Gauging interest in a DM48 or DM50?

[c3d]

(09-30-2024 06:29 PM)Eric Rechlin Wrote:  Having SwissMicros recognize your effort with an additional model for your software would be fantastic. Just some comments:

1. I worry that calling it a DM48 or DM50 will set some potential customers up for disappointment when they realize it's not 100% compatible with the HP 48 or HP 50, since all the other DM models are essentially completely compatible with the models they share a number with. Maybe DM51 or something? Or just call it DB48X with no DM in the name?

I have thought about DM51 when writing the poll, actually :-). I think it is important to recognize that DM in the name are the initials of the company founders, so I'd rather keep that for their hardware. Of course, if they were OK with the idea of prefix change, then I would feel honored, but the recognition goes both ways.

Quote:2. Not looking forward to spending another $300, but it would be so so tempting.

SwissMicros calculators are too expensive. Right now, they can only reach a (dying of old age) hobbyist market. I designed DB48X to be a platform for calculators that are "in the spirit of" HP, and by that I mean "innovative and at the edge of what can be done with today's hardware".

I stress out "platform". I fully expect, once we reach 1.0, to add tons of configuration options to quickly build stripped down, simpler versions with reduced functionality. Think of it as a college-level DB35x, etc. It is not even that hard to convert the core of DB48X to RPN-only, keystroke programmable. The whole design of DB48x is intended to be able to go there when time comes.

So I would like SwissMicros to consider having a line of "modern but incompatible" devices in addition to their "fully compatible" line. Maybe the DB prefix could be used for that line. I suspect that this could probably allow them to reach larger markets and reduce prices long term. If they don't, I'm afraid some other company might.

Quote:3. I wish SwissMicros could do a calculator with another row of keys because it's so hard to do everything with this limited key layout. You've done an amazing job making everything work, especially with the double-tap shift key approach, but being able to have two shift keys, an alpha key, and all four arrows on unshifted keys would make the calculator a lot less tedious to use, especially once you add more functionality that will take advantage of the arrow keys.

I can't disagree with that. That would be even better, but that's additional work for SwissMicros, notably on the firmware side. If they go that route, I would much prefer the HP48 key layout, I really can't get used to the HP50 tiny enter key, I can't even type an addition without getting it wrong!

Quote:Right now (aside from lack of time) the main thing that has kept me away from playing with DM48X/DM50X much is the fact that I can really only play with the browser version, since there isn't a native version for any of my platforms (Windows or Android),

There is a lot of demand for those. I need to find the time. In theory, it's easy. It's mostly a matter of doing it.

Quote: and I'm not ready to convert my DM32 or DM42. The UI is so different from that of the 48/49/50 that it's taking me a long time to get used to how things work.

Can you think of anything I could do to make it easier? Do you remember the things that annoyed you the most?

Quote: But I check it out every once in a while and continue to be impressed with the impressive functionality.

Thanks!