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HP 50g Graphing Calculator

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Condition: Used - Very Good
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At a glance

Condition
Used - Very Good
Model
HP50G
Dimensions
7.2 x 1 x 3.5 in
Weight
9.6 oz
Color
Black Face
Material
Plastic
Batteries
4 AAA batteries required.

Features 5

  • New display upgrade--the new HP 50g display features a 30% increase in usable space over the HP 49g+
  • New powerful SD card slot allows you to format your card right in the calculator and expand memory
  • Massive 2.5 MB total memory--512 KB RAM plus 2 MB flash ROM for performing future upgrades**
  • New larger equation library and 2300+ built-in functions--ideal for both professionals and students

Description

Get a powerful and flexible calculator designed for math, science and engineering professionals with a SD card slot,2.5MB total memory, USB, Infrared (IrDA), serial connectivity and more.

Specs 12

Manufacturer Hewlett Packard
Brand HP
Item Weight 9.6 ounces
Product Dimensions 7.2 x 1 x 3.5 inches
Item model number HP50G
Batteries 4 AAA batteries required.
Color Black Face
Material Type Plastic

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Top Amazon Reviews

Best calculator for scientists and engineers
This is a review of the HP 50g Graphing Calculator by Hewlett Packard. If you are (or aspire to become) an engineer, mathematician, physicist, or physical chemist, then this is the calculator for you. Actually, this is not really a calculator: it is a hand-held math computer with a calculator-style human-machine interface. The capabilities of this math computer are mind boggling. Right up front, please note: the HP 50g is NOT allowed on the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam. If you want a calculator for the FE exam, try the HP 35S (HP 35s Scientific Calculator). Refer to the NCEES website (search for calculator policy). I have used Hewlett Packard calculators for years. While it is true that the HP 50g build-quality is not as robust as previous models, and while it is true that there have been some disappointing design changes, this calculator still amazes me. It is incredible that it sells for such a low price. By the way, my favorite calculator was my old HP 28S (too bad the case cracked at the battery door). I also have owned (and have extensively used) the HP 48 and the HP 49g+ (not to mention the HP 15 and HP 35). There is nothing wrong with Texas Instrument (TI) calculators. In fact, they are quite great. However, once you get used to the Reverse Polish Notation (RPN) of the HP 50g, you will be able to perform calculations much faster than with a TI. If you are still in high school, then you might want to check with your university before buying a calculator. Some college programs require (or endorse) a specific calculator model, and integrate use of that model in the course(s). The HP 50g is for folks who perform relatively high-level math. To use the capabilities of the HP 50g, you need to complete college calculus, vectors, differential equations, linear algebra, control theory, and statistics (and more). This calculator is ideal for college students who major in math, statistics, physics, chemistry, or engineering. Other users will NEVER use most of the functions of this calculator; in fact, most of the folks I know who own an HP 50g only use its most basic functions (what a waste). Unless you are going to use advance mathematics, then you might be happier with an HP 35S. This calculator has over 2300 built-in functions. While this is quite impressive, jamming so many functions into this calculator makes operating it much more challenging than (perhaps) it needs to be. Some of the handy features of the HP 50g include: the equation writer, the matrix writer, a constants library, an equation library, units conversion, interactive graphs, libraries, and (of course) programming (many folks share their programs free). It takes a very long time to learn how to use this calculator. In days of yore, Hewlett Packard would ship wonderful (spiral-bound) books with each calculator which explained in clear, perfect detail how to use each and every function. Such a manual for HP 50g would probably run 3000 pages and would surely double the price of the calculator. Hewlett Packard does provide three documents for the calculator: (1) a 184 page "User's Manual," and (2) an 887 page "User's Guide," and (3) a 693 page "Advanced User's Reference Manual." A hard-copy of the "User's Manual" might ship with the calculator; the "User's Guide" might be included on a CD included with the calculator. In any case, be sure to visit the Hewlett Packard website and download the latest (perhaps, corrected) copies of these manuals. While there, also download the latest USB driver for your operating system. After you first receive your new HP 50g, set aside an hour per day to learn how to use it. It will probably take you at least 100 hours (maybe 40 hours for the most important operations), even if you are already a math whiz. While HP no longer provides adequate training documents, you can find some good tutorials online. For example, search university websites (*.edu) for HP 50g tutorials (e.g., Thiel college). (Please note, the HP 49g is so similar, tutorials for the HP 49g will help you too.) Look on you tube for HP 50g tutorials (one fellow in particular has posted a series of great videos). Go through a textbook (one you've already completed, or one you are going to use next semester) and get practice entering equations and solving problems. If you have the cash, check out the following books by Gilberto Urroz: Science and Engineering Mathematics with the HP 49 G - Volume 1 (Gu) and Science and Engineering Mathematics with the HP 49 G - Volume II - Calculus, differential equations, statistics. They were not written specifically for the HP 50g, but the HP 49g and the HP 50g are almost identical. I bought both books. They are pretty good, but you should try out Volume I before you buy Volume II (just to make sure it meets your needs). Here are some extra items you should get at the time you buy this calculator: - At least two 1 GB or 2 GB SD cards. - A fresh CR2032 battery. - 8 rechargeable AAA batteries (and charger, if you don't have one). - A mini-B USB cable (if one is not provided with the calculator). Explanations: - An SD card (Transcend 2 GB SD Flash Memory Card (TS2GSDC)) can be installed in the bottom of the calculator. You can then backup your calculator to the SD card by copying files and entire directories to the card. Trust me: You MUST backup your calculator. You may eventually have hundreds of hours invested in storing equations and programs in your calculator; you do NOT want to lose all that hard work if your calculator loses power or if it is damaged or stolen. With the calculator backed up, you can easily restore your directories, equations, and programs (to a replacement calculator, if need be). You should have at least TWO SD cards, so you can have one installed, and one in a safe location. An SDHC card will NOT work, it must be an SD card (therefore, limited to 1 GB or 2 GB). Install this card on Day 1, and format it for FAT16 (not FAT32). - The calculator comes with a CR2032 battery; but I recommend installing a fresh (high capacity) battery on Day 1. This battery is used to backup the calculator's memory. - This calculator eats batteries. Do yourself a favor and buy two sets of rechargeable AAA batteries (8 total) Sanyo NEW 1500 eneloop 4 Pack AAA Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries. However, please note the following guidance from Hewlett Packard "The use of rechargeable batteries is not recommended because of their lower capacity and short low-battery warning." - A USB mini-B cable should come with the calculator (Connectivity Kit). If you need to buy a cable, then buy it NOW so you can connect your HP 50G to your computer. Go to the HP website, then download and install the latest HP 50g (USB) driver for your operating system. Search the web for a copy of the connectivity software (Conn4X) and install it. Search the web for instructions on how to establish communication between the HP 50g and the connectivity software. This will allow you to backup your HP 50g to your computer. Later, if need be, you can restore your calculator, or you can load the files to a new, different calculator. After you spend hundreds of hours loading equations and programs into your HP 50g, you really (really) want to have a backup. Also, if you have a USB cable, you can ensure power is maintained to the calculator during battery changes by plugging the calculator into a powered USB port. I repeat: Learn how to backup your HP 50g (to SD card, a computer, or both). If your calculator loses power or locks up and needs to be reset, you can restore all of your directories, equations, and programs from backup. Also, if your calculator is stolen, breaks, or fails, having a backup (on computer, or a safely-stored SD card) will allow you to reload your new (replacement) HP 50g just like the old one. Also, backups will allow you to transfer directories and their contents to a friend's HP 50g. Recommendations for Day 1 (i.e., when you first receive your HP 50g): - Change KEYTIME parameter to 1138 (some folks say, set KEYTIME to 500). If you don't do this, then the calculator may not accept repeating numbers if they are entered very quickly. For example, if you enter 111 very quickly, the calculator might only enter 1. Here's how: [ALPHA] [ALPHA] 1138 [RIGHT ARROW] -> KEYTIME [ENTER]. -> represents the character over the 0 key (press right-shift key, then 0). If you want a KEYTIME of 500, then substitute 500 (instead of 1138) in the above entry. - Find the you tube video for HP 50g setup (My Setup for the HP-50g) and watch it. Change your setup as you like (by using the MODE menu and by setting FLAGS). - Figure out how to set up directories (aka, folders). For example, if you are in college, you will probably want a different folder for each department, with sub-folders for each course, with (maybe) sub-sub-folders for each chapter. For goodness sake, do NOT enter all of your equations into the HOME directory. If you are a working engineer, then you might want a separate folder for each work order. - Go to Appendix B of the "User's Guide" and review the keyboard, paying particular attention to the key-functions that are NOT labeled on the calculator (this makes me SO mad!). For example, greek letters are not labeled, nor are the keys for angle (when in polar coordinates) or factorial (!). Likewise, all of the following are not labeled: edit function, SWAP function, switching between exact and approximate, switching between real and complex, entering equation editor for an equation on the stack. Also, I am very annoyed that the equation library and the constants library are not directly available from the keyboard (you must use the APPS key or the CAT key). - Discover functions available via the APPS key (column 1, row 2). Some of these functions are also available directly accessible via the keyboard (e.g., equation writer, matrix writer, math menu), but some are not (e.g., equation library and constants library). - Learn how to PURGE variables. In the past, Hewlett Packard calculators had a dedicated PURGE key; but now the PURGE function is (stupidly) hidden as a sub-menu item. If you do not know how to PURGE variables, then your directories will become hopelessly cluttered with old, discarded variables. Hewlett Packard also makes emulators for all of their calculators that can simulate the calculator on a computer. You tube has tutorial videos for the HP 50g that illustrate use of such an emulator. I also use several computer-based programs that you might want to check out: Mathematica, Stella, and SAS. I have written this review with the college student in mind; but (obviously) this calculator is also ideal for professional engineers and scientists. Update (12/11/12): Also check out The HP 50g Calculator Tutor (Hewlett Packard). ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2012 by SeekingTraveler
A very affordable and incredibly useful device
GENERAL: The HP50g is a recent purchase I made because I just started Calc III in college. My major is Computer Engineering which will require differential equations and physics I & II. I bought the 50g because I needed something capable of handling things like vectors, 3d shapes, equations and formulas that could be saved (easily), with the added hope that the CAS was moderately capable. I'm a firm believer that homework, especially math, should be done with pen and paper so that one truly understands the logic behind the work, but, I don't want to get a lower grade on a test because I made a silly mistake, so I had hoped that this calculator would be able to provide me with a way to check my answers on tests and to make homework easier by providing ways of experimenting with the equations easily. CAS: The cas is really good. It does everything I could hope for. All of the functions (derivatives, integrals, double integrals, and limits) can be solved numerically or symbolically. The point that surprised me the most was speed. I've used some CAS on computers (IE sage and matlab) and I expected the speed on a handheld device like this to be much slower than it actually is. GRAPHING: Graphing is much different than the method used on a TI-83. The 2-d function gaphing in the "Y=" form is still the same, but the parametric is much different as are the availble functions, but, as I get more accustomed to the calculator the more I like the method employed by the 50G. For one, it allows one to easily make calculations on the x/y/t variables. Instead of having to hunt down the function and enter a value to make a calculation on the result like on the TI, the HP has a single soft-button that puts the present variable values on the stack. This is very nice. The HP has a "conics" mode for graphing 2-d conics sections without having to solve the equation for Y. This is very nice, even in calc III where the conics are in 3-d, if you set one axis variable to zero and plug in the remaining values, you can quickly see what a 2-d slice looks like. RPN: At first RPN mode seemed really difficult, but the fact that as you enter values (which can be symbolic) and operations, being given an intermediate value is amazingly useful to double check your entries/work and having the result left to be acted upon again makes doing complex calculations MUCH easier. FUNCTIONALITY: The availble functions, constants, libraries, and customizability are all amazing. I love the ability to make my own soft-menus with the functions I need readily accessible. The ability to store my own defined functions is very nice, especially in classes like physics where I need certain equations over and over again. The organization of the machine is done really well with the most commonly used functions readily accessible and a searchable catalog of other functions. OVERALL: I would reccomend this over any of the other calculators I have used (Ti-89/nspire). The advanced functions are not really needed until one hits calculus. Id say that in all honesty, one could do absolutely fine with a ti-83 through most college level math classes and definately in high school, but in the higher math classes as well as physics, the functionality is so nice that I'd say it makes the work ten times easier to do. I wouldn't reccomend this to someone who doesn't plan on taking much math past college algebra, but, if your a major/professional in a math intesive job, this is a must. With the price being what it is on amazon, I'd say it blows away the competition. My only two complaints are the included documentation and the keyboard. The keyboard is tough, nothing as good feeling as the TI machines. The documentation is completely lacking, but the internet has everything you could need or want. HP does have several full manuals availble for download which make up for it, but I would like to have a hard-copy of one included. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2011 by Adam
Excellent Calculator
I have been using the HP50G for about a week, now. I decided to retire my HP48GX because the HP48GX is now a collector's item. The HP50G is, overall, an excellent calculator. The keyboard has a good tactile feel with a nice subaudible click. This calculator is vastly superior to the over-rated TI-89 Titanium. The HP50G will do everything the TI-89 Ti can do and then some. The HP50G has built-in functions for vector calculus, vector manipulation (dot product and cross product) and the matrix tools are very good. The contrast of the screen is good. You can set the calculator to put the equations in "Textbook" form (TI's "Pretty Print). But unlike the TI-89, the text is larger and easier to read. The contrast of the keyboard is much better than the nightmare of the TI-89 TI keyboard. The secondary and tertiary functions are orange and white against a black background; very visible. Many of the old programs needed to increase the usefulness of the HP48G/HP48GX series are now built-in. It is necessary to use the calculator in the "Reverse Polish Notation" (RPN) mode in order to get the most functionality. Intermediate results during calculations are put on the stack and you don't have to hit a stupid Answer button to manipulate intermediate results. There are a few negative features, though. 1) Many people have already mentioned the problem of the default keytime setting being set incorrectly for fast input of duplicate digits. The fix is very simple: type 300 then press the [CAT]button, access the [--> KEYTIME] command, press [ENTER] and the problem is fixed. After several years of complaint, you would have thought HP would have changed the default setting. 2) The keyboard functions are semi-redundant. If you press the [SYMB] key you get some of the functions available from the [CALC], [ALG], [ARITH] and [TRIG] keys but not all. I get the impression that the key's were assigned to a couple committees and they didn't talk to each other. The assignment of functions to keys certainly should have been more efficient. That would have freed keys to allow for the inclusion of the double-size [ENTER] key that should be there but isn't. I think that part of the problem is that the HP50G tries to be both an Algebraic and RPN calculator at the same time. 3) The calculator is a power-hog. After a week of hard use, my batteries are at about 56% power. There is an available program from hpcalc.org called BATSTAT that will allow you to monitor battery status. However, the HP50G will run on power from the USB cable. 4) Unlike my old HP48GX, a "warm start" is necessary to add libraries to the memory. The manual does not make that clear. Just press [ON] and [F3] at the same time and you're all set. Despite my nitpicking, this is a great product. At the prices it is being sold for ($100) this is a steal of a deal. Do yourself a favor, buy this calculator, learn RPN (its not hard) and you'll never be sorry. This is a necessary tool if you are an engineering student. If you are using a TI, you can make like much easier for yourself. Now that Carly has been given the boot, maybe HP will get back on track with its calculators. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2009 by Robert C.
Worth the investment
I am actually a computer science and mathematics student so getting a fancy calculator like this was a no brainier. I've owned the HP 50g for about a year now. The HP 50g comes with a rich mathematics library already built in - but what really sets it apart is its rich programming environment. With TI calcs you only get TI Basic and assembly (if you are lucky) but with the HP 50g you get reverse polish lisp (RPL) which is a very stack based language and was a little weird for me at first (I'm used to languages like C) but it turns out RPL makes mathy stuff really easy. In addition you get Saturn assembly (the original processing architecture of the HP calculator) however with a firmware mod you can tac on ARM assembly (the HP 50g is basically an updated legacy HP calculator operating system code base running in a Saturn virtual machine on top of a physical ARM core) and C which can be nice for building text editors and such. If you wanted to get your computer nerd on you can even over clock this calculator with the firmware mod. Plus on stock firmware there is a RPL environment and a Saturn assembler built in - as awkward as it is to punch code into the calculator you can code on the fly if you need too. There is a clunky workstation package for NT boxes but I find support under Linux just as good for building my programs and transferring them over the serial connection. I haven't really talked about reverse polish notation (RPN) which goes well with RPL, by default the calculator is configured to use algebraic notation which I find myself never using except maybe on paper. RPN is a stack based approach to calculating, it is actually how most calculators work internally anyways. Expressing things in RPN is great because it forces you to think about what you are doing in smaller bits so I find myself making less errors and also there is no need for parenthesis to enforce order of operations. I find that as of now (20131011) the HP 50g out classes any other calculator on the market in raw computing power - it renders graphs with very little delay at all. Other nifty features include an SD card slot - which unfortunately does not support the contemporary high density cards, but 256 megabytes is plenty of room to store all my programs on. I believe there is also an infrared based protocol suite for connecting to other HP 50gs and sharing data - which seems rather odd but who knows maybe you could write a program that lets you change your TV settings from your calculator. I would totally recommend this to anyone going into college - especially an engineering or science field of study - or anyone else who needs to crunch a lot of numbers. I also urge buyers to learn RPN, before I bought this calculator I was not a believer in RPN but after a year of use I find myself preferring RPN to algebraic notation, it just makes doing calculations easier. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2013 by Alexander
The HP-50g Graphing Calculator is a great product once user understands RPN
The HP-50g Graphing Calculator is a great product once user understands RPN. To facilitate this education, please purchase the HP-50g Tutor Book and DVD (extremely helpful) available from Amazon. This calculator has the 100% correct feeling at the keyboard buttons. The HP-50g has just the right tactile feel and resistance and keyboard buttons does not contribute to finger numbness over time. The HP-50g has more science and engineering functions and more graphing features than many TI and Casio graphing calculators that are also higher in cost. The HP-50g graphing calculator is one of very few calculators capable of accurately sketching three-dimensional graphs. This is a perfect calculator for Reverse Polish Notation and Reverse Polish LISP programming of the very large, long, and tedious mathematical equations. The RPN format helps the user to get that answer faster and that answer can be given in more than one way without re-entering the equation! The Texas Instruments TI-89 Titanium and their TI Nspire CX CAS graphing calculators cause the user to "navigate" menus to seek out that single elusive function. At times, the TI user is loss between the keyboard buttons as the layout is not that intuitive. With the HP-50g the key buttons legend are printed with poor contrasting color background, but at least the user will easily find and access the features in a more intuitive way because of HP's layout and consistent key button scheme from generation to generation habits. User programming on TI calculators remind one of the days of the TI-55 II where the user must make entries with Algebraic entry system (more like BASIC computer programming language). User programming the old TI-55 II step by forgetful step (ah gee where am I), was it at step 09-22 or was it 22-90. The HP-50g is more user friendly for me even though this is just my second RPN calculator. User accessibility is crucial for technical fields. HP-50g makes it practical and visually easy in a gray scale display that does not distract the user with all the menus and colors. From the technical side, the HP-50g is a superior calculator with a ARM Holdings(UK) HP licensed ARM-9 203 MegaHertz de-clocked to run at 75 MegaHertz for compatibility to running legacy HP-48/49/50 software. The user can run older programs from the previous generation HP calculators. The HP-50g has a system BIOS that is user upgradeable. This is the Pilot's choice for quick complex digital mathematics. This is also the automotive designer's electro mechanical engine analyst. HP-50g's user programming support has no peer, and behaves better than most calculators. Been deploying and implementing calculators since A.D.1974 and the HP-50g has more user access to the firmware and hardware of the product than any other computation instrument in the handheld calculator market. For the practical user that wants to just run the HP-50g in everyday engineering, scientific, and advanced math equations at work, this calculator is more than sufficient for any task. Friends ask about it, family members want to trade their calculators for this HP-50g product, and professional folks want even more from this product. The other brands of new graphing calculators also have a long learning curve. Today there are computers and mobile devices that also perform a few of the 2,300 functions of a HP-50g calculator, not do it well. This is one dedicated, compatible, reliable, accessible, and affordable Engineer-Scientist-Mathematician-Three Dimensional Graphing calculator. This is a quantum leap away from even the fabled and legendary calculators of the previous generations. There is no other calculator that comes a "distance second place". The HP-50g Engineering, Scientific, Advanced Mathematics, Three Dimensional Graphing calculator works well like a vintage reliable Breitling Pilot Chronometer, like an accurate Fluke Multimeter, like a precision Tectronix eight channel oscilloscope with digital capture, like a forward looking Celestron Schdmit-Cassegrain 14inch folded lens telescope, and it becomes the best part of a professional toolkit like the Leatherman Wingman titanium and cubic pilot's pocket knife. The HP-50g calculator is the dedicated all purpose fast calculating device for the poly-disciplined technical professional. The HP-50g calculator is easy enough to learn that family members have permanently burrowed this new purchase. Will now need to order another HP-50g calculator. This product is superior to family's HP-19b II+, HP-48SX, TI Voyager 200, TI-98, TI-92, TI BA-II Pro, TI-89 Titanium, TI Nspire CX-CAS, HP Prime, Casio Prism, Casio FX-9860 II+, HP-12C, and certainly easier to learn then Mathematica, Maple, and MathCAD. Absolutely taken the HP-50g calculator along for the projects and to the job sites. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2014 by Viper Pilot
Significant improvement but...
It's 10/5/06 and I'm editing this review right up front with the first paragraph, because this little calc has a problem that I hadn't noticed initially. The new HP keys, as I describe below, are great. They have a solid click and a good rollover ability - meaning that you can push the number 1, then push the number 2 before letting go of the 1 entirely, and you'll still get "12" on the screen. That's perfect. Here's the downside: Rapidly enter the number "1100." Click-click-click-click. And yet my screen says "10." Why? Because a rapid double-click of a numeric key results in the calculator noticing only the first click. If a typewriter worked that way, I'd be attending metings every day instead of meetings. **UPDATE - 10/14/06** One of the commands available, not documented in the 50g material, but documented for several earlier HP calculators, is a KEYTIME command. Quite simply, replacing the default keytime with "500" eliminates missed keystrokes. This corrects the problem I described above. And now back to my original review: First, the keypad issue has been addressed with this model, and each key has a feel that is similar to the HP41 - just about perfect for data entry without needing to look at the keypad. Now all that's necessary is for HP to return to the complex keys that allowed for print both on the top surface and the beveled edge; that would allow for some improvement in the user interface. But overall this is a major step forward from the HP49 line. Next, the display is bright and legible with good contrast. These multiline displays still aren't quite as good as the single line displays from years past in terms of visibility at odd angles but we're coming close. There's plenty of information here with a seven line stack in the default mode. The manual is where the calculator loses a star. While the new manual is an improvement over the HP48/49 series (though it has less information, it is more understandable), it is nowhere near as complete and useful as the HP41 series manuals were. HP needs to bring back a well-written manual series with use of color, high-end paper, and quality typesetting. For example, the calculator comes with a user's manual; on page 1-20, it says that additional references can be found in Chapter 1 and Appendix C of the calculator's user's guide. What user's guide? They don't mean the manual since that doesn't have any Appendices (or an index, for that matter). Where would I get the user's guide? Then I discover that it is included, and is on the CD-ROM in pdf form. Apparently it is a larger version of the user's manual, with additional information, including an index. Much of the information in the Guide is duplicated from the Manual - but we still don't have complete programming and functional command discussion. Don't get me wrong - everything you need for standard operations is here; but if you really want to get into the capabilities of the calculator (and that's why you're spending $129, right?), we want the full manual. Oh, and bring back the manuals that are spiral-bound so we don't have to weigh the book down with something each time we turn to the calculator to try something. Here too is a connectivity kit of software, none of which runs on my Mac. I tried plugging it in to the Mac using the standard USB connecting cable (included) but nothing happened. Since I didn't buy the HP with any need to hook it up to my Mac, it's not a problem, but what good is connectivity if noone bothered with the Mac software? There are a few little nits that still need to be picked. For example, the stack is right justified but data entry is left justified. It is much easier to quickly review an entered number and compare it to numbers on the stack if they are similarly justified. The enter key needs to return to double-width just above the numeric portion of the keypad, and HP should finally pick a standard numeric/operator layout and stick with it. The HP41 had the major operators on the left. The HP48 put them on the right and changed the sequence. The HP50 keeps them on the right but bumped them all up by one key. For those of us who essentially touch-type on calculators, this relearning is a pain. I must admit that if HP simply rebuilt the HP41C series with more memory, they'd have a clear winner. And given the prices that those models sell for on eBay in new condition, HP could clearly do well with such a product. The connectivity issue would have cost another star, but the overall build quality, computing capabilities, programming capabilities, and incorporation of RPN on the 50g make it clearly worth 4 stars. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2006 by Dr. Stuart Gitlow
HP listened to users!
I got this calculator as a replacement because someone stole my 48gII, so I'm pretty familiar with the functions (The button placement and functionality is exactly the same. The main differences are the color scheme, and that the 50g has expandable memory and a larger screen). My 48gII was older and had the crappy documentation that so many people have complained about, so I had to do a lot of research online in order to teach myself how to use it. I was expecting more of the same when I got my 50g, but I was very pleasantly surprised to learn that it came with a Quick Start Guide that walks you through many of the settings and features on the calculator. As a result, I learned how to change settings that I didn't know existed, and have gained even more functionality from my calculator. In addition, there are downloadable guides and manuals with tons more information(They add up to about 1400 pages!). Other than that, the construction is solid. A friend of mine (who's used to TI's) said that the buttons are hard to press, but I don't feel that way. This is possibly because I'm used to using HP calculators. I am an engineering student, and most of my peers use the TI 89. I've never had one of these, only an 84. Of course, there's no comparison between the two. My peers are all impressed and sometimes intimidated by my calculator. I have to say, don't be intimidated by the learning curve on these calculators, because once you learn, there's no limit to what you can do with these things. This calculator does so many cool things, I'd probably be here all day trying to list them, but I will name a few. One of my favorite features would have to be the equation library. A lot of equations that we use in engineering, such as the kinematics, are built in to this calculator (and sorted by type), along with a handy financial feature that calculates interest rates, etc.(which comes in handy in engineering economy, among other things). It also has an equation writer feature, which allows the user to enter integrals and other equations as they would look in a textbook prior to solving them. There is a step-by-step functionality included with this. Note that it does not do the steps in the same way that one would if he or she did the same equation by hand, but it can still be helpful in figuring out how to solve the problem if you know the mechanics behind that type of mathematics. I'm still learning how to work in RPN. I can see where it saves time and keystrokes, though. It's also a great deterrent from having people ask to borrow my calc (which I'm really squeamish about, given the circumstances). In closing, I definitely recommend this calculator. The person who stole my other calc actually did me a favor! If you like to stand out from the crowd (circumstances may be different at other schools/environments), and have a ton of functionality, this is definitely the calc you should buy. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2010 by Amazon Customer
My First Calculator Purchase in Nearly 30 Years!
Being a math, engineering & computer geek back in high school, me & my like-minded buddies all purchased the brand new HP 41C. Wow, what an incredible calculator that was for its time. It lasted me nearly 30 years (still going actually). I recently purchased a 50g & am blown away by its capabilities. Along with the amazing graphing, equation writing/solving & memory capabilities come definite, albeit unavoidable, complexities in the form of button-pushing. Others have complained about the fact that one button can take on up to 6 different functions, depending on which shift or alpha key combination you press first. This is not complicated nor hard to learn. I'm basically learning by practicing & all is well. This calculator has more capability than I will probably ever use. It has the ability to operate in either RPN or Algebraic entry mode. I've used RPN forever, so that's my default mode. It turns out that the Equation Writer does operate in Algebraic mode - no big deal. I would not recommend this calculator to someone who's not on a math/science/engineering track. It has features you'll never use. These technical disciplines attract individuals with a mind-set that's well-matched to learning & understanding the 50g in a time-efficient manner. If you just need a calculator to get you through a required algebra or calculus class - & that's it - there may be other calculators out there with a reduced feature set that would suffice for you. Along w/ the HP 50g's unparalleled features comes what I would consider a reasonable learning curve (for me). I do this stuff all the time, so it's worth putting some time in to learn it. Some of the more negative reviews of this calculator make mention of the significant learning curve. This may be true if you're not adept at learning/understanding math notation, &/or don't have a need for the 50g's capabilities on an ongoing basis. This can probably be said if any higher end graphics/engineering calculator. If you don't use it with some regularity, you may need to relearn certain procedures later on. In summary, if you're a technical individual who understands math & science, & you're wanting a calculator that can do just about anything you'd ever ask ... this is the calculator for you. If all you need to do is keep track of your budget, & calorie-counting - the 50g is definitely overkill! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2010 by Dan Thompson
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