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hp41cx · 02-24-2016, 12:13 AM

Dave Britten · 02-24-2016, 01:44 AM

If I had the least bit of musical talent (other than my skill with Rock Band and Beatmania) I'd probably have the whole set by now. Mostly I just imagine what other sort of interesting computation devices they could be turned into.

TASP · 02-24-2016, 02:05 AM

Can they be reflashed ??

(heh, heh)

mfleming · 02-24-2016, 02:14 AM

EFM-32 Gecko, 128K Flash, 32K RAM, JTAG programming port ... Wonder if it is a bitmap display?

Worth a look, methinks. Methinks I'll look!

Dave Britten · 02-24-2016, 12:45 PM

(02-24-2016 02:14 AM)mfleming Wrote: EFM-32 Gecko, 128K Flash, 32K RAM, JTAG programming port ... Wonder if it is a bitmap display?

Worth a look, methinks. Methinks I'll look!

From photos, they appear to be custom segmented displays, like the old Tiger handheld games. No clue if the display driver would support a bitmap; maybe a more traditional segmented numeric display.

John Keith · 02-24-2016, 04:27 PM

The text on their site says they are unique displays for each model. They definitely do not look bit-mapped.

Joseph_21sv · 03-01-2016, 10:12 PM

Speaking of bitmap displays, even sub-$59 cell phones have them nowadays, and multicolor ones at that. I could say that the studio-quality synthesis engine alone must be what justifies charging $59 for each of these; but even that would be too generous to this instrument as it is possible, at least in a limited sense, to do more than this does with a cell phone app, and even pay less than $59 including the price of that app. In short, it is an interesting idea, but sadly executed so as to be unintentional snake oil in context.

Steve Simpkin · (This post was last modified: 03-02-2016 12:51 AM by Steve Simpkin.)

Forget a sub $59 cell phone. I recently paid $39US (normally $49US) for a 7 inch Kindle Fire tablet (2015 5th Generation). This model has a 1024 x 600 multi-touch color screen, a Quad-core 1.3 GHz ARM Cortex A7 processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB Flash, a MicroSD slot, front camera (VGA), rear camera (2MP), WiFi, Bluetooth, microphone, speaker and an accelerometer. Hard to beat that for $49. As a calculator emulator platform alone, it is extremely useful Smile

Joseph_21sv · 03-02-2016, 04:00 AM

(03-02-2016 12:48 AM)Steve Simpkin Wrote: Forget a sub $59 cell phone. I recently paid $39US (normally $49US) for a 7 inch Kindle Fire tablet (2015 5th Generation). This model has a 1024 x 600 multi-touch color screen, a Quad-core 1.3 GHz ARM Cortex A7 processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB Flash, a MicroSD slot, front camera (VGA), rear camera (2MP), WiFi, Bluetooth, microphone, speaker and an accelerometer. Hard to beat that for $49. As a calculator emulator platform alone, it is extremely useful

And you can buy a studio-quality synthesis engine for under $10US. For example, Jasuto modular synthesizer is only $4.99US.

Dave Britten · 03-02-2016, 02:34 PM

And you can buy a scientific calculator for $10 at Rite Aid. Sometimes, though, the appeal of a perfect combination of design and functionality makes the final product worth the premium. Or would any of you guys like to sell me a 42S for $20 since your $50 phones/tablets can run Free42? ;D

walter b · 03-02-2016, 04:00 PM

(03-02-2016 02:34 PM)Dave Britten Wrote: And you can buy a scientific calculator for $10 at Rite Aid. Sometimes, though, the appeal of a perfect combination of design and functionality makes the final product worth the premium. Or would any of you guys like to sell me a 42S for $20 since your $50 phones/tablets can run Free42? ;D

Very well said! Smile

d:-)

**rprosperi** · 03-02-2016, 07:11 PM

(03-02-2016 04:00 PM)walter b Wrote: Very well said!

1 +

And please let me know if you receive too many offers for $20 42S machines...

Joseph_21sv · 03-04-2016, 06:00 PM

(03-02-2016 02:34 PM)Dave Britten Wrote: And you can buy a scientific calculator for $10 at Rite Aid. Sometimes, though, the appeal of a perfect combination of design and functionality makes the final product worth the premium. Or would any of you guys like to sell me a 42S for $20 since your $50 phones/tablets can run Free42? ;D

Well, there is at a premium and there is at a premium. The trouble is that it is difficult to tell when it crosses over from feeling justified to feeling like a highway robbery, and it is very easy to unknowingly tip over from "justified" to "highway robbery". That is a premium of $120 for a new stock 42S was justified while the $59 premium for this synthesizer is unintentional highway robbery.

Dave Britten · 03-04-2016, 06:26 PM

(03-04-2016 06:00 PM)Joseph_21sv Wrote:
(03-02-2016 02:34 PM)Dave Britten Wrote: And you can buy a scientific calculator for $10 at Rite Aid. Sometimes, though, the appeal of a perfect combination of design and functionality makes the final product worth the premium. Or would any of you guys like to sell me a 42S for $20 since your $50 phones/tablets can run Free42? ;D

Well, there is at a premium and there is at a premium. The trouble is that it is difficult to tell when it crosses over from feeling justified to feeling like a highway robbery, and it is very easy to unknowingly tip over from "justified" to "highway robbery". That is a premium of $120 for a new stock 42S was justified while the $59 premium for this synthesizer is unintentional highway robbery.

Right, I can't speak to these synthesizers specifically (I'm not a musician, and I've never used these, or really any other synthesizers), but they look like the sort of thing that could easily satisfy a niche of the market if they're well-executed. Just surprised to see so many discounting them off-hand simply because you can get a more general-purpose device for similar/less money, even if it may not be as well-suited to the (very) specific task these are designed for. Extremely special purpose devices are pretty much the whole point of this web site, after all. Wink

Thomas Radtke · 03-05-2016, 04:12 PM

(02-24-2016 12:13 AM)hp41cx Wrote: Pocket Operator link

What is this? What are the graphics for (submarine, typewriter, factory etc.)?

Dave Britten · 03-05-2016, 05:13 PM

(03-05-2016 04:12 PM)Thomas Radtke Wrote:
(02-24-2016 12:13 AM)hp41cx Wrote: Pocket Operator link
What is this? What are the graphics for (submarine, typewriter, factory etc.)?

As far as I can tell, the graphics are just there to add some charm. But judging from the sample audio clips on their site, they seem like pretty competent pocket sequencers.

Joseph_21sv · 03-05-2016, 05:50 PM

(03-04-2016 06:26 PM)Dave Britten Wrote:
(03-04-2016 06:00 PM)Joseph_21sv Wrote: Well, there is at a premium and there is at a premium. The trouble is that it is difficult to tell when it crosses over from feeling justified to feeling like a highway robbery, and it is very easy to unknowingly tip over from "justified" to "highway robbery". That is a premium of $120 for a new stock 42S was justified while the $59 premium for this synthesizer is unintentional highway robbery.

Right, I can't speak to these synthesizers specifically (I'm not a musician, and I've never used these, or really any other synthesizers), but they look like the sort of thing that could easily satisfy a niche of the market if they're well-executed. Just surprised to see so many discounting them off-hand simply because you can get a more general-purpose device for similar/less money, even if it may not be as well-suited to the (very) specific task these are designed for. Extremely special purpose devices are pretty much the whole point of this web site, after all.

Well, the more general purpose devices available for similar/less money than this synthesizer are also already encased, while the protective case for any of these six models costs extra money and it still leaves the batteries partially uncovered. Add in a specially-segmented display, and, regardless of the quality of the synthesis engine, you get that they are mass-producing and selling at a premium what would be a prototype/proof of concept for any more serious brand.