[Pc_Support] HP 50G Calculator for $112.99 shipped ...

[Bryan J. Smith]

For those of you that still may be in high school/college and want a
solid calculator, the HP 50G just came out.  It's $149.99 list,
Amazon.COM has it for $129.99, but Buy.COM has it cheapest -- $117.99
- $5 for new customers, shipped free:
http://dealnews.com/deals/HP-50-G-Graphing-Calculator-from-113-shipped/129250.html

I've been waiting for this thing to come out.  I got through college
on a $100 HP 48G that is now 15 years-old and still works.  I bought a
HP 49G+ in 2004 and it was a was a piece of junk, breaking just after
the 1 year warranty period expired.  From my understanding, HP got out
of the calculator  market circa 2002-2003 and outsourced some of the
HP 49 series final design.  Other than RPN and some basic, pre-calc
stuff, they didn't include a lot of the 48G's capabilities.

I heard the HP 50G is a return to the 48 series style with hardened
plastic molding.  A number of engineering/surveying solutions are
being built around it, like the 48 (but not the 49).  It has full
Saturn emulation -- the 8-bit, 2x4-bit nibble/BCD processor of the 48
series -- so it includes the full 48 series software ROM and runs all
of its goodies.  It's a 206MHz ARM underclocked to 75MHz to improve
battery life, and can be targetted by GCC.  HP added another battery
to give it a 6V input, and many other improvements over the 49 series
-- or as most say, what the 49 "should have been."

I'll find out soon enough as I've ordered one.  I'm glad that HP
decided to return to calculators.  I really don't like anything Casio,
TI or anyone else offers, and while Galculator is "tolerable,"
virtually all other computer-based calculators are not IMHO.  And yes,
I know about the HP48 emulator -- not the same as one in your hand.
;)

Wikipedia articles ...
HP 48 series:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP-48
HP 50 (part of 49 page):  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP-49#HP_50G
HP Calc site:  http://www.hpcalc.org/