I got one of these when they first came out.
The software was unreliable, even giving wrong results for certain computations. I don’t remember which but you can find reports about it from back then.
The hardware had a hilariously catastrophic flaw: the yellow key labels become nigh invisible in anything but perfect lighting.
I still hope to get something useful out of it, once I find time to either improve the firmware (open source but restricted) or write my own. For now, it sits unused in a corner.
This is perhaps the most interesting graphing calculator to have come out since I started following the industry. The developer is French, and there hasn’t been very much discussion at all on English-language forums.
Features:
Full Color This is a feature we’ve seen in almost all graphic calculators released after Casio led the way with the Prizm in 2011. It’s to be expected, and that’s a good thing.
Modern Processor This is another base requirement for a modern calculator. z80s and m6800s were fine in the 80s and 90s, but we have much faster, cheap, and off-the-shelf hardware now.
Open-Source Hardware and Software Probably the defining feature of the calculator, the platform’s open design is extremely refreshing after years of proprietary calculators from every major manufacturer.
Free online simulator On other calculators this is an extra paid downloadable program. Making a naturally cross-platform emulator is exactly the right move. There is also a native version if you want to tinker with the OS.
Integrated python interpreter With the HP Prime’s “python,” and the python interpreter on Casio’s fx-CG50, python is another emerging standard in calculators. I’ll take it any day over BASIC, but HP fans are probably sad to see RPL go.
Shortcomings:
Lack of Mathematical Features There is a severe lack of functionality that comes standard with every other graphing or scientific calculator. There are no probability functions beyond the normal PDF and CDF (and a separate “app” with some basic distributions), no base or unit conversions, no finance/TVM functions, no advanced matrix operations.
No app interoperability On every other graphing calculator, it is easy to use data from other modes, such as variables and results. Here, no data is shared at all, even between the regression and statistics apps.
No symbolic math or CAS Not every calculator has this, but a CAS could easily be implemented on a calculator like this.
Clunky Interface Using common functionality is easy enough, but for everything else one has to navigate through several menus using nothing but the arrow keys. There are no shortcuts of any kind (such as function keys, or skipping through menus with number or letter keys).
A lot of these issues are in software, and they’ve come a long way since their initial release (which didn’t even include log (!)). There is still quite a ways to go, but the open platform makes me excited about the future for this calculator.
This is an interesting device in the era of smart phones. This is aimed at college students for particular exams. Are they not allowed to have their smart phones in these exams? A smart phone app selling for $5 would have been much more cost effective. Instead of using a phone that has already been paid for, now they have to pay for specialized hardware that costs $100 - more than some smart phones.
Are they not allowed to have their smart phones in these exams?
Generally they aren’t, as the networking would make it very easy to cheat.
In my experience, the good calculator apps on phones are simply emulators of physical calculators. There’s always wolfram alpha, but I haven’t seen a good native calculator app.
That being said, I enjoy using physical calculators much better than emulators. There’s something about a device which is designed for one purpose and doesn’t have to make compromises…
It’s in my category of things which are an interesting idea, but which should be a tablet app instead of a piece of hardware.
I believe one of their main markets is use by HS students and for major exams such as the SAT or ACT.
I got one of these when they first came out. The software was unreliable, even giving wrong results for certain computations. I don’t remember which but you can find reports about it from back then. The hardware had a hilariously catastrophic flaw: the yellow key labels become nigh invisible in anything but perfect lighting.
I still hope to get something useful out of it, once I find time to either improve the firmware (open source but restricted) or write my own. For now, it sits unused in a corner.
This is perhaps the most interesting graphing calculator to have come out since I started following the industry. The developer is French, and there hasn’t been very much discussion at all on English-language forums.
Features:
Shortcomings:
A lot of these issues are in software, and they’ve come a long way since their initial release (which didn’t even include log (!)). There is still quite a ways to go, but the open platform makes me excited about the future for this calculator.
I wouldn’t mind seeing a black & white version that used eink for superior battery life.
This is an interesting device in the era of smart phones. This is aimed at college students for particular exams. Are they not allowed to have their smart phones in these exams? A smart phone app selling for $5 would have been much more cost effective. Instead of using a phone that has already been paid for, now they have to pay for specialized hardware that costs $100 - more than some smart phones.
Generally they aren’t, as the networking would make it very easy to cheat.
In my experience, the good calculator apps on phones are simply emulators of physical calculators. There’s always wolfram alpha, but I haven’t seen a good native calculator app.
That being said, I enjoy using physical calculators much better than emulators. There’s something about a device which is designed for one purpose and doesn’t have to make compromises…