[HP Prime] My .02 take. Message #1 Posted by Jim Creybohm on 5 Nov 2013, 8:17 a.m.
I just got my new Prime, and I have to say, it is great! I would like to offer my heartiest thanks for the creation of a new HP calculator product. It is a welcome change from the old "re-release of a classic", or the frustrating (to me) 35.
The good:
- great screen
- great key feedback
- good help system
- good applications
- what appears to be a very good build quality (we will see in another 20 years however)
I have heard that this unit is not really designed for the working engineer/scientist, and I don't really understand those comments. I can program and utilize a spreadsheet, so for me, this bridges the gap nicely between my laptop and my calculator, and is far more capable for use than my iphone.
The bad:
- No OSX support for connectivity? Please HP, address this ASAP as you are missing much of the educational market right there. I am profoundly unable to get Crossover Mac to work with the connectivity kit. If you have gotten it working on a Mac, I would greatly appreciate any information!
- I don't know who decided on the blaze orange on white/grey for the alpha keys, but they are brutal for old eyes to see. The grey keys are the worst. Wasn't there a very well reasoned posting a number of years ago about calculating contrasts?
- somewhat unfinished in terms of the OS, and I continue to struggle with aspects of the RPN implementation especially in the spreadsheet. I am certain that this is a learning issue for me however, I have also read that others have the same struggle.
This forum has had some members criticize HP for the release of a buggy product. (With the ability to update the ROM, I see this as less of an issue than most.) The challenge is that when a calculation goes awry, the user is uncertain as to whether it was the logic process, the OS or their own erroneous data entry. A potentially buggy implementation perhaps does warrant some criticisms out of frustration. I know I have encountered this.
Regardless, I want to say thanks to Tim and Cyrille and the very small team behind them for a wonderful product, and I am looking forward to playing (and working!) with it for a very long time!
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