rbp@investor.pgh.pa.us (Bob Peirce #305) (11/22/89)
I need a new calculator and I've always been an HP fan. Being in the financial business (investment management), the HP-19B has a lot of appeal but I don't know if it has the same deep down capabilities as the HP-28S. I have not had a chance to play with either. If anybody knows both machines, I would appreciate seeing a comparison of the two. Here in Pittsburgh the 19B is about $150 and the 28S is $200. Clearly there must be some difference for the price. -- Bob Peirce, Pittsburgh, PA 412-471-5320 ...!uunet!pitt!investor!rbp rbp@investor.pgh.pa.us
mark@hpcpbla.HP.COM (Mark Simms) (11/27/89)
I believe that the main reason for the difference in price is the
difference in memory. The HP-19B has 6500 bytes of available RAM
whereas the HP-28S has 32000 bytes of available RAM. The reason for
this difference is that the HP-28S is truly programmable whereas the
HP-19B is customizable by storing equations which are then manipulated
by other functions.
The HP-28S is stated to have over 1500 built in functions, whereas the
HP-19B is stated to have over 450. This would also suggest that there
is a difference in the ROM sizes in the two machines. As I have no
access to the internal designs of these machines, I cannot confirm or
deny this.
The functions listed for the HP-19B in the advertising sheet that I
have are as follows:
Business graphics:
Cash flow graphics
Statistics and forecasting
Time and data management:
Clock, calendar, alarms, appointments
Date arithmetic,
Edit, search, sort and store text
Edit, sort and store number lists
Copy, label and subtotal of number lists
Business functions
Amortization schedules
Bond price and yield
Cash flow analysis
Currency conversions
Depreciation methods
Interest rate conversions
Markup as percent of cost and price
Percent change, percent of total
Time value of money
Unit of measurement conversions
Statistics functions
Standard deviation, mean, weighted mean
Linear, log, exponential, power curve fitting
Forecasting, correlation coefficient
Sum, sum of squares, sum of products
Maths functions
+, -, *, /, %
Square root, reciprocal, change sign, power
natural and common logarithms and inverses
Factorial, pi, square
Trigonometry, probability, hyperbolics
The functions in a similar sheet for the HP-28S are as follows:
Maths functions:
+, -, *, /, %
Square root, reciprocal, change sign, power
Natural and common logarithms and inverses
Factorial, pi, square,
Symbolic algebra
Numerical integration
Symbolic polynomial integration
Symbolic derivatives
Scientific features
Base conversion and arithmetic
Bit and boolean operators
Complex number functions
Root finder
Hyperbolics/inverses
Matrix/vector operations
Trigonometric operations
Unit conversions
Statistical features
Edit, name, save list
Standard deviation and mean
Linear regression
Linear, log, exponential and power curve fitting
Weighted mean, group standard deviation
Combinations and permutations
Both calculators come in roughly the same package. They are book
style with 36 keys on one side and 37 on the other. Both have a 4
line by 23 character bit mapped LCD display. Both support graphics
and the infra-red printer.
The list prices I have, which date from January 1st are $175 for the
HP-19B and $235 for the HP-28S. You should be able to get better than
this from a dealer though.
The question of the choice between the two is whether the HP-19B does
all that you want or not. If so, then it is probably a very good buy.
However, it is not programmable and cannot be customized to the same
extent as the HP-28S. If what you want is a programmable calculator
with a few business functions, then you would be better off with the
HP-28S and typing in the extra functions that you require.
For more detailed information contact HP Calculator Support on
+1-503-757-2004 between 08:00 and 15:00 Pacific time.
Mark Simms
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Please note that the opinions expressed are my own and any statements
made are correct as far as I know. This is not intended to be an
official statement by Hewlett Packard. Also note that I have no
connection with Hewlett Packard's calculator business other than as a
user of their products
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Name: Mark Simms
Position: Software Development Engineer
Organisation: Hewlett-Packard Computer Peripherals Division
Email US: mark%hpcpbla@hplb.hpl.hp.com
UK: mark%hpcpbla@hplb.hp.co.uk
Address: Filton Road, Bristol BS12 6QZ, United Kingdom