Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 16-20 of 154
 Power for now AND the future September 28, 2006
David Aidnik (Santa Barbara, CA)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I have been an HP calcualtor user for the past 22 years. After I went through two battery chargers on my dad's TI-59 that he gave to me, I gave it back to him and bought an HP 41CX. I'm STILL using that calculator today, and I use it virtually every day.
My teenage daughter had been saying she needed a graphing calculator for the past year. I'm glad I waited this long to get her one because this 50g model has become available. I bought one and liked it so much that I ordered another one two weeks later for myself.
The many built in functions of these types of power graphing calculators requires a somewhat complicated menu structure to get to the multitude of these functions, constants, etc. I spent two solid weekends working thru the HP supplied paper book to get a start with this aspect of it. The comparable high end (TI-89) units are similar in this respect from what I read in the reviews (Amazon) on those.
I have found the CAS to be quite strong in factoring quadratics & cubic polynomials. The Equation Editor is easy to use as is the graphing capability.
The 'softkey' (function key) access to the menu structure works best in RPN mode; although Algbraic mode is supported, it takes about twice as many keystrokes. But then this was always the case for Alg vs RPN in entering expressions. The good news is that when it comes to using the equation editor, entry is essentially algebraic always, so the learning hurdle for one new to RPN is not too high as it is mostly just the concept of the "Stack" in numeric entry.
What I think is most important about the unit is that with the ample memory (RAM) supplied, the use of the SD card, and the efficiency of SysRPL programming, this machine has enough power for now AND the future. The real value is the support for applications yet to be created. This machine can do a lot. I hope that HP has achieved better hardware reliability in this than has been observed in some of their recent handhelds. So far, I think HP has achieved a pretty good balance of quality and cost in the 50g considering the enormous pressure on COST these days. So far, I think this one is a real winner for HP.
Superb Calculator, October 19, 2006
David A. Schiedler (Newberg, OR USA)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
I just received my new HP 50g calculator this week and I love it. I was a bit frustrated last week when the backspace key on the HP 49g+ calculator, which I had purchased only a little over three years ago, gave out. I never liked the design of the keypad on the 49g+, or on the 49g for that matter. The improvement in keypad design on the 50g is so significant that you can immediately tell that this design will last much longer than that of the predecessor just by feeling it. This keypad feels like the keypad on the fantastic old 48g series HP calculators.
In addition to the upgraded keypad, the inclusion of the equation libraries was nice; however the screen seems to have less contrast than my 49g+ when compared side by side. The claim that it has more space than that of the 49g+ is only sort of true. A few lines that were constantly displayed on the 49g+ which contained items such as the clock, the current independent variable, and other such settings information are now only displayed in the main input window and are not displayed when using the graphing window, matrix or equation writer windows, or while running any programs. I like the increased useable space; however, I could see how some people might want to constantly see the information that is now omitted. The 50g requires four AAA batteries as opposed to the three used for the 49g+. I don't know if it actually consumes more power than the 49g+, but based on the fact that the actual processor, ram, and memory on the 50g are identical, I think that this modification was only made so that the batteries would not have to be changed as frequently. Other than that, the only other new features are the ability to format SD cards directly from the calculator and the serial port. I am a bit disappointed in the fact that the 50g doesn't feature a faster processor or increased ram / memory, although I don't think it actually needs more of either as the 49g+ was very fast and had plenty of onboard memory with virtual infinite expandability. I guess I just like the idea of more speed and memory. Some others have mentioned that the sea foam green 49g and the golden 49g+ looked unprofessional and kind of like Casio's. I guess I'm an odd guy, but I miss the golden finish. Whenever I'd pull out my 49g+ those simple minded Ti users around me would always do a double take and say something to the effect of, "What is that thing?" I always enjoyed seeing them freak out when they didn't even know how to do three plus three on my calculator. Oh well.
In summary, this is basically a 49g+ with a few common sense and much needed improvements and not nearly as dramatic of a change as the transition from the 49g to the 49g+. If you liked the 49 series, you will love the 50g. Even for non-HP users who are too lazy to learn superior RPN, you can run it in algebraic mode and it will still smoke the Ti 89 titanium in performance, memory, expandability, connectivity, and flexibility.
As to my credibility, I am a third year undergraduate student studying chemistry with a minor in mathematics. I have used HP calculators since my senior year of high school and I will never go back to the inferior Ti's.
HP finally got it right January 10, 2007
Andreas (New Hampshire, USA)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
This being the third of HP's attempts to make a high-end calculator (after the HP-49G and the HP-49G+), HP finally got it right. I have all three of them - the first one was alright but quite slow and the rubber keys were very hard to press. Many of the HP-49G+ units were total disasters due to their keyboard (mine is no longer functional after only 1 year of regular use) and some software bugs (if you own it - try turning the clock off, your keyboard might start working properly...).
However, the 50G is perfect. Keyboard is great, display is great (although the "30% increase in usable space" over the 49G+ is a blunt, err, marketing trick), software is working properly, and it has all the ports you'd want: SD-card, infrared, USB, and serial. (Disclaimer: Infrared is a bit limited as it only works over very short distances, a few inches, and the serial port has a non-standard connector).
Of course, the software is nearly the same as for the 49G and 49G+, so if you've only had non-HP calculators so far, this machine will feel strange at first, as it is built to use HP's RPN logic (where you type "1 2 +" instead of "1 + 2" to add 1 and 2). BUT: using this logic takes about an hour to get used to and then feels like this is really the way calculators should work. HP supports the "algebraic mode" where it behaves roughly like a conventional calculator (this is also the default mode when you buy it), but this is very cumbersome and some of the 50G's best features don't work with it. So the first thing you should do when you get this machine is set it to RPN mode and learn to use it that way. The printed manual is fully sufficient for the first steps and there is plenty of more documentation available on the CD and online.
This machine does everything from unit conversions to loan/interest calculations to calculus to number theory. 3D function plotting and complex algebra as well. It's quite amazing. There is also a lot of additional software for it on www.hpcalc.org. The computer algebra system is not nearly as powerful as what you'd get with PC software like Mathematica, but it's sufficient for everyday tasks and the entire calculator is cheaper than even a student's license for any of those products.
This calculator might be a bit much for a high school student who only wants to survive his/her algebra course, but for anyone with any interest in mathematics, physics, or computer science (you can write your own programs, of course), this is the calculator of choice, even if you don't think you need any calculator...
HP 50g most efficient available March 8, 2007
Cornelis F. du Toit (MD USA)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I am an HP 49g+ calculator user myself, and my son is using an HP 50G at school (currently at the pre-calculus level). He finds the RPN mode of the calculator much more efficient than the TI calculators his class mates are using: It requires fewer keystrokes, eliminates thinking of "closing brackets" all the time, or alternatively does not require storing many intermediate results which is easily handled by the stack feature. The only drawback of using an HP calculator when everybody else including the teacher is using a TI, is that the student is required to learn on his/her own how to use it. But the HP 50g/49g+ has a very good menu driven interface, with a "Help" feature for the less obvious functions, so my son has been able to overcome this problem with relative ease. So far the only TI function my son has found that the HP does not have is higher degree polynomial regression. But he found an example program in the extensive application notes of the users guide, which he could type in and store as an easily accessible function. Once the functions are well known, the menus can be changed to a soft key format, allowing direct keystrokes to access functions without having to navigate through the menu hierarchy every time it is needed - something my son thinks is a big advantage over the TI calculators. I would therefore recommend this calculator without any reservation.
 Grades for both the HP-49G and HP-50g September 2, 2007
A. Heckel (Wichita, KS)
10 out of 25 found this review helpful
Everything you've read about this calculator (HP-50g)is, unfortunately true. There is no manual supplied and the CD supplied has very few examples on programming or higher functions. The buttons are not responsive and too often you have to check your entry to make certain you are entering the right values (1000 instead of 10). Further, the blister pack is difficult to open.
I've been an avid HP fan since the beginning. My first calculator was the HP-35 bought for $325 in 1974. Did the usual progression to the 45, 65, 67, and finally settled in with my 41, 41C, and 41CX.
I returned to college in 2002, and decided I didn't need a 20 year old calculator, and bought the HP49g.
I was disappointed with the same issues that basically haunt to 50g today. No manual, no examples, the standard of excellence just didn't match my previous calculators.
The night before one of my exams, I "dropped" my calculator to the kitchen table.... a total of 3 inches, and it died. Nobody in town carries the higher capacity Hewlett-Packard calculators... ever try to make the switch from HP to TI in a few hours? It does not work too well. Plus HP would replace the 49g for $146 as a recall... higher than what I had paid for it!
So here I sit, three days before another exam with my HP-50g, and it falls ONE inch to my desk... surprise surprise! It now has a single line about a third of the way down on the screen!!! I've tried replacing the batteries, using the reset mode... nothing.
If EITHER of the calculators had survived these GREAT falls and worked properly, I would have probably given them around a 3 1/2 star. A four star is a little high, and they deserve better than a three. But since I now have two HP calculators that deserve to be given to the Smithsonian as bad examples when evolution goes wrong, a one star is all they get!
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