Buy Now or Wait for Revision B?

[MathMan]

Hi everyone. I am an undergrad student that returned to school about two years ago. My initial plan was to pursue business, but I have absolutely fallen in love with Mathematics after taking Trig, College Algebra and Statistics. This fall I am taking an algebra based physics course and Calc course, hoping it will provide me with some guidance on what field I should pursue. At this point, I am thinking Engineering or Physics. Either way, I am now in the market for a new calculator. Many have told me that the HP prime is a waste of money because it will not be allowed during exams, but I already have a TI-83 and would really love just the device to use at home to test my work and also just have some fun doing some problems. First of all, I guess I am looking for some feedback. Do you think I should be investing in such an awesome machine? I tend to be a gadget guy that loves high quality electronics. Also, I feel like I am becoming impatient. I have been waiting for the new hardware to be released so I can buy one, but it seems like it won't be out for awhile yet. Is it really worth it for me to wait, or should I just pull the trigger and by the first version? Any insight you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

[eried]

In the other hand, if you don't hurry you will lose the opportunity to have an -unique numbered- limited edition rev A.

[HP67]

Who says there will ever be a revision B? Have HP committed to this?

I would say try the emulator and if you like it, by the Prime. If not, look for something else.

If you love math, you could also buy an HP 50g and write extensions to the CAS for whatever you find lacking.

[MathMan]

Well I have heard much talk of the revision on this site, and HP has a newer version already posted on their website. In addition, they have a video on youtube that says it will be released in spring of 2014, so I guess I was expecting it to be out by this point.

[jebem]

I read here from Tim (member of HP Prime project team) that the Prime is indeed certified to be used in USA schools since this spring, but I don't know what h/w revision is certified.

So far, as posted here before, h/w revision A is being caped in order to NOT support features like:
- Wireless connection via USB;
- Data streamer peripherals for lab data collection via USB.
- Send data from the Prime to PC Prime simulator;

So, if you need any of the above features, my advice is to wait and see what HP next move will be... We never know where yet another hardware revision will be released to fix or enhance announced features since day one.
Don't do what I did, buying it in February-2014 believing from the HP advertizing all over the pace that it would support wireless and datastreamer features, only to discover a few months later that it is not exactly the case, because apparently if you are in bad luck and got a revision A h/w (like most of us), you can't take advantage of the new features.

That said, the Prime (h/w revision A) is a excellent calculator, well above what all the others are offering for the asking price. It is not designed for die hard RPN and RPL fans, however. This is a machine designed for more modern programming paradigms.
Just my humble opinion anyway.

[HP67]

I'll believe it when I believe it!

[Angus]

I really don't want to be pedantic, again. But I bought the prime after reading the official HP flyers and and promotion. It was clearly said a calculator for engineers,....,students. It said explicitly rpn entry. I'm really no rpn geek, but bying a HP calc that says it supports rpn I expect it to be well done in home mode.
It even addressed surveyors(!). By name. And what happened in the latest update? STILL NO GRAD. That would have been a really minor change. The cas is relying on rad anyways.

I did not search the forums to find out HP now officially claims that many feature are implemented half hearted to have a quick response to TI and CASIO.
I bought it, because I believed in what I read in the announcements... So maybe disappointment is understandable seeing that HP gives no reaction nor seems to go for the details.

[cutterjohn]

(06-18-2014 01:13 PM)jebem Wrote:  That said, the Prime (h/w revision A) is a excellent calculator, well above what all the others are offering for the asking price.

Not really, the firmware is truly still at best a beta product.

It's primary advantages will be if they keep updating the fw and get to something more complete will be:
1. It's currently a little cheaper than the nspire cas or fx-cp400

2. It's REALLY fast compared, at least, to the fx-cp400 and has otherwise better overall base hw specs

Personally, knowing that there is now also a completed bugfixed version of the hardware, I'd wait for the newest version unless you get an even better price on the old, which I expect to be discontinued as soon as stock runs out. i.e. my opinion is that the new sku is to avoid having to replace all of the currently sold rev "a" primes, just as Clevo did w/a certain notebook with a borked mpcie slot last year. (Yep bought a Sager NP8250-S(to Sager's credit they advertised only 1 mpcie while clevo was still claiming 2 functional) got replaced c. 1m later with the NP8255-S(and corresponding Clevo chassis model part # change), so instead of 2 hdd bays and 2 msata ports, I ended up with 2hdd bays and 1 msata(functional) and a uselessly borked 2nd mpcie slot. While I probably could've gotten Sager to replace swap it(just over their 30d return) I decided it wasn't worth the hassle just for a 2nd functional mpcie slot, or I should say 2nd unpopulated mpcie as there are already 2 others one wired for the mxm(yes it's a different mechanical layout from mpcie but usually is wired to mpcie, unless yer ASUS and like to do things like oh hay, let's REVERSE the mechanical layout so that you can only use asus cards with matching REVERSE "pin"outs, along with only whitelisting ASUS cards in BIOS, the "joys" of pseudo notebook dGPU swappability, OTOH MXM cards are just EXPENSIVE) 780m and the 2nd for the wireless card.

[MathMan]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I guess I am going to wait it out. However, if they aren't going to release the new hardware before selling all units in stock, I will probably be waiting for a long time.. I think having the wireless option will be beneficial in the long run and I definitely plan on keep it for a long time..

[Thomas Radtke]

(06-18-2014 01:39 PM)Angus Wrote:  I bought it, because I believed in what I read in the announcements...

I don't buy it. Sorry, but there's the emulator. Anyone interested should do some basic research and find it. Try & buy, that's really a good thing (thanks, HP!).

[Angus]

The advertising I realized did not say there is an emulator available please try that one first, you know.
I saw the annoncement, I read the technical data, I believed to be happy with the device. Well I'm not unhappy that is for sure. Really I'm rather disappointed of hp, their communication, their politics and customer care. There are small things that could have been avoided and severely improved during the design stage as I understand... It happens that I am into development and have seen meetings and communication between application Engineering, development, sales and marketing.
However I won't die if I don't use the calculator Even if I threw it away, but I somehow have the vision to fall in love with that device. Maybe it does not make sense to spend time in forums post complains, ideas and suggestions if they seem to be absurd to the manufacturer and the majority of the users. Especially if you can't be sure to be heard and thought about.
But I don't accept to be responsible for not having searched for some emulator or background information from 3'rd party info.

[MathMan]

Has anyone found a way to run the emulator on a Mac?

[Tugdual]

If you can afford the price and a hard lock during exams, buy.
Otherwise consider a robust and mature product.

In terms of features:
CAS, Geometry: you will find free CAS and Geometry applications on Android that are better than the Prime.

RPN Calculator: The Prime has a RPN "emulation" but it is in my opnion not a RPN calculator at the first place. A 15C or the 34S are much much better options for calculations.

To be fair the Prime improved with the latest firmware upgrade but there is still a lot that can be done to make it a good calculator. May be the 50g is a better option nowadays.

[Angus]

I doubt you will easily find a better cas on android if you think about it......
The thing is somehow the prime was finished in a rush and all semi-finished modules seem to be merged without passion and having real work in mind. That is no offence.
Instead resources were spent into something like explorer apps.

[Michael]

Tugdual: +1

[Rich]

(06-18-2014 08:38 PM)Tugdual Wrote:  If you can afford the price and a hard lock during exams, buy.

... Can't express this enough.

Also, the evening before my last exam, my Hp Prime froze on me and wiping out about 5 hours of programming since my last backup. I have to say though, it is a very fast when compared to other calculators when plotting and numerical solving. I actually do like the CAS on it and its robustness in comparison to any other hand held calculator in its class. To be honest I use MatLAB / MuPad for all my intense needs. I use this for exams.

The HP 50G is awesome also, it has many programs already developed for it, and most of the bugs worked out. I think in time the Hp Prime will be great, just have to get it out of the beta phase. : ) (and get some freaking user soft keys!)

[jebem]

(06-18-2014 08:19 PM)MathMan Wrote:  Has anyone found a way to run the emulator on a Mac?

Yes, in a Windows XP inside a virtual machine running on your preferred hypervisor for Mac.

[MathMan]

(06-18-2014 08:38 PM)Tugdual Wrote:  May be the 50g is a better option nowadays.

Is the 50g backlit? I can't seem to tell on any of the youtube videos. I only ask because I often have issues reading the number in low light conditions

(06-18-2014 11:33 PM)jebem Wrote:  

(06-18-2014 08:19 PM)MathMan Wrote:  Has anyone found a way to run the emulator on a Mac?

Yes, in a Windows XP inside a virtual machine running on your preferred hypervisor for Mac.

Hmm.. Lots of effort, figures..

(06-18-2014 10:31 PM)Rich Wrote:  

(06-18-2014 08:38 PM)Tugdual Wrote:  If you can afford the price and a hard lock during exams, buy.

... Can't express this enough.

Also, the evening before my last exam, my Hp Prime froze on me and wiping out about 5 hours of programming since my last backup. I have to say though, it is a very fast when compared to other calculators when plotting and numerical solving. I actually do like the CAS on it and its robustness in comparison to any other hand held calculator in its class. To be honest I use MatLAB / MuPad for all my intense needs. I use this for exams.

The HP 50G is awesome also, it has many programs already developed for it, and most of the bugs worked out. I think in time the Hp Prime will be great, just have to get it out of the beta phase. : ) (and get some freaking user soft keys!)

Wow.. This may actually be a deal breaker for me. I can't even imagine having it lock up on me during the middle of the exam. Have a lot of people been experiencing similar problems? I figured that a lot of the issues would have been resolved in the firmware update just released. As for the CAS, I guess there is just something about using an actual device that makes me feel more comfortable. Regardless of the apps I have on my phone and computer, I always go back to using my Ti-83.

[CosmicTruth]

(06-18-2014 03:59 AM)MathMan Wrote:  Either way, I am now in the market for a new calculator.....
Also, I feel like I am becoming impatient. I have been waiting for the new hardware to be released so I can buy one, but it seems like it won't be out for awhile yet. Is it really worth it for me to wait, or should I just pull the trigger and by the first version?

Check out http://www.hpmuseum.org/forum/thread-1654.html

[CosmicTruth]

(06-18-2014 08:38 PM)Tugdual Wrote:  May be the 50g is a better option nowadays.

Is the 50g backlit? I can't seem to tell on any of the youtube videos. I only ask because I often have issues reading the number in low light condition

The HP 50G is awesome also, it has many programs already developed for it, and most of the bugs worked out. I think in time the Hp Prime will be great, just have to get it out of the beta phase. : ) (and get some freaking user soft keys!)

50G is not backlit, and although it is a great calculator I wish there was more programs for it.