importing excel file to hp prime

[Ninetrees]

Thanks for chiming in. At least the spreadsheet converter works. I see the same question popping up on the HP forum, so I'll cross post there. Would be nicer all around if the docs were more complete. The trend that I have seen in nearly every sector of technology over the past few decades is to use increasingly sophisticated and more powerful tech, and then implement it poorly and document it inadequately. Applies here. I should not have had to 'discover' by interpreting the docs and trial and error. Cars, GPS, calculators, etc. Take your pick. I can't think of a recent exception. I bought a new Garmin GPS, plugged it into my new car's USB port, and it died. Immediately and permanently. My older one worked fine there. Just as powerful, more convenient to use, but outdated. (Garmin bought out DeLorme and killed the PN-series GPSR line.) The learning curve on the Garmin is steep, as all the web blogs and fora attest.

I came to the Prime after a decades-long history with HP (and others) and RPN. (I
also program in Forth, which we used on a recent $750M USD space instrument mission.) I expected that the Prime would be a really cool and powerful enhanced 50g. I now have the impression that it is really an algebraic machine to compete with TI, and that RPN is playing second fiddle. I am adjusting to that, and exploring the device with this new perspective. It seems more like a sophisticated entry level student devise than a work tool. The 25C had it beat there, though I am not kidding anyone that I would have missed vector capability (engineering physicist here). That is why I like the 50g.

But the Prime, despite its name, seems to be aimed at helping students, and I appreciate that. I quickly threw together a beat freq app to show students, so I appreciate the convenience of that. I also like the classroom connectivity. Normally not a fan of touch screens, I like this one. I miss writing with a stylus for entry. I have been using Palm Pilot since its inception, and am still surprised when I meet folks who don't know that we have had handwriting recognition since the 90s. I do recognize (or opine!) that the Prime has some great user features that work well with the touch screen, and I appreciate the speed they provide. OTOH, it now takes more keystrokes scattered about the board and screen to accomplish what I consider routine tasks in RPN, and I have not found 3D vector math yet. It comes as no surprise to hear me say that I miss using the soft keys as we do on the 50.