How do you like the HP 34C?

[Archilog]

(11-10-2019 06:01 PM)Valentin Albillo Wrote:  

(11-10-2019 05:29 PM)Trond Wrote:  Display readiness?

Perhaps he means "Readability".

V.

Right, thank you Valentin. Using smartphone drives to this sort of stupidiness, sorry for that.

[Trond]

A "review" of the HP 34C from a biologist and casual HP enthusiast:
(my other HP are 42s, 41CV, 32SII, 35S, I havel also tried the 12C)

Despite being relatively light, my unit seems to be well constructed. Some other units might differ as others have pointed out. The LED display is very clear in normal room lighting, as well as in some sunlight. The brightest sunlight actually makes it impossible to read, but if I shade it with my body it is OK. Conversely, it is easier to read in the dark than an LCD. Overall, I think I have found that I really prefer this LED display to many of my other calculators. It is clearer in most light than the HP 42s, for instance (albeit not alphanumeric of course).

The keys are, in my opinion, the best I have on any of my calculators. They never miss a stroke, and I am never in doubt if I got it down correctly, with a nice "click" every time. Very good! I was a bit confused about all the shifted functions at first though (3 shift keys), but I am getting used to it.

This is the first time I am programming a non-alphanumeric calculator (although I tried a little bit on a HP 67 emulator). It's a bit slower, but I am getting used to this surprisingly quickly too. Program space is limited though, albeit better than some older 1970s calculators. I would have wished that the scrolling buttons were non-shifted, but nothing is perfect I suppose.

Being a biologist and lecturer, I am very happy that it contains some good statistics functions. I use this so often that I programmed my stat summing button (which is shifted) into my "B" program button The linear regression works very well, and is a bit faster than any equivalent program I have tried on the 41CV (and the latter has an annoying tendency to move the stat registers around depending on various programs).

So, in short, some people might dislike that so many common functions (like scrolling programs) are shifted, or that it has relatively limited memory. But this one is a keeper for sure, and it is quickly becoming a favorite.