18 Oct
2011
18 Oct
'11
9:21 p.m.
On 10/18/2011 11:29 PM, Josh Dersch wrote:
Oh man, I'm jealous!!
When did the
build quality start to drop? I have a 35S, which is great
but the build quality isn't even close to real HP. It also chews
through batteries like there's no tomorrow. (2x CR2032) The next most
recent one I have is a 48SX, which is very nicely built, so it seems
to me the decline happened somewhere in between.
That's a good question. My dad teaches Math at a local community college
and the Math department at said college always seemed to get ahold of at
least one example of most of the graphing calculators that came out in
the late 80s through the mid 90s, from the Casio FX-7000G on. As a
result I got to play with most of them :). The build quality of the
HP-48SX was great, as was the GX (used that one through college and it
still works, though alas the LCD has started to "leak"). I recall the
38G (1995) as being well built physically but a poorly executed idea
software-wise (it was HP trying to take on TI in the high school-level
education department and failing miserably).
Was the 38G the algebraic-notation one with the menus and stuff in
the firmware?
The HP 49G (1999) was a
real dog and I don't think things have been the same since, though the
HP50 is a marked improvement (and the 35S is pretty nice in comparison
as well.)
Oh, that's a shame.
So based on your experience, knowing that I have a 48SX and that I
like that build quality, it seems the latest model I should mess with
would probably be the 48GX?
There's nothing wrong with my current "fleet" of calculators, but now
being recently gainfully employed once again (good riddance, Florida!)
I've been thinking of treating myself to something new.
-Dave
--
Dave McGuire
New Kensington, PA