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Angus · 06-03-2014, 06:45 AM

It is just just a calculator???
What makes you think that HP treats any of their other products any different? I lost faith in HP I will think twice before I will buy any Printer, pc, whatsoever in the future. Why should their politics and care be different on more important products (omg) than just a calculator. See it?
Maybe just a calculator is so mediocre that HP does still not realize someone might complaint?

Manolo Sobrino · 06-03-2014, 08:57 AM

(06-03-2014 02:11 AM)jgreenb2 Wrote: This thread seems a little overwrought...it's just a calculator.

Yes, and this is a calculator forum, the HP Prime calculator forum. People feel cheated about it, so they complain here. The bizarre things here are the questionable business ethics and the enduring sycophancy.

An example of what people have read about this device before buying it:

http://h30458.www3.hp.com/ww/en/ent/intr...26042.html

That was in September. It's OK to be happy with it, my suggestion in such a case is that you send your cheques straight to HP in exchange for blistered mock-ups, who needs the actual devices anyway?

I've seen enough to realise that in order to be a happy present day HP customer you have to accept whatever they throw at you and believe that no matter what it is, they're still so much better than the competition. Well, no, this is not 1972 and for a decade and a half it has been just a company that makes rather mediocre consumer products taking advantage of a reputation long gone. There are some great folks working there and that's it.

This is not an accident, it's just what happens when you lose it.

Anyway, this is a waste of time, let's move on to something productive...

I agree with Joe 100% BTW.

Thomas Radtke · 06-03-2014, 09:41 AM

(06-02-2014 09:54 PM)Katie Wasserman Wrote: I forgot about that one, the 32sii being my favorite everyday use calculator I should have known.

It is very interesting to note that my sample, targeted at the dutch market, came with an 'update' sheet explaining this bug. There was no offer for a free exchange.

The 32SII is also my favourite RPN calculator. Accepting the superiority of the 42S (in case Mike is reading this :-D), it much more met my needs and habits and has never been replaced since the early 90th. And I tried a lot of calculators.

Namir · 06-03-2014, 12:16 PM

The bright side of all this is that rev A could become a collectors' item.

Always trying to see the positive side of things!

:-)

Namir

Joe Horn · 06-03-2014, 01:41 PM

(06-03-2014 12:16 PM)Namir Wrote: The bright side of all this is that rev A could become a collectors' item.

Always trying to see the positive side of things!

:-)

Namir

Doggone it, Namir, you ruined my fiendish plan! I was hoping that HP would swap out everybody else's rev A with a rev B, and I'd be the only one left with a rev A, which would make its value among collectors skyrocket! <evil grin>

Namir · 06-03-2014, 02:01 PM

Joe,

This may come as a big surprise, but Pope Francis is an HP Prime owner. I emailed him, explaining the issue. He wrote back that HP deserves forgiveness ... but for their penance .. they need to replace rev A with rev B .. and throw in an extra rev B unit for each customer .... for good measure!!

:-)

Namir

cutterjohn · 06-03-2014, 02:43 PM

I'm hoping that they do offer some sort of exchange program, but I'm pretty sure that it likely won't be free.

I'm also VERY concerned by the way that TW phrased opening remarks regarding hardware compatibility with the last firmware update announcement, as it frightens me in that it possibly implies that firmware updates will end for the borked hardware version(what we all have).

Not at all happy about it looking like they're also trying to lockdown firmware loading -> can't easily hack/modify it any longer. (Not that I planned to, but still it's the principle of the matter...)

dan_h · 06-03-2014, 03:03 PM

If it is feasible for Prime owners to swap motherboards, then offer a to sell and ship the new motherboard to end users for a nominal cost. Another project, but only if it would be feasible for owners to open a calculator and change parts, make a back lighted screen (but not touch) for the HP 50G, which I also have.

Namir · (This post was last modified: 06-04-2014 03:43 AM by Namir.)

Dan,

I don't think that is a good idea for the general consumer. It will make more headaches for HP than they can ever imagine.

Namir

Nate Martin · 06-04-2014, 03:29 AM

(06-03-2014 02:11 AM)jgreenb2 Wrote: This thread seems a little overwrought...it's just a calculator.

No, it was confirmed as soon as it was offered for sale to the early adapters this was only a toy for school children

dan_h · 06-04-2014, 05:15 PM

Another possibility: a credit towards buying the Revision B Prime or other HP product.

Mic · 06-04-2014, 05:27 PM

Rev B should be sold only in 30-units kit for the classrom with wireless station and dongles.

Rev A is for single user
Rev B is for schools

spinkham · 06-04-2014, 06:03 PM

(06-04-2014 05:27 PM)Mic Wrote: Rev B should be sold only in 30-units kit for the classrom with wireless station and dongles.

Rev A is for single user
Rev B is for schools

Might be true for wireless, but data streamer is a feature individuals like me may want, as well as unit-unit connections.

Steve Simpkin · 06-04-2014, 06:27 PM

(06-04-2014 05:27 PM)Mic Wrote: Rev B should be sold only in 30-units kit for the classrom with wireless station and dongles.

Rev A is for single user
Rev B is for schools

Mic,

Inside information or a guess?

debrouxl · 06-04-2014, 07:52 PM

Indeed, individuals want unit-unit connections - at least, if they're not the only ones in their neighbourhood with a compatible model, or they bought at least two units.

Jake Schwartz · 06-04-2014, 07:56 PM

(06-04-2014 07:52 PM)debrouxl Wrote: Indeed, individuals want unit-unit connections - at least, if they're not the only ones in their neighbourhood with a compatible model, or they bought at least two units.

Does anybody remember how cool it was (or convenient, for that matter) to line two HP48s up together, "head" to "head" to send stuff between them via infrared? In the video of the HP calc conference from 1990 when Bill Wickes basically introduced the 48 to the world, there is a point very early in the morning where the camera catches Bill walking from the front of the room back to his seat while holding two HP48s about an inch apart, send stuff from one to the other.....a fond memory.

Jake

Michael de Estrada · 06-04-2014, 08:06 PM

(06-04-2014 07:56 PM)Jake Schwartz Wrote: Does anybody remember how cool it was (or convenient, for that matter) to line two HP48s up together, "head" to "head" to send stuff between them via infrared?

You can also do that with the 50g, but also archive the entire calculator on an SD card, and then clone it to a second 50g by inserting the card in it and doing a restore. It's also possible to copy firmware updates on the SD card and completely bypass all the USB mess. To me it's absolutely unforgivable that the Prime does not have SD card support.

debrouxl · 06-04-2014, 08:26 PM

Quote:To me it's absolutely unforgivable that the Prime does not have SD card support.

I'd attribute that to the usual obnoxious interference from standardized testing regulation authorities. On the one hand, SD card support is frowned upon, but on the other hand, for instance, these authorities let TI Nspire's brittle pixie dust of an exam mode fly, and insist on tests remaining disconnected from real-world usage of calculators... Who said they're thoroughly incompetent ?
Having to design calculators for the education market (otherwise their sale volumes are much lower) makes calculators all of less featureful, more complicated and more expensive...

USB would be the only way to replace lack of SD card, but USB OTG / host does not work properly (or so I guess, for the features that require such modes to be disabled) in HW A Prime calculators... I'm sure HP would rather not have made that blunder.

ndzied1 · 06-04-2014, 08:26 PM

(06-04-2014 08:06 PM)Michael de Estrada Wrote: To me it's absolutely unforgivable that the Prime does not have SD card support.

That was probably a trade off to get it certified on board exams but this is just a guess.

Steve Simpkin · (This post was last modified: 06-04-2014 08:47 PM by Steve Simpkin.)

(06-04-2014 08:26 PM)debrouxl Wrote:
Quote:To me it's absolutely unforgivable that the Prime does not have SD card support.
I'd attribute that to the usual obnoxious interference from standardized testing regulation authorities.

Same with two-way IR communications. I remember when the HP-49 came out without an IR receiver many people on this forum were upset about its removal (along with being unhappy about the rubber keys, color choice, etc). Jean-Yves Avenard (JYA) explained that the two-way IR link feature disqualified the HP48 series from many educational institutions and test boards.