bmaraldo@watserv1.waterloo.edu (Commander Brett Maraldo) (03/10/90)
I am just curious why everyone is selling off their 28s' so fast.
Is it because the 48sx is a better computer? Certainly it isn;t all that
much better a calculator than the 28s. I guess if you approach the 28s
as a computer (which a lot of people seem to do) then I can understand why
the 48sx is such a scream, but in my opinion the 28s was never a programmers
machine. The 28s was always just another *calculator* to me and the
programming aspect was there just to aid doing calculations; from what I
have read HP intended it this way.
I don't mean to critize you if you are one of the many who approached
the 28s as a computer. Luckily, the 48sx will fit the bill for you, but
it is a shame that you didn't make the awareness about this until now and
have had to loose money on it. I just don't understand how someone could
buy a 28s and hope that they got a pocket computer; it just isn;t a computer
by any definition (but it is the most powerful calculator).
With this distinction, I think it realistic to say that the
28s remains as the most powerful calculator and the 48sx is a nifty computer
(but certainly not the most powerful pocket computer). Now, the 48sx has
been placed in the pocket computer category and must be compared with other
members of this category.
My point is, the 28s is not obsolete. The 28s is still the worlds
most powerful readily available calculator. The 48sx is a pocket computer
and a damn nifty one at that; combining the calculator power of the 28s
with real computer like functions (I/O is a big one).
I have a question: I use my 28s as a calculator, never as a {
computer; should I spend the bucks to get the 48sx. I will not use the
I/O capabilities, the expandable memory, or any of the other programmers
functions. With that in mind, is the 48sx better than the 28s, for me?
Brett L Maraldo
--
-------- Unit 36 Research ---------
"Alien Technology Today"
bmaraldo@watserv1.UWaterloo.ca
{uunet!clyde!utai}!watserv1!bmaraldoalonzo@microsoft.UUCP (Alonzo GARIEPY) (03/14/90)
In article <1388@watserv1.waterloo.edu> bmaraldo@watserv1.waterloo.edu (Commander Brett Maraldo) writes: > I am just curious why everyone is selling off their 28s' so fast. > Is it because the 48sx is a better computer? Certainly it isn't all that > much better a calculator than the 28s. It is a MUCH better calculator. I would have bought it for the unit objects alone. Anyone engaged in the serious study or application of engineering or applied physics will find this calculator to be a great help in all calculations. And that doesn't even begin to address the improvements. I wouldn't have used the 28 for plotting because the screen is far too small; the 48 screen is a window onto an arbitrarily sized bitmap: ideal for plotting. Take the trouble to get the facts before you dismiss this machine as some kind of fancy pocket computer. Hewlett-Packard has made it clear that the priority was calculating and not computing. This is entirely consistent with the result: there are many things I would want in a computer that are not in the 48, but it is the best calculator ever made. The 48 does not obsolete the 28, just as a Ferrari does not obsolete my Toyota. If you have the need and the wherewithall, the HP 48SX will make your life easier. By the way, if anyone wants a 28, I'll trade mine for a nice leather case for my 48. Alonzo Gariepy alonzo@microsoft