Free42 on a Palm Z22 Message #1 Posted by Valentin Albillo on 21 Apr 2006, 10:26 a.m.
Hi all,
I've recently (and unexpectedly) been presented with a Palm Z22.
This is an incredibly small (and cheap, $99 or less) PDA with a 200-Mhz ARM processor, color screen, a pleasantly solid built, and 32 Mb of RAM, which cosmetically and functionally would be perfectly at home in the futuristic settings of "2001: A Space Odyssey".
Until now, I've never owned or been interested in PDAs, and while I still don't want or need it for its PDA functionality, I did remember that Free42, a nearly perfect HP42S emulator/simulator by Thomas Okken, had many different incarnations, including one for Palm OS, so I decided to give it a try.
I duly sent an e-mail to Thomas asking for advice, and he promptly sent back a very kind reply, which dispelled all my doubts, so I went straight to it and, lo and behold, this is the result:
Free42 running on my tiny Z22
Don't let the picture size fool you (look at the size of those fingers!), this device is actually the size of a small cellular phone. Alas, the picture doesn't really do it justice at all, the display is
extremely sharp and very easy on the eyes.
Also, much to my surprise I've found that Free42 is very useable
in the Z22 ! Matter of fact, it's easier to
use than an HP42S proper, because it's faster
and less tiring to pick up numbers and commands
with the small stylus than physically
pressing buttons with your finger. Actually,
I became accustomed to it so fast that I'm now
contemplating using it regularly instead of
my nearly-irreplaceable real 42S or a mouse-driven Windows version, because using the stylus is much faster and less
tiring than clicking with the mouse.
Also, it runs quite fast. I've loaded the ARM version
in its BCD (decimal, which is essential for compatibility) incarnation, and
tried this program (RAD mode):
00 {23--byte program}
01 LBL "FREE42"
02 1E4
03 STO 00
04 LBL 00
05 1
06 SIN
07 DSE 00
08 GTO 00
which computes 10,000 times the sine of 1
radian and executes 50,000+ steps, 10,000 of
which are trigonometric computations, in just
20 seconds. That's impressive speed !
All in all, I've found the combination of Free42
plus Palm Z22 an extremely pleasant one. The Z22 is
much smaller than an actual 42S (or even an HP-15C),
takes no space in your pocket and weighs next to
nothing, and it's also extremely pleasant to use,
even effortlessly I migh add, excellent screen, and incredibly fast so, unexpectedly, I'm extremely pleased with the
combination though I was trying it out of mere
curiosity, with no plans to use it regularly.
Now I feel this is indeed the future of RPN
calculators: to be run in such convenient PDAs
(small, fast, ergonomic, inexpensive) in the form
of such well crafted emulators/simulators as Thomas'.
Having that much power in a $99 device so small I can
easily conceal it in my hand is awesome !
Thanks a lot to Thomas for his kind help and most
specially, for the incredible amount of hard,
disinterested work necessary to create Free42 in the first place and
offer it freely on so many platforms. It's
certainly praiseworthy.
Best regards from V.
Edited to correct an omission kindly reported by Les Wright, see below. Thanks, Les !
Edited: 1 May 2006, 9:24 p.m. after one or more responses were posted
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