I don’t know how, but my 15-year-old HP 20S calculator just “died” a week ago. As I am looking for a replacement, I learned that the legendary keyboard on HP calculators is now history, at least in the scientific series. Sigh…
When I was a high school student in Hong Kong, I had a couple Casio, a Sharp and I finally landed on the HP 20S because of its tactile feedback keyboard. In an exam, having tactile feedback takes away the “did I push that key hard enough?” guessing. I guess someone may say that 20S is not RPN and so it is not cool. But then Hong Kong has its own list of approved calculators and the 20S is the already most advanced HP calculator on the list. Basically we disallow any calculator that can graph or store alphabets.
And now I know why the other companies don’t have a similar keyboard. As Google just told me, HP holds a patent on it.
No wonder a used HP 32SII can sell for \$229.
Update: I must add that the HP 33S (the 32SII replacement) does have tactile feedback, but according to reviews, it is not reliable.
14:31 on February 6th, 2006
I still have the HP 11C that I used in college…it is a thing of beauty. Oddly enough, HP still makes the “business” version of this calculator, the 12C. I would have thought that this calculator has much greater appeal to engineering geeks than to business types. On the other hand, I mostly use it for balancing my checkbook nowadays. For serious work, I use this big calculating thingy on my desk, so maybe that explains it.
(By the way, for the right price I could be bought out…)
18:37 on February 6th, 2006
In fact, the 12C even has a newer platinum edition. I guess many people in the finance industry swear by it. But then according to the reviews it’s slower than the old 12C.
I guess I will just wait until HP fixes the 33S (maybe a new model) before I buy a “real” calculator again. For the meantime, I just picked up a Sharp EL-506WBBK for 15 bucks. I guess I cannot complain at that price level, right?
And before I picked up the Sharp, I did review my needs for a calculator. I use my calculator for a couple things only: (i) convert between units (F vs. C etc.) (ii) file tax forms (iii) compute simple trigonometry problems that arise in photography (iv) help friends or kids of friends with their high school hw problems. For other things I rely on my laptops…
1:46 on July 2nd, 2006
The HP patents on their calculator keyboards have long since expired. Other companies (or even HP) could use them, but choose not to do so, because it would add perhaps \$0.25 to the cost of the calculator, which would translate to perhaps \$.075 retail. They don’t think consumers will recognize the value and pay more for a calculator with a good keyboard.