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HP Calcs Live On Under PalmOS

Posted by timothy on from the symbolic-replacement dept.

philipsblows writes "Emulators for HP Calcs have been around for a while, but HP is actually getting behind this one, allowing ROM images to be included to support emulation of 48sx, 48gx and 49g (all separately and at the same time) on your PalmOS device. Unfortunately, it has to be a color device, but this is great news anyone who would otherwise miss out on using an HP calc. Check out Power48 here." And unlike a calculator, the software is free (and Free).

7 of 186 comments (clear)

  1. Re:But by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    TI calculators may have had better toy value than HP's, but they were never even close to HP's as calculators.

    Sure, they were popular with highschool and college kids, but people who do real work with calculators are pretty much unanimously in favour of HP's. Of course, this is a small and shrinking group of people, which is why HP is out of the calc business.

    One of my HP's is over 15 years old, has been dropped from a third story, has been in a lake, and still works perfectly. Try that with a TI (I have, and they didn't cut it).

    HP also made the best programmers calc ever. Limited market for those, these days too.

  2. Lives on? by praxis · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I never realized that HP calculators died? Have they stopped selling them? Granted I've had my 48gx since 1995 and never looked at another calculator since then. What do people use these days? I've actually seen fewer calculators used as they get replaced with Matlab or Maple or Mathematica being more and more at hand for people, but I still find myself reaching for my 48gx even when I am near a computer just because they're so convenient.

    1. Re:Lives on? by jorlando · · Score: 5, Informative

      HP calculators still being sold, but nobody is sure for how long. There was thread discussed at hp.misc.calculators (that can be read at http://www.hpcalc.org). One thing is certain: the division responsible for R&D new HP calculators, the ACO has been closed during the merge with Compaq (http://www.hpcalc.org/goodbyeaco.php). In five years from now, HP will be recognized as a brand of so-so printers, shitty computers, not as an inovative and ingenious company as once has been. But that's the life... and Carly won't be near the mess... But that's my opinion...

  3. Back and White? by negyvenot · · Score: 5, Informative

    I am a bit disappointed that it does not work on monochrome devices like the good old Palm Vx, which I'm happily using for a long while now. The original HP48 display was monochrome and would perfectly look on my Palm. Now only if those keys weren't color :)

  4. Reverse Polish Notation and Stacking Languages by GregBildson · · Score: 5, Interesting

    As far as I know, the unique feature of HP calculators is that they use reverse polish notation by default so I expect that is what this one uses.

    RPN is similar to stacking languages where the variables are pushed onto the stack first and then the operators are applied to the appropriate stack entries. So, a + b x c should be entered as b c x a + and (a + b) x c should be entered as a b + c x

    Similar to other stacking languages like Postscript and SmallTalk.

    Note that this should be the same as the desktop "dc" command on linux except that dc is only good for integers (and you need to enter "=" to see the result). I routinely add a few extra significant digits when using dc so that I can deal with fractional values. Works nicely occasionally when doing command line scripting.

  5. Links to HP emus: by fbg111 · · Score: 5, Informative

    PC HP calc emus:

    http://www.hpcalc.org/hp48/pc/emulators/

    Or check out all the other emu goodies at that site:

    http://www.hpcalc.org/hp48/

    Or just search http://www.handango.com for "HP 48" for more emus for all portable computing platforms.

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  6. Observations on it.... by shlong · · Score: 5, Informative
    Well, it appears from most of the comments here that no one has actually test driven the program yet. Well, I just fired it up on my shiny new NX70V, and I got to say that I'm quite impressed. I already own a 48GX and 49G, so I had no moral delimmas with installing those rom images. I don't own a 48SX, so I can't comment on it. Anyways:
    • The speed is very impressive. I ran some of the TEACH examples on the 48GX mode and they fly. It's easily 2-3 times faster than the real hardware. Of course my hardware is StrongArm based, so I wonder how well the DragonBall hardware will work. Time to go dig out my wife's N760.
    • Button layout for the 48GX was nearly identical to the real hardware. Button layout for the 49G was a little strange, with the arrow keys being shoved off to the left side and the 6 function keys that used to be next to them compressed from 2 rows of three to 1 row of 6. Not a big deal, but tough to get used to.
    • As impressive as it is, I still prefer the feel of the real 48GX hardware. That machine was designed back when HP knew how engineers operated. Of course, I hate the 49G key layout and rubberized buttons, but that's a bikeshed of a different color. Anyways, even with the 320x480 screen, the buttons are a bit too small to comfortably work by finger-touch. Using the stylus is fine, but not like having the real buttons.
    • I haven't tried any 3rd-party programs. From reading the documentation I'd guess that things written in SysRPL and and UserRPL will probably work fine, but I wonder if ASM stuff will also work.

    In all, I'm highly impressed with this, though it will take a few weeks to see if I treat it like a toy or a real calc.
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