The Museum of HP Calculators

HP Forum Archive 12

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Calculators at Fry's; its not just HP
Message #1 Posted by NH on 24 Apr 2003, 1:40 p.m.

HEY, I was at several stores today, but especially "FRY'S" in Wilsonville, OR. I was wandering past the calculator departments, just to look and see what they got.

Any calculators, all of 'em, not just HP (of any type, 4-function, scientific, printing-accountant). I mean, they had Casio, and TI, and all the other competitors.

It was all TRASH, man, they are all just so much chinsy, uninspired, boring rotten lousy trash. Lightweight, cheap, chinsy. Keys that feel they are worth a penny each, dull and unininspired displays.

When it came to 'accountant' calculators with a print-tape, it was amazing how from the bottom of the line to the top, they all use those crummy, slow, one-wheel printheads. You know, you type in 7 digits, and what do you get: rrr-rrr-rrr-rrr-rrrr-rrr-rrr

RRRRRRR!

bleccch. I remember real printing calculators that had a pound of metal in 'em, and when it had to print the numbers, it went WHAM! and that was it.

The top-of-the-line they couldn't even be bothered to put in a better printer than the one from the bottom-of-the-line.

If I needed a calculator, I'd probably just slug it out on eBay, and find something from 20 years ago.

Nothing worth buying from the factories anymore.

All been Carly-ized. Carly works weekends at TI and Casio.

The most humorous part of the aisle at Fry's was the "HP" stuff. A bunch of rag-tag graphing calculator models, and a few of those $19 HP specials for Wal-Mart. Any of 'em sitting on the hangar so long they were covered with dust, AND, half of -em ripped open then taped shut again, others with so many abrasions on the clear-pack it looked liek it had been kicked around the store and back, and a lot of the packaging dented up because people tryign to push buttons thru the clear plastic then put it back again. I mean, NOBODY wanted this stuff, so when people dont buy stuff, it was shelf-rot big time.

TI proudly proclaiming how they had connived their way into over 10,000 different high school & math cirriculums, etc etc.

Now, that's just me and my field observations.

So no need to tell me how mistaken I am.. If so its already noted before you wrote that.

If you found a super-duper calculator that you just love greatly, at Fry's, then congrats you got luckier than me. :o)

I would appreciate any links to first-class cool little units, like that HP-10 with the mini print-tape. Surely the factories still make things like that( ?) which are clever and intriguing, maybe Frys' just didn't stock that model ?? Somebody has got a cool printing calculator somewheres ? Maybe with some bright green digits ?

The most hysterical models were the $12 ones that sported 'fractions'. If you wanted 3/4 displayed (three quarters) it would put up something with a little "L" in the display 3L4 .. Ooo laa laa, innovation, progress I was impressed.

Next time I'm staying at home, why drive to the retail store, nothing to buy there !


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