Now available on iTunes: HP Prime Graphing Calculator iOS app

[mehldau]

Hi all,

The HP Prime Graphing Calculator by HP Inc. seems to have just been released for general availability on iTunes. It's $24.99/€24.99, requires iOS 7.0 or later and is available in English, Dutch, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish.

For more iformation see: https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/hp-prime...1064702857

I am right now downloading the app...


Best regards

Dirk

[JanneF]

Awsome, just downloaded the app
...and produced a nice x^2 plot on my iPhone 6

This app will definitely keep me busy for a couple of hours ;-)

[ndzied1]

Now I'm torn. I want this but I got burned by the "official" HP 15C app that had one simple glaring problem (annoyingly loud key click that couldn't be adjusted) and was never fixed. That app seems to be abandoned by hp.

Waiting to see this one go through a few update cycles before jumping on the band wagon.

[dbbotkin]

It doesn't appear to use the iOS native 'copy' and 'paste' nor does the Prime copy function allow transfer to the iOS device. So how does one get data into the Prime other than the keypad? I'm hoping that this is just my newbie error and there is a documented feature that HP provides.

Please??

[luisphysics]

Maybe not native in the way u think. Highlight some text for an email. Open prime iOS app swipe to the right on the app. Do u see the edit option? Click on it and paste. BOOM copy paste programs.

[StephenG1CMZ]

On iTunes??? I thought the HP Prime didn't do sound?

[dbbotkin]

(12-16-2015 10:11 PM)luisphysics Wrote:  Maybe not native in the way u think. Highlight some text for an email. Open prime iOS app swipe to the right on the app. Do u see the edit option? Click on it and paste. BOOM copy paste programs.

Thanks for the help on that. By 'native' I meant "as in the way all other programs in iOS handle copy and paste." Not only does the iOS 'Prime' version fail to follow the 'copy & paste' iOS meme, it keeps its configuration in the app rather than in 'Settings'.

Yes, one can "copy and paste," but the way it is implemented, it is more like a transfer than an edit. Certainly not intuitive for someone used to iOS, nor does it use the Prime functions for editing.

I'll try it with some data matrices and see how that goes.

[dbbotkin]

(12-16-2015 11:02 PM)StephenG1CMZ Wrote:  On iTunes??? I thought the HP Prime didn't do sound?

The 'App Store' for software, not iTunes--where the apps used to live.

[luisphysics]

I had this entire paragraph I wrote as a reply. But I erased it. I will say for now you should be happy we got the app on iOS. You should praise the HP team for the fantastic work they did to bring this to the App Store.

Example I love how my battery status is displayed in the calculator.

[cyrille de brébisson]

Hello,

[I had this entire paragraph I wrote as a reply. But I erased it. I will say for now you should be happy we got the app on iOS. You should praise the HP team for the fantastic work they did to bring this to the App Store.

Example I love how my battery status is displayed in the calculator.]

Thanks for your thanks :-)

It actually was a huge task because we had to make the entire thing 64 bit compatible! Many mega bytes of source code had to be passed on by a fined toothed comb, and modified!
Note only does IOs force the use of 64 bits, but their characters are 32 bits (vs 16 on windows)...

Cyrille

[Mariox]

(12-17-2015 07:29 AM)cyrille de brébisson Wrote:  Hello,

[I had this entire paragraph I wrote as a reply. But I erased it. I will say for now you should be happy we got the app on iOS. You should praise the HP team for the fantastic work they did to bring this to the App Store.

Example I love how my battery status is displayed in the calculator.]

Thanks for your thanks :-)

It actually was a huge task because we had to make the entire thing 64 bit compatible! Many mega bytes of source code had to be passed on by a fined toothed comb, and modified!
Note only does IOs force the use of 64 bits, but their characters are 32 bits (vs 16 on windows)...

Cyrille

Excellent, great job

[bobkrohn]

.

is there a way to get data and programs into this thing?

is there a way to get data and programs out of this thing?

.

[phgerin]

Good job, merci Cyrille.

[Maro]

(12-17-2015 03:29 PM)bobkrohn Wrote:  .

is there a way to get data and programs into this thing?

is there a way to get data and programs out of this thing?

.

... and not only from and to Windows systems!!

Now since an iOS App is available (which is great!) it would be really nice to have an OS X version of the Prime emulator too ... for those who don't like Windows systems and special work arounds

[dbbotkin]

(12-17-2015 07:29 AM)cyrille de brébisson Wrote:  Hello,

[I had this entire paragraph I wrote as a reply. But I erased it. I will say for now you should be happy we got the app on iOS. You should praise the HP team for the fantastic work they did to bring this to the App Store.

Example I love how my battery status is displayed in the calculator.]

Thanks for your thanks :-)

It actually was a huge task because we had to make the entire thing 64 bit compatible! Many mega bytes of source code had to be passed on by a fined toothed comb, and modified!
Note only does IOs force the use of 64 bits, but their characters are 32 bits (vs 16 on windows)...

Cyrille

Of course thanks are due the Prime team at HP for adding the 'Prime' to the other HP calculators that have been ported to the iOS for use on iPhones and iPads. This will not only provide more users with access to the Prime, it will enhance the profitability of the product for HP. (Hint to HP: a Season Bonus for the software team would be nice, maybe trim back on the fat checks for the marketing dept.)

My comment about 'copy and paste' relates to usability from the POV of the person operating the calculator. Departing from the edit protocol will not be appreciated. Yes, moving to 64 bits was a pain for the developers (although transparent to the user), but 32-bit characters allows for support of a much wider range of languages that don't use the 'Roman' character set.

In the iOS App Store there are many calculators ported directly from the source code by HP that work just like the physical device, however there are many more derivative implementations that enhance and extend the functionality. The 41c, for example, has useful features and speed enhancements that far exceed the original while retaining its 'look and feel'.

The Prime's 'testing' indicators in the title bar--do they work? If so, why? What teacher is going to let a kid use an iPhone on an exam? Who wants to have their phone 'wiped' just to use on a test? Instead of just copying exactly, why wasn't the Prime made into more of a 'Pro-version' for the iOS implementation? Or will it be left to the after-market developers to create a real kick-ass calculator as has been the case with the other HP calculator 'ports'?

[luisphysics]

You can get rid of the title bar.
Plus why would you knock on the fact that someone put that on the app. You know that was someone's idea, and they are likely very proud of it. I think it was nice.

As for these kick-a** calculators you speak about please point them out. They all fall short. I own a lot of calculators from the app store and honestly the interfaces was poorly developed. Either the functionality is very limited. Or their interface is like mathlab or mathematica. I don't want to write scripts on my phone! Why would I do that when I have 10 fingers I can put on a keyboard.

Where would this PRO calculator fall into?
________________________________________________
Let us break down how we solve problems in real life when it comes to calculations.

-My brain for easy math and super large exponentials calculators can't handle. (if you are finding bugs in your brain when trying to multiply Log(3.23)*PI because you are hiting precision issues you might want to get a calculator or a computer)

-Calculator for easy functions that need to be solved and where I can plot things very fast to get a nice intuitive feel of what is happening. Program some functions but nothing so complex that I am finding bugs in the implementations of the calculators software. (if you are finding bugs in the implementation such as precision issues you might want to go to a computer)

-Computers of various sizes for everything else. (if you find bugs fix them because you are probably an expert trying to solve a very hard problem or you are using a terrible code base, or you are hitting undefined behavior and you shouldn't do it)

I didn't mention pen and paper because it is symbolic and usually u don't plug in numbers until the end if you are doing things right. then you use one of the tehcniques above to get an actual number.

[factor]

Finally there is a reason for me to get an iPhone.

[Marcio]

(12-17-2015 05:25 PM)factor Wrote:  Finally there is a reason for me to get an iPhone.

I never liked the "iThings" but in this case I'd go for an iPad instead, the screen is much better for graphics and stuff like that. Smaller screen might be better suited for classic RPN calculators, methinks.

[dbbotkin]

(12-17-2015 05:19 PM)luisphysics Wrote:  You can get rid of the title bar.
Plus why would you knock on the fact that someone put that on the app. You know that was someone's idea, and they are likely very proud of it. I think it was nice.

As for these kick-a** calculators you speak about please point them out. They all fall short. I own a lot of calculators from the app store and honestly the interfaces was poorly developed. Either the functionality is very limited. Or their interface is like mathlab or mathematica. I don't want to write scripts on my phone! Why would I do that when I have 10 fingers I can put on a keyboard.

Where would this PRO calculator fall into?
________________________________________________
Let us break down how we solve problems in real life when it comes to calculations.

-My brain for easy math and super large exponentials calculators can't handle. (if you are finding bugs in your brain when trying to multiply Log(3.23)*PI because you are hiting precision issues you might want to get a calculator or a computer)

-Calculator for easy functions that need to be solved and where I can plot things very fast to get a nice intuitive feel of what is happening. Program some functions but nothing so complex that I am finding bugs in the implementations of the calculators software. (if you are finding bugs in the implementation such as precision issues you might want to go to a computer)

-Computers of various sizes for everything else. (if you find bugs fix them because you are probably an expert trying to solve a very hard problem or you are using a terrible code base, or you are hitting undefined behavior and you shouldn't do it)

I didn't mention pen and paper because it is symbolic and usually u don't plug in numbers until the end if you are doing things right. then you use one of the tehcniques above to get an actual number.

I'm not "knocking" anyone's idea and have been a huge fanboy for HP since the HP35 including a pilgrimage to Corvallis, OR when the calculator group was there back in the 80's. I also have a lot of calculators on my iPhone as well as owning several actual Primes and the WiFi connectivity kit for the classroom.

There has been a compromise in the Prime to support the "testing environment" mostly in American secondary education and the compromise has limited the functionality of the calculator for actual work or even education. (read my earlier posts FYI)

WiFi connectivity should enable data to be transferred from a computer to the Prime and data collected by the Prime should be accessible. The "testing compromise" has eliminated that functionality. It was there, but is no more. Now everything must flow through the Teacher's computer interface. That is a limitation that has no justification in the real world.

In addition to having the calculator and WiFi for use in an educational setting, I would like also to be able to get matrix data in and out more easily than the kludgy 'copy and paste' that is currently implemented in both the physical and virtual devices because being able to carry the calculator in one hand is a key feature for me.

Just for a comparison, I use an iOS program from TD Ameritrade on my iPhone. It gets real-time data from the internet and can present a complex graph in an instant using the data. This should be part of the functionality of a powerful and complex handheld calculator like the Prime, but it is not. Why? Not because it is impossible or even hard to accomplish--the reason for the limitation is driven by marketing, not science.

Perhaps the difference lies in that some (most?) users are calculating and plotting based on a formula and I am trying to extract a formula from raw data. The Prime is capable of both, but the former is easy and the latter made difficult by HP's intentional limitation. That, I don't like.

[salvomic]

(12-17-2015 03:29 PM)bobkrohn Wrote:  is there a way to get data and programs into this thing?

is there a way to get data and programs out of this thing?

I quote...
I've just now downloaded it and I tried with iPhone 6 and iPad, very nice!
Now I hope to get also our apps inside the iOS app :-)

However, also without applications, it wonderful to have the Prime on there!

Salvo