons (hint, hint).
- jodrellblank 17y ago
  You want real buttons, you can get a real HP 12c on ebay for $10.
- zimbabwe 17y ago
  So far nobody's invented a device that's capable of shape-shifting, so replicating the interface via touch is as good as you can get without actually buying the calculator.
jpeterson 17y ago
When do I get an iPhone TI-85 app, so that I can play tetris like back in calculus class?
- bitwize 17y ago
  You can't. It can run third-party program code, and so violates the AppStore ToS.
  - joezydeco 17y ago
    So does that mean you can't program these HP emulators? I see the [R/S] key right there in the screenshots.
gchpaco 17y ago
The noise it makes when you push the keys is repellent but it is very close otherwise to the HPs I remember. I really want a 41CX, tho.
bcl 17y ago
Tapping into the nostalgic geek market? As much as I like the HP 15C, I'm not spending $30 for an iPhone version of it. They need to re-evaluate their price.
- ankhmoop 17y ago
  I think their price is more-or-less reasonable in terms of the value provided and in comparison to application pricing for other mobile platforms: http://www.berryreview.com/2008/04/22/review-calculator-apps-part-2-bizmathica/ http://www.berryreview.com/2008/04/22/review-calculator-apps... http://www.berryreview.com/2008/07/31/calculator-apps-part-5-powerone/ http://www.berryreview.com/2008/07/31/calculator-apps-part-5... iPhone application prices are unsustainably low. I find the $30 price point to be a very encouraging sign.
  - jimboyoungblood 17y ago
    Just curious- in what respect are the prices unsustainable? Couldn't one as easily argue that the Blackberry app prices are unsustainably high?
    - ankhmoop 17y ago
      Unless you produce one of the very few 'hits', you'll lose money developing a $1.99 application.
      - menloparkbum 17y ago
        you lose even more money developing an application that costs more than $2.99 - because nobody buys them.
        ankhmoop 17y ago
        If that's the case, then the market is unsustainable. Players will fail, causing scarcity, raising the value of applications, and conditioning users to expect to pay more.
ctkrohn 17y ago
That's really funny. The HP-12C is still extremely popular at work. I could never bring myself to get used to it -- I still use my TI-89 from college -- and I get a lot of flak from the rest of the office.
deleted 17y ago
[deleted]
kqr2 17y ago
For me, the ultimate HP calculator was the HP41CX. You could even hack it using a technique called "synthetic" programming. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP-41 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP-41 I even had the magnetic card reader so I could store programs. In my opinion, RPN gave me a big speed advantage at school during exams.
hypermatt 17y ago
OMFG I WAS ABOUT TO SAY "BEST DAY EVER" and then I realized the 48g with RPN wasn't there ;(
xinsight 17y ago
hpcalc has been a project on google code since 2008. (Yes, you need a developer's license to build and install it - or know a developer who can build you an ad hoc distribution copy) http://code.google.com/p/hpcalc-iphone/ http://code.google.com/p/hpcalc-iphone/

12 points by zimbabwe 17y ago

mvbma 17y ago

what good is that? I don't want a virtual HP-11C. I want real buttons (hint, hint).

jodrellblank 17y ago
You want real buttons, you can get a real HP 12c on ebay for $10.
zimbabwe 17y ago
So far nobody's invented a device that's capable of shape-shifting, so replicating the interface via touch is as good as you can get without actually buying the calculator.

jpeterson 17y ago

When do I get an iPhone TI-85 app, so that I can play tetris like back in calculus class?

bitwize 17y ago
You can't. It can run third-party program code, and so violates the AppStore ToS.
- joezydeco 17y ago
  So does that mean you can't program these HP emulators? I see the [R/S] key right there in the screenshots.

gchpaco 17y ago

The noise it makes when you push the keys is repellent but it is very close otherwise to the HPs I remember. I really want a 41CX, tho.

bcl 17y ago

Tapping into the nostalgic geek market? As much as I like the HP 15C, I'm not spending $30 for an iPhone version of it. They need to re-evaluate their price.

ankhmoop 17y ago
I think their price is more-or-less reasonable in terms of the value provided and in comparison to application pricing for other mobile platforms: http://www.berryreview.com/2008/04/22/review-calculator-apps-part-2-bizmathica/ http://www.berryreview.com/2008/04/22/review-calculator-apps... http://www.berryreview.com/2008/07/31/calculator-apps-part-5-powerone/ http://www.berryreview.com/2008/07/31/calculator-apps-part-5... iPhone application prices are unsustainably low. I find the $30 price point to be a very encouraging sign.
- jimboyoungblood 17y ago
  Just curious- in what respect are the prices unsustainable? Couldn't one as easily argue that the Blackberry app prices are unsustainably high?
  - ankhmoop 17y ago
    Unless you produce one of the very few 'hits', you'll lose money developing a $1.99 application.
    - menloparkbum 17y ago
      you lose even more money developing an application that costs more than $2.99 - because nobody buys them.
      - ankhmoop 17y ago
        If that's the case, then the market is unsustainable. Players will fail, causing scarcity, raising the value of applications, and conditioning users to expect to pay more.

ctkrohn 17y ago

That's really funny. The HP-12C is still extremely popular at work. I could never bring myself to get used to it -- I still use my TI-89 from college -- and I get a lot of flak from the rest of the office.

deleted 17y ago

[deleted]

kqr2 17y ago

For me, the ultimate HP calculator was the HP41CX. You could even hack it using a technique called "synthetic" programming. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP-41 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP-41 I even had the magnetic card reader so I could store programs. In my opinion, RPN gave me a big speed advantage at school during exams.

hypermatt 17y ago

OMFG I WAS ABOUT TO SAY "BEST DAY EVER" and then I realized the 48g with RPN wasn't there ;(

xinsight 17y ago

hpcalc has been a project on google code since 2008. (Yes, you need a developer's license to build and install it - or know a developer who can build you an ad hoc distribution copy) http://code.google.com/p/hpcalc-iphone/ http://code.google.com/p/hpcalc-iphone/