The HP/Royal/Moravia website problems thread

[Liam Hays]

Well, it's definitely November 2nd, so here I go. (if Dave meant after the 2nd, I'll delete this and put it back up later).

The Moravia website seems to have a broken SSL certificate. I did not go any further, though there was probably no real security risk there.

Royal's website is really nice---it's not slow and ad-ridden like HP's website but it manages to look similar (I personally like the HP sans-serif font, and I think the Royal website is quite elegant). In particular, there are some excellent photos of the various machines in use.

I have sorted the things I noticed by calculator, starting with the Prime:

• The Prime product picture is a G2, as indicated by the key design, and they actually edited the picture of the calculator to give the screen recent firmware. However, the simulated screen image is much higher quality than both the original screen image and the real Prime itself. Could a new model with a better screen be coming?
• In fact, every picture-perfect photo of students using the Prime shows a G2 with a simulated screen image, with a strange white and black border, except for the picture of the kid with the Spanish math textbook looking at the Advanced Graphing sample graphs. Zoom in and you'll see what I mean.
• There are toggle links to a bunch of neat-looking activities and exercises for the Prime, but the list of activities toggles is too long, leaving some with just the text "Toggle Title".
• The price is still $249.99!
• Nitpick: the conveniently located "Download Manual" button links to the 2015 PDF.
  

The 10s+:

• The 10s+ appears to have been redesigned from the design that used to be on HP's website. What's up with that?
• Also, it looks surprisingly appealing. Maybe it's just a rebranded Casio, but it looks nice.
• Nitpick: the top of the calculator itself says "10s", not "10s+". Odd.
  

The 17bII+:

• Nothing to really say here. It is, interestingly, listed for only $69.99, versus the HP website's list price of $84.99 (supposedly discounted from $99.99!).
• There are no incredibly well-framed photos of users of either the 10s+ or the 17bII+. Just basic product listing pictures.
  

The 12C:

• Like the Prime, there are a lot of documents stored under little toggle widgets. They explain how to do various individual tasks with the calculator. They also look recently written---when?
• Royal cost: $49.99. HP cost: $59.49.
  

The 12C Platinum:

• Similar toggle things, but fewer documents.
• Only one excellent photo! We need more, ha ha.
• Royal cost: $49.99. HP cost: $67.98.
  

The 10bII+:

• One of the photos in this calculator's gallery clearly shows a 17bII+.
• Royal cost: $39.99. HP cost: $25.49.
  

And in general:

• Every tab title is "HP AF2013 is a professional auto and manual micro-cut shredder".
• The website feels a little incomplete in general. That is more or less a given, but I think still worth mentioning.
• No HP 35s anywhere! I'm not sure how to feel about that, though. I wish we knew if there really are going to be new models...
• The HP website linked above also lists the 300s+, the other Casio rebrand. That's not on Royal's website.
  

I explored the other categories on the website. They look a bit more complete than calculators, but not much more. Every non-calculator product does look very professional and functional, though I'm not exactly sure what to look for in a shredder .

My final verdict is good. There are a few things that need fixing, but the website is far more attention than HP has given calculators in at least the past 5 years. There might be some bumps in the road, so to speak, but this looks to me like a good sign for the future of HP calculators.