hp 50G vs hp 35s (keyboard and overall build-quality)

[DavidM]

(04-10-2018 10:14 PM)zx_spectrum Wrote:  i am just trying to aid my decision about whether to invest a pile of money in 50g or get more 48gs (although yes the 48g is slow)
i really really really care about the quality and robustness of my tools
but it seems from your feedback that the build-quality of 50g is ok of course it is not 48g quality but just ok

I'm not able to compare the 50g to a 35s, as I haven't ever seen or held a 35s (other than pictures, of course). But if your comparison switches to a 48g, I think it really comes down to whether you plan to use or collect the unit you acquire. The construction and "feel" of the 48g is nicer than the 50g, no question. But I only reach for one of my 48s when I feel nostalgic. Actual problem-solving, or (more often for me) simply writing a program to do something useful will always have me using the 50g first. "Quality and robustness" applies to capability and performance as well, doesn't it?

Coming from a 48g, a 50g will seem like a significant step up in terms of capability, speed, and resources available (memory, storage, USB, external power). Would I have preferred the older case type and keyboard? Of course. But those aren't enough to keep me from using my 50g as my main unit now. It has held up quite well for the amount of use it has received, and I have no hesitation in recommending it for heavy use.

Also, add my voice to those who are mentioning that you need to change the default KEYTIME setting to a lower value on the 50g. I use 600 (the default setting of 1138 is much too high for my taste). Additionally, turning off the display of the system clock has reduced the likelihood of the infamous "busy bug" on my unit (delayed appearance of a pressed key until another event triggers it).

If reliable alarm execution is important to you, be advised that alarms on a 50g may or may not execute on schedule, and sometimes not at all. I never had that problem on a 48-series unit. This isn't a huge issue for me these days, but I recognize that it may be for others.