Re: 'New' HP10bii+ Message #20 Posted by Mark Harman on 8 Apr 2011, 3:54 p.m., in response to message #11 by Martin Pinckney
Actually it is competing against TI. But, that is a good question about the 20b. I think it has a weird spot to fill between the 10bII+ and the 30b that may seem unnecessary. I wouldn't be surprised if the 20b is eventually discontinued. Then again, the 20b is still a good unit with an excellent function set. Additionally, it is the lowest priced RPN unit from HP.
Financial calculators are a huge business, also. My inkling is that HP is releasing this unit to be super competitive in the collegiate arena.
On another note, I've had a prerelease version of one of these for a while now and I will have to say that it is the nicest entry level financial calculator I have ever used. It is ridiculously feature-packed for its price (I think it is starting at $29.99). Given my experience with TI's - their products don't hold a candle to this amazing machine. It is extremely competitive with their offerings.
It is amazingly fast, as it uses the same ARM7 chip that the 30b uses.
The keys on the unit I received are absolutely fantastic. The aesthetics are really nice. It FEELS like a quality device. It is nice and light without feeling insubstantial. Ergonomics are good, too. Of course, anyone with the most recent version of the 10bII will have experienced that, as well. Really, this machine is just a function-extended version of the prior model.
Function-wise, it has a really strong set of statistical functions with two probability models and their inverses. It has 6 regressions and best fit. When I saw that this calculator had these things, my eyes almost popped out of my head.
There are some features it lacks, such as RPN, MIRR, and DUR, that I would have appreciated. However, not having these features is far from being a deal breaker. I will certainly recommend it to people who are going through business programs who don't have the need for something as advanced as the 30b.
All-in-all, either this or the 30b are the calculators I wish I had when I was going through my undergrad program. I think if the device is well marketed, it would result in A LOT of lost sales for TI in the financial calculator segment.
Like Gene, I am also happy to answer any questions regarding the 10bII+. Of course, the link to the manual that Tim posted should leave the reader fairly well informed.
Regards,
Mark
Edited: 8 Apr 2011, 3:57 p.m.
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