Great value with a great deal of potential | HP 50g Graphing Calculator (F2229AA#ABA)

Fantastic Machine! | HP 50g Graphing Calculator (F2229AA#ABA)

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	• HP 50g Graphing Calculator (F2229AA#ABA) Hewlett Packard Hewlett Packard, 2006 average customer review:based on 146 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

HP quality is back!

Having owned and used a variety of HP calculators over the years, I've seen the build quality drop steadily. For example, I still have, and use, a HP-12C financial calculator that I bought in the early 80's. It's far better made than the current versions, even with the feet and silkscreened print worn off the back, and retains a like-new feel. HP's recent calculators, whatever their level of functions and features, have felt pretty cheesy. With the 50g, HP has made a big step back to quality. It feels good, though it doesn't rise to the quality level that originally made HP famous. But with the features, flexibility, and speed it provides, is really the best scientific calculator available, once you get past the religious arguments of TI vs HP.

If RPN is hanging you up, don't let it. The 50g supports a number of notational approaches. The other principal objection to HP calculators vs. TI reduces to simple familiarity, as TIs are almost universally-used in school settings. If you are a TI user, you will find that switching is trivial. Those who do sometimes report an interesting reaction - feeling betrayed by the schools when they realize just how much better the HP is!

I do agree 100% with other reviewers that the manual is a big, big disappointment. Count mine as another vote for complete, spiral-bound manuals.

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Great value with a great deal of potential

This calculator is a value. Documentation on how to interface this calculator to the home computer could be improved. However, documentation for an versital tool of a machine like this is a challenge.

Fantastic Machine!

I bought the 50G after using the 49G+ for several years. I love this machine. There are many great reviews here o n technical matters so I would like to give some more subjective impressions.

1. The look and feel. Thank God HP has begun to return to a Classic look and feel for its products! ( I prefer "Classic" over the more fashionable "Retro"). This calculator looks like a professional machine and NOT A TOY!!!! Pink plastic covers may be great for 5th graders but not for professionals. Also the contrast of lettering on the keys is important for users with poorer vision (me!). I can barely even read the key options on the Ti89 Titanium. These same comments also apply to the new 35S and 10BII calcs just introduced (which I also bought). From what I can see ditto for the 40GS!
2. Ditto for the leather case - again just a professional touch!
3. There is more math capabilities on this machine than I will ever use and I use a lot of math in my teaching. I feel I got WAY MORE than my money's worth.
4, Please HP, PLEASE go back to providing a full printed manual!!! This trend of only providing manuals in pdf format is a terrible decision. Even if the printed manual is sold as a separate purchase that would be better than having to use a computer to access it. Note: The 35S which USED to come with a manual doesn't anymore but one can supposedly be ordered for free by calling 1-800 HP-INVENT! In rhe 70s one of the great things that distinguished HP were the superior manuals they provided! I miss that!
5. The performance of this calculator is phenomenal! It is quite faster in graphing for instance than the Ti89 Titanium. Just compare plotting sin(x) for example
6. The connectivity software sucks. You basically have to manually install the usb drivers, but once I did that it works. Also no way to capture screens on Mac. The Ti-Connect software works perfectly right out of the box.
7. Out of the box mine had ROM 2.8 which has a broken LINSOLVE function. I bought a SD card and reader and it was simple to upgrade the ROM. This should have been fixed by now!
8. I was so impressed I bought another one for my wife who is helping me with my classes. She is a calculator novice but we are making great headway ( working on getting a BlackSholes calc programmed)
9. The hypothesis testing module and the financial module are very well laid out as is the Numerical Solver which I use daily to provide sample problems for my class. Once I set up the equations generating various problem scenarios is a cinch!
10. While this is not a computer bases CAS, it has almost all the math functions the average undergraduate (and most professionals) will need. While perhaps not suited for a grad student in physics for example, it is perfect for most biology and biochemistry majors who may not be doing much math beyond elementary diff eq!

For around $150 this is a perfect calculator for the serious science student and blows away the Ti-84+/89 series in terms of sheer computing power. And best of all it doesn't look like a toy!

Cheers
Harry

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Not a step down from the HP-48G

It was inevetable my 48GX would croak someday. Someday turned out to be last week. I've been running the SMI BCE COGO land surveying software on it since the mid 90's. Although it hasn't gotten a lot of use since affordable COGO/CAD software for PCs became available, it was handy enought as a backup for doing quick calcs. replacing it was a necessity. The 50g is running D'Zign's Basic Cogo+. Because of its more rounded contours it feels more comfortable than the 48 when cradled in a two-hand hold, and has a pleasing heft to it. The keys have a positive stroke to them when doing two-thumb data entry, and the display is easy to read under flourecent lighting. Too bad it won't talk to the little thermal printer I used with the 48.

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Powerful Calculator at an affordable price. Big upgrade from my HP 39.

This HP50G is by far the best Graphing calculator in the market as of now. It is fast, and capable of doing many things, yet it can be complicated to use for the average student. I'm still learning how to use the thing as I am currently writing this review. If you do not mind putting hours into learning the manual yourself then this product is for you. Some might be scared because of their classes and Instructors only uses TI models, but don't be scared. Once you've mastered how to use it you'll be the one in the classroom with the competitive edge from the rest. For those that are first time buyers for calculators I may have to suggest getting the Casio 9860G model for its easier learning curve. The Casio 9860G is just as good as the TI model and also has a moderately faster Computer Processor.

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If you're a math, science, or engineering professional?or a serious college student?don't leave home without it! HP's most powerful new graphing calculator. The 50G supplies you with intensive power, flexibility, and connectivity. With graphing capabilities, you can illustrate statistical regression analysis and other computations. There's ample memory for storing programs and you can add additional storage using optional SD memory cards. With 2300 built-in functions, this calculator is an indispensible tool for a student or scientific professional aiming to succeed to the highest order - and beyond. Efficiently reach solutions with the built-in lessons and step-by-step problem solving Format SD cards and expand memory right in the SD card slot Isolate and evaluate sub-expressions using the intelligent editor?plus cut, paste, and copy objects Numerical precision - intermediate and internal - 15 digits, exponent - -49999 to +49999 /Displayed precision - 12 digits, exponent - -499 to +499, infinite for integers (limited by memory) IR port - IrDA (limited to 10 cm distance) / Serial port - USB, RS232 for connections to equipment such as PCs, dataloggers,surveying equipment, etc./ Expansion port - SD card slot / Power supply - AAA x 4 + CR2032 batteries Entry-system logic - Textbook, Algebraic, RPN Unit Dimensions - 7.24 x 3.43 x. 93 inches Manufacturer's One-year limited warranty

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