Different blue HP 50g model variants

[jebem]

I finally bought my first 50G in Blue from eBay Spain, almost new in the box.

The owner have opened but never used it.
The machine stills have that characteristic smell of new plastics.
The machine is absolutely clean like it was opened for the first time just now.

The only sign of usage was the memory backup coin cell that was inside the compartment and it was completed depleted at 0.4Volt.

It was bough new at Solocalculadoras in 2013-Nov-21 by the original owner and the cost was 99 Euros + s&h.

Agree with all comments on the color schema. The keys labels colors are very good and really easy to read.

My photos do not show the true colors, as these are really hard to capture.
It tried different light conditions, different backgrounds and got different results every time.
I guess my crappy Samsung camera is not up to the job, obviously.

Still, these pictures are close enough to the real thing:




The left shift display signature is here too:




The blister back side is paperback and shows a Black 50g.
The p/n is NW240AA#UUZ (8-85631-58074), date 2009, as reported by Matthias (OP).




The blister package contains the paperback Quick start guides in Dutch, Spanish, French, German and Italian.

Really strange is the Wireless feature advert included in the front cover!
I never noticed that the 50G had Wireless capabilities...

[Tugdual]

Nice pictures. I understand the collectable value of your quest however on a practical standpoint I prefer dark casing, much easier to read. I mention it with the hope this can prevent Hp from producing another Prime.

[jebem]

(03-18-2016 11:51 AM)Tugdual Wrote:  I understand the collectable value of your quest however on a practical standpoint I prefer dark casing, much easier to read. I mention it with the hope this can prevent Hp from producing another Prime.

Agree, the black case and black keys looks classier and more professional, and for many it is easier to read than any other color schema.
I had the same idea before having this blue in my hands. It is really easy to read the labels as many have reported before.

HP made other models using similar blueish color schema before, for instance the HP-39G+.

Well, we know where this live color schema is coming from, don´t we?
Texas Instruments did it as well on their Nspire series.
Apparently this juvenile color schema would attract more buyers from the main calculator market: the teenagers at school.

Agree with you about the terrible Prime color schema.
I'm not Daltonic, but every time I look to my Prime I feel like one, having a hard time trying to read those light orange and blue letters on white background.

[Voldemar]

(03-18-2016 10:51 AM)jebem Wrote:  I never noticed that the 50G had Wireless capabilities...

HP 50g have IR port.
Thank You very much for nice pictures.

[Vtile]

That light blue is actually better atleast in pictures. The typical black version lacks of contrast and I have found the orange RSHIFT text hard to read in even slightly low light conditions. .

[jebem]

While I'm at it, here are some more pictures with several different HP models side by side.

HP-50G Saturn/RPL against the new wave HP-39G+ Applets/BASIC machines




HP-50G Saturn/RPL against the new wave HP-40GS Applets/BASIC machines




HP-50G Blue, HP-50G Black and HP-49G+ Saturn/RPL cosmetic variants.
The 49G+ color is champagne but my camera fails to show it.




All together now:

[rprosperi]

It is quite odd that the color scheme on the blue model always photographs poorly, yet is quite clear in person; Glad you see the same thing Jose.

I think the best color schemes, in terms of contrast and clarity, unfortunately came on 2 machines that very few MoHPC users ever use, or at least comment about.

The HP-39gs has a white body, with black and light blue (alpha) shifted key labels. Extremely easy to read, even in low light. But no serious user here would be caught dead using one.

The HP-48GII also has a very clear, high-contrast scheme, which is busier than the 39gs, but still quite easy to read. The layout is identical to a 49g+ or 50g, with a silver face and has red- and blue-shifts, plus green Alpha-shift. Overall, this is probably my favorite color scheme of any machine HP has made (in the RPL and Algebraic post-Pioneer series). But it's screen and RAM are crippled versions of the 50g, so again pretty useless.

Color schemes are a much harder thing to settle on than one might imagine, when designing products like these, because everyone (engineers, marketing folks, secretaries, Division Vice Presidents, etc.) has an equally informed opinion (even if they are not actually informed). The meetings to decide on mundane things like CAS syntax and numbers of significant figures for internal calculations fortunately have far fewer informed folks trying to inject their opinions.

[Vtile]

(03-18-2016 10:29 PM)rprosperi Wrote:  Color schemes are a much harder thing to settle on than one might imagine, when designing products like these, because everyone (engineers, marketing folks, secretaries, Division Vice Presidents, etc.) has an equally informed opinion (even if they are not actually informed). The meetings to decide on mundane things like CAS syntax and numbers of significant figures for internal calculations fortunately have far fewer informed folks trying to inject their opinions.

For that reason

Quote:Based on marketing studies done at the time, the HP-9100 was the "right" size and price for a scientific calculator. The studies showed little or no interest in a pocket device. However Bill Hewlett thought differently.

I'm waiting next mr. Hewlett who ever it is.

[Brian D]

Convert the images to grayscale to see how a different brightness for each shifted function can be useful. For example, imagine taking the 50G but change the bright white shift key and labels into a light gray or other light color. This makes the primary key functions stand out, and the shifted keys would be a bit dimmer for one shift function, and dimmer still for the other.

The 15C does this with white, gold, and blue, each of a different brightness level.

[BuckeyeEngineer]

I just purchased a blue 50G brand new and can notice a lot of differences from my black 50G that I bought several months ago. The blue 50G has better keypad buttons, even in the arrow keys. It's hard to describe the difference, but maybe "softer" is the right word. In addition, the display looks more crisp. My black 50G screen cover leaks dust, and the blue doesn't. Finally, the plastic body just feels more solid.

[jebem]

(03-18-2016 10:29 PM)rprosperi Wrote:  The HP-48GII also has a very clear, high-contrast scheme, which is busier than the 39gs, but still quite easy to read. The layout is identical to a 49g+ or 50g, with a silver face and has red- and blue-shifts, plus green Alpha-shift. Overall, this is probably my favorite color scheme of any machine HP has made (in the RPL and Algebraic post-Pioneer series). But it's screen and RAM are crippled versions of the 50g, so again pretty useless.

For completeness, I'm attaching some pictures of my 48GII.
I like the machine, it is easy to read and use, despite its limitations when compared to the full blown 50G version.

[toml_12953]

There's only one problem I can see with it. Look at the shot of the screen where it says Operating Mode. If I'm not mistaken, the calculator is set to Algebraic! I'd return it if I were you.

Tom L

[jebem]

(03-31-2016 04:53 PM)toml_12953 Wrote:  There's only one problem I can see with it. Look at the shot of the screen where it says Operating Mode. If I'm not mistaken, the calculator is set to Algebraic! I'd return it if I were you.

Tom L

I know, I know, my bad.
I rushed the photo session and this is the end result!

[Voldemar]

If someone are interested in HP 50g Blue, may try to buy.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HEWLETT-PACKARD-...SwnK9ZOyvu

[aurelio]

I've noticed only now this discussion and I'm surprised; I'm pretty sure that matthiaspaul fell in love with the blue HP50g, reading that he bought at least three of that ones, but I have been not able to find in this thread the pics requested from Bob to see personally the differences he was talking about in the starting post
What I can say imho is that I've not yet now understood the choice for making this colour variant...I was used to think at the HP calculators as the the best tools for calculations "beasts for crunching numbers" somebody else could say, but I could not imagine they could be one day more similar to a toy..

When I decided to collect a few of calculators expecially the ones I had not way or need to use at their time, also "I fell in love" with the HP70, for...its colour

You can't rule the heart!

[matthiaspaul]

(06-12-2017 06:09 PM)aurelio Wrote:  I've noticed only now this discussion and I'm surprised; I'm pretty sure that matthiaspaul fell in love with the blue HP50g, reading that he bought at least three of that ones, but I have been not able to find in this thread the pics requested from Bob to see personally the differences he was talking about in the starting post

That's true. In fact, I shot some quick photos using a point-and-click, but while the difference in color easily stands out to the human eye, it was almost invisible in the resulting JPEGs, so I never uploaded the photos. In addition to automatic white balancing, these small cameras do all sorts of image post processing, and the blue color is probably interpreted and "optimized" as sky. #-|
I'd have to redo the photos properly using my DSLR in raw and without AWB...

Quote:I was used to think at the HP calculators as the the best tools for calculations "beasts for crunching numbers" somebody else could say, but I could not imagine they could be one day more similar to a toy..

I was a bit afraid of that as well, but then thought I would give it a try given that I have difficulties reading the labelling on the black 50g in dim light or the discontinuous spectrum of compact fluorescent lamps. For me, the blue labelling is significantly easier to read, making it more fun to work with the calculator. Off the two blue colorsets, I prefer the slightly darker ultramarine over the cyan version.

Yes, the 50g looks a bit cheap or toyish in general, but this is down to its feminine form, not the colorset. That design language doesn't make sense in a calculator IMO. If I'd a choice I would have preferred a 50g looking more like a 48G, a Prime (in the new color variant), or a DM42 (with larger labels) - even if it would cost more.

Greetings,

Matthias

[pier4r]

(06-13-2017 01:04 PM)matthiaspaul Wrote:  Yes, the 50g looks a bit cheap or toyish in general, but this is down to its feminine form..

Feminine form? Because it is round? I would dare to say that roundish stuff is better to absorb shocks, or not?