dan@Apple.COM (Dan Allen) (05/07/91)
My HP-95LX and 512KB RAM card just arrived this morning from EduCalc, for a total cost including shipping and tax of about $950. I like it. It is not perfect. Let me elaborate. The 1-2-3 implementation is excellent. The Filer is fine, the Memo application is VERY basic, the Appointment mode has a tragic flaw, and the Phone book is so-so. I have not yet tried the communication module. Oh yes, the calculator is much better than I expected. As for hardware: the case has a nice feel to it. I hated the 28 series machines for their folding case, but this case is 10 times better, and I am growing to like it. It feels sturdy. Part of the reason the new case is better is that it has its hinges in such a way that it does not cause the machine to "rock", since the hinge never is on your desk. The display is very readable, has sufficient contrast that I have not yet needed to adjust it at all, and the font is nice and legible. The keyboard, yes, the keyboard. The keyboard is the worst part. The machine is so capable that you want to start touch typing on it, but there is no way you can touch type on it. It is just too small. Is it worth the money after 12 hours of playing with it? Maybe. If analytical analysis and heavy 1-2-3 and calculating are needed, then YES. If writing with a text editor is what you do, then probably NOT. Nevertheless, I plan to do a lot more messing around with it and all post more after I do so. I am going to see how Turbo Pascal works on it... Oh yes, the tragic flaw of the appointment mode: you cannot set repeating appointments for every other week, or every other day, or any non-standard interval. All repeating appointments must be daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly, although you can create appointments of the style First Tuesday of each month. The HP-75C had a better appointment mode... and a touch-typable keyboard. It cost about the same, although it only had 24 KB of RAM. Its Visi-Calc / Basic integration remind me of the excellent integration found in the 95's Calculator/123 integration, or rather, visa-versa. The Calculator is very similar to the 19B in capability, with function plotting, solver, conversions, TVM, and a good range of built-in math functions. I turned mine to RPN mode immediately and will probably never change it back. Long live RPN! Well, more in a few days... it is a neat little machine. Dan Allen Apple Computer
JMEYERS@MTUS5.BITNET (05/07/91)
In article <52533@apple.Apple.COM>, dan@Apple.COM (Dan Allen) says: >Oh yes, the tragic flaw of the appointment mode: you cannot set >repeating appointments for every other week, or every other day, or any >non-standard interval. All repeating appointments must be daily, >weekly, monthly, or yearly, although you can create appointments of the >style First Tuesday of each month. I don't have an HP-95LX; however, I do have an HP-48SX with a similar kind of appointment alarm set up. The idea that I had (which will work on the HP-48SX but since I am unfamiliar with the HP-95LX am not sure if it has the capability to do the same thing.) was to schedule an alarm that executes a program which checks a user flag (or variable if no user flags ara available) which will indicate if it is the proper week for the alarm to sound. If it is then sound the alarm. If not, then ignore the alarm. Like I said, I know that this kind of thing (with possible minor modifications) will work on an HP-48SX. I would suspect that there might be a way to implement something like this on the HP-95LX. Sincerely, Jason P. Meyers /========================= /======================================== | JMEYERS@mtus5.cts.mtu.edu | | | or | H H PPPP 44 888 SSS X X | | JMEYERS@MTUS5.BITNET | H H P P 4 4 8 8 S X X | | HP-48 list owner | HHHHH PPPP == 4 4 888 SSS X | >-------------------------< H H P 444444 8 8 S X X | | Michigan Technological | H H P 4 888 SSS X X | | University | | =========================/ ========================================/
dan@Apple.COM (Dan Allen) (05/09/91)
It was mentioned that the 48SX does not have a perfect appointment mode, but that it can be programmed. The HP-95LX does not include any documentation for programming to make other appointments, although it is probably possible. Having used the 95 for 3 days now, I have come to appreciate the 48SX more, and the HP-75C the most for its great appointment mode. International characters work fine on the 95LX, for those that were asking. Dan Allen