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HP Forum Archive 13

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OK, I am missing something?
Message #1 Posted by Scuba Diver on 4 Nov 2003, 11:57 p.m.

A few weeks ago, there was a post that quoted the HP website. The quote said something about there being 11 HP calculators; the 9G, 9S, 30S, 10BII, 12C, 12CP, 17BII+, 48GII and 49G+ have already been launched, and the 33S is forthcoming. The person posting wondered what the last calculator would be, and I assumed it was the 19BII+.

Today I decided to look on the HP site myself, and I came across this comment in the press release for the 48GII;

"Within the next several weeks, HP plans to launch two additional new calculators: one graphing and one scientific. The forthcoming graphing calculator, together with the HP 48gII, HP 49g+ and the entry-level HP 9g, are designed to fulfill the needs and budgets of a broad spectrum of users."

I don't know about you, but I wouldn't consider the 19BII+ a "graphing" calculator, would you? Wouldn't it have made more sense to describe it as a financial? Is it possible that they were trying to disspell the optics of having almost 50% of their product line "financial" calcs? 5 of the 11 will be financials...that's enough to make the MBAs grin and the engineers shiver :)

Although I'm not paranoid, I wonder whether the 19BII+ is really a go; the graphing line has some good offerings in the $100 and over category, but maybe they're planning something like a 38G+ for the $60-$70 range...

So, I was wondering, has anyone heard anything more concrete about the remaining calcs? I know we've all seen loads of info on the 33S, however I haven't seen anything that official for the 19BII+...

Thoughts? B.

      
Re: OK, I am missing something?
Message #2 Posted by Steve Ramsey on 5 Nov 2003, 12:22 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by Scuba Diver

According to hpcalc.org, HP plans on releasing a "39G+". You can find a fact sheet for it at http://www.hpcalc.org/hp49gplus.php

Regards, Steve

            
Re: OK, I am missing something?
Message #3 Posted by Scuba Diver on 5 Nov 2003, 12:23 a.m.,
in response to message #2 by Steve Ramsey

Well, once the 33S is launched, that brings us to the 11 calculators that HP will have in its line.

I guess the 19BII+ is dead!

Does anyone have any evidence to the contrary?

B.

            
Re: OK, I am missing something?
Message #4 Posted by Jean on 5 Nov 2003, 2:53 a.m.,
in response to message #2 by Steve Ramsey

39G+ would be a very nice calc – in fact much simpler to use than 48 and 49 models and good enough for most of day-to-day tasks. In practical life I found 3 weaknesses in the 38G implementation:

1. Variable name in the solver: one character only. Nothing compared to 19B or 27S

2. Displaying numbers without 1000 separator. I believe that the last HP, which had the same weakness, was the HP 35 series

3. Poor scaling of graphics (there is a solution with a separate program however)

I did not found any hints, that the new 39G + resolved those problems

Jean (Switzerland)

                  
Re: OK, I am missing something?
Message #5 Posted by Graham Wilson on 5 Nov 2003, 1:20 p.m.,
in response to message #4 by Jean

Hi Jean

>>Displaying numbers without 1000 separator... the last HP... was the HP 35 series<<

The 28 series (ca. 1986) is I belive the last HP calculator that can't display the separator (an inconvenient drawback in an otherwise very fine machine).

                        
OK, am I missing something (else)?
Message #6 Posted by Paul Brogger on 5 Nov 2003, 2:04 p.m.,
in response to message #5 by Graham Wilson

28? What about the 48G/GX/G+, 49G, 48GII, 49G+? Or am I missing something?

                              
Re: OK, am I missing something (else)?
Message #7 Posted by Bill (Smithville, NJ) on 5 Nov 2003, 2:10 p.m.,
in response to message #6 by Paul Brogger

The HP-48GX displays with the comma separator AFTER you hit the enter key. This is probally due to the fact that the calculator does not know what type of object is being entered until the enter key is pressed.

The HP-11C displays the separater WHILE you are entering the number. I prefer this method. But then the 11C doesn't have an asssortment of object types.

                                    
OK, I WAS missing something!
Message #8 Posted by Paul Brogger on 5 Nov 2003, 2:22 p.m.,
in response to message #7 by Bill (Smithville, NJ)

( . . . including my HP-48G(+) -- I lent it out recently and it's not yet back.)

My 49g+ wasn't displaying with commas, even after <ENTER> .

Of course, after experimenting I see that commas are entered for "FIX" number formats (and presumably for others), but not for "STD" format.

                                          
Re: OK, I WAS missing something!
Message #9 Posted by Bill (Smithville, NJ) on 5 Nov 2003, 2:33 p.m.,
in response to message #8 by Paul Brogger

I had forgotten that the 48/49 had a "Standard" format. Just checked on my 48GX and no commas. I wonder what the thinking was for the Standard mode??

      
Re: OK, I am missing something?
Message #10 Posted by Gene on 5 Nov 2003, 7:34 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by Scuba Diver

Perhaps the part of the HP quote you need to note is:

"Within the next several weeks..."

That sounds like HP has a wave coming but there may be waves after "the next several weeks" as well.

?

Gene

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