HP Prime Calculator Review with 28S, 48GX & 50g 

Your RPL knowledge tells me you are the same Thomas Barber who authored the excellent spiral bound Definitive Guide to the 50g! Thank you for commenting. I purchased your book in July 2016. :-) For those of you interested, you can purchase Mr. Barber's book on Amazon from my affiliate link here: amzn.to/2Py8vD9 Mr. Barber, it would be appreciated if you could please watch my video from 23:52 to hear me say that the 50g is the last true RPN calculator among the ones shown and to hear me explain a very basic usage difference. My video focuses on the Prime because it is currently manufactured and sold new whereas the other calculators in my HP collection are not. Of course, RPN mode doesn’t work in CAS mode on the Prime, which is unfortunate. And there are other differences regarding RPL and programming, as your detailed comment describes. HP has targeted the Prime at students of today who, for better or for worse, tend to prefer calculators in Algebraic mode as opposed to the wonderful RPN mode (with RPL programming capability) which you and I clearly love. I have tried to teach my own children the benefits of RPN mode, but they just aren’t interested in it and use their Primes in algebraic mode. What all this means is, that even though there are RPN and RPL “truths that need to be said“ (and thank you for saying them), most students watching aren’t interested in that and want to know if the Prime is approved for use on the SAT (it is) and if it is better than a similar TI calculator (it is). I do very much appreciate your detailed comment though and I’m sure that it will be helpful for other people who come here and read your words. Thank you for making time to share your thoughts. I will pin your post for others to see perpetually at the top of the comments. For further reading about RPL and the programming language used on the Prime, I highly recommend the discussion thread below. Joe Horn is a highly respected member in the HP calculator community, and he has some interesting comments about programming in that thread: www.hpmuseum.org/forum/archive/index.php?thread-126.html

The HP Prime does not support RPL, but it still has a wonderful utility for defining quick macros which are compatible with it's RPN mode. Functionally it's quite similar to the RPL macros of past, where you just push the needed arguments to the stack and then hit the key you assigned to the macro to do the operation.

@@jvanegas14 I'm interested in knowing more about this capability. Could you provide some examples? Actually, I've got a good case in mind, and I'm going to work up a few solutions in RPL. Maybe you (and/or JDW) could show how you would approach the same problem on the Prime. I think it might be revealing, or at least informative. I will follow up with another post.

Heron's formula for the area of a triangle is an interesting problem for calculator implementation. With Heron's formula, you can calculate the area of any triangle when you know the lengths of the three sides (a, b, and c). Note that the more familiar formula for the area of a triangle is not generally an alternative since you must know the height of the triangle, or else know other information from which you can calculate the height, which will generally involve using trig functions, which do not occur in Heron's formula. It is customarily written as two equations: s = (a + b + c)/2, area = SQRT( s(s - a)(s - b)(s - c) ) It is obvious why it is written as two equations. It is easily implemented in two parts, however if you use one program (or algebraic expression) to calculate s, and a separate program (or algebraic expression) to finish the calculation of the area, then if you aren't careful, you'll end up calculating s four times. You have to save the value of s into a variable (or else keep a copy on the stack and pick it off the stack four separate times). Ideally, this will not be a global variable, and ideally, you want to avoid the need for the user (even if you are the only user) to have to follow steps such as "Use ______ to calculate s, then save s into a variable named ________, then use _______ to finish the calculation." Rather, you want to bind the two equations into a single logical unit. A little program, that is. Some non-famous person once said that the true measure of a calculator is the ease with which you can implement little ad hoc programs. I did this several different ways in RPL. It would be interesting to compare these solutions with one or more solutions that some smart and ambitious person implemented on the Prime. The first solution is an old-school solution that avoids using local variables or algebraic expressions. The three sides a, b, and c have to be duplicated, because they are each consumed twice. I made a list from them, duplicated the list, then used OBJ-> to decompose the list (twice). OBJ-> returns the element count after the elements, thus the two instances of DROP. If it isn't obvious, a, b, and c are assumed to be on the stack when the program starts. Note that I'm using the asterisk for the multiplication operator. DROP + + 2 / SWAP OBJ-> DROP 4 PICK - SWAP 4 PICK - * SWAP 3 PICK SWAP - * * SQRT >> Each occurrence of PICK grabs a copy of s for consumption. Note that you can do the subtraction backwards an even number of times, i.e., (x-y)(w-z) = (y-x)(z-w), thereby reducing the need for SWAP. After the third PICK, a SWAP is done so that the final subtraction will be frontwards thus avoiding the need to multiply by -1 to fix backward subtraction. The only real drawback to this kind of old-school solution is that in order to follow the program you have to waste too much paper trying to keep track of what is happening to the stack. The next solution uses local variables so that it will be easier to follow what happens on the stack. The "->" you see in this solution is not part of any command name. Rather, it is the special symbol used when you declare local variables, which are initialized by consuming from the stack. The scope of local variables is limited to the embedded procedure or algebraic expression that follows the list of variable names. a b c s > >> >> This solution uses two embedded procedures, both of which occur in connection with local variable declarations. Since the second one is embedded within the first one, the scope of a, b, and c extends into the second one. Since both embedded procedures occur in connection with local variable declarations, they are evaluated implicitly, i.e., EVAL is not needed. A modest variation uses a single embedded procedure. To do it this way, you have to place an initialization value for s on the stack prior to the local variable declaration. a b c s > >> Note the single-quotes protecting s from evaluation, before STO. In the prior version, STO isn't needed because when s is declared, it is initialized using the value on the stack. When declaring local variables, you can use an algebraic expression in lieu of an embedded procedure. The pros and cons are various, but worth noting is the fact that an embedded procedure can be big and can have other embedded procedures and algebraic expressions within it, whereas an algebraic expression ends on its own terms and cannot have other objects embedded within (but can reference other objects by name). The last solution uses two algebraic expressions, corresponding to the two equations. The second algebraic expression corresponds to the second solution's second embedded procedure, serving the same purpose with respect to the declaration of local variable s. I couldn't do the same kind of thing with the first embedded procedure, i.e., I could not replace it with an embedded algebraic expression, because in order for the scope of a, b and c to extend into the second algebraic expression, the second algebraic expression would have to be embedded within the first algebraic expression. Which isn't allowed of course. Thus, the outer embedded procedure from the second solution remains, and the first algebraic expression is contained within the embedded procedure. a b c s 'SQRT( s*(s-a)*(s-b)*(s-c) )' >> >> Since the first algebraic expression it is not used in connection with local variable declarations, it is not evaluated implicitly. EVAL is needed to force its evaluation (the result of which is left on the stack and used as the initialization value in the declaration of s).

@@thomasbarber4001 Hello Thomas, Sorry, I'm going to be a little slow to reply as I'm currently struggling with a nasty project for grad school. I will come up with a couple of methods on my calculator in the coming week.

Thank you for sharing your experience with the 28S, Thomas. Those are my sentiments exactly! Nothing impressed folks back in the day like the 28S, even in the engineering department. It's still an eye-catcher today because there's nothing quite like it.

Hang on to it! Great calculator. :)

Thank you for watching and sharing your experience, Joe!

Thank you for watching and for your kind words, Ricardo.

Wow. Thank you for watching. I try to keep topics diverse. :-) I'm now putting the finishing touches on a new video about power supply replacement on a Macintosh SE/30 (from 1989). Should be out within a week.

Thank you for the kind words, Jose!

Don't give up hope on EBAY. You can indeed find the 48GX in pristine condition for less than $250. I know because mine was purchased on EBAY in the summer of 2016 for US$125 (including shipping), shipped from the seller in Oregon to my forwarding address in California. My 28S is the only calculator I purchased originally back in the day, just when I was entering engineering school in 1989. It may take you a number of months, but I guarantee that you will find one in good condition for a reasonable price on EBAY if you are watchful and patient. In the meantime, below are some of my photos on Flickr that show the various calculators in my video, including the 48GX and the 128k FRAM card I use in it. Funny (and painful), but the FRAM card cost more than the 48GX at US$138 shipped. That too was an EBAY purchase from "slvr00gt" -- the guy who makes them. I hope this info helps, and thanks for watching! bit.ly/2o9VgKC

Thank you for your very kind words!

Thank you for watching and for your kind words. Best wishes to you in your study of math!

Thank you for sharing. You and I would appear to be about the same age. So even though your son is somewhat following in your footsteps when it comes to a career path, he dislikes RPN and clearly isn’t interested in videos on that topic. I have a 19-year-old daughter in college right now and my son is 15. Even though they do use the HP Prime calculators I purchased for them for use in school, they tend to use them in algebraic mode mostly. They don’t have an interest in RPN. I’m not sure if it’s simply the effect of smart phones and modern technology on the younger generation or if it’s just that you and I have a different mindset that is more compatible and appreciative of the benefits that RPN gives you. But regardless, RPN certainly is superior and I can’t help but continue to love HP calculators as a result. And then there’s the nostalgia on top of that. This of course makes me curious what our children will reflect upon fondly with nostalgia when they are in their 50s and about the same age you and I are now.

My son's comment goes the same direction 😁

What’s your long term opinion, now that you’ve had them for a while?

Thank you, Fahad!

Thank you for your very kind words, Craig.

I think it's a good choice. My daughter has been using it in high school since 2018 and she's quite savvy in using it without having read too much of the documentation. It does take a little time to understand, but that's true of any fancy calculator you've never used before. Best wishes!

That you for watching and for your kind words, @UCa7MOOXKS_J-A8zjojNk4PA!

At least Swissmicro is making a replacement (DM42) for the hp42s. It has a bigger screen and a usb plug. I hope eventually they will make a replacement for hp50g. Hp doesn't care about calculators anymore.

The 50g really is the ultimate calculator, I think.

Thank you for your kind words, Miguel. I'm always thrilled when someone comes along, such as yourself, and says you are pleased with the video detail. I do that deliberately because I am a man of details. But there are also people who comment and say they want a 3-7 minute video. I suspect, these are the same folks who, at the time of this writing, are among the 46 people have given the video a Thumbs Down. But I remind them that I am not making videos for entertainment purposes. I seek to inform. Thank you for letting me know you appreciated the content.

Thank you for watching and for your kind comment, Juan! Best wishes!

They are. And you don't get pounded with "notifications" on your calculator like you do a phone. So a dedicated calculator is less distracting and allows the student to study, rather than watch RU-vid videos! :-)

You are like me in that my muscle memory pertains to the 28S too. I like many things about the 48GX, but compared to my 50g, it's really slow. On some basic operations, it suddenly takes several seconds before numbers appear on the display. Not so with my 50g. So anyone wanting a 48GX style calculator should probably get the 50g to avoid frustration. But most people who buy the 48 and older series do so for reasons of nostalgia alone. With that said, my 28S is often more responsive than my 48GX for some reason. No sure why. Maybe it's just playing a mind trick on me! 🙂

Interestingly, the video content is still as fresh as when I released it 5 years ago because there was only one somewhat minor update to the HP Prime hardware in that time. And of course, legacy products are locked in time forever. The 50g was discontinued some time ago, which is why it often sells for rather high prices today. But you can still find some sold new. If you want everything to be in RPN mode and have a classic usage feel in terms of function and UI, nothing beats the 50g. If you want modern tech and a touch-screen, the Prime is the right choice. And if you want that vintage button look and feel, a 28S or the 48g-series are excellent picks, if you can find them for a reasonable price on EBAY, that is. Even so the 50g is a nice blend of modern and the past. There are times when I punch in something on my 48gx and it takes a second or two to display. The 50g displays everything instantly due to its faster processor. That makes a difference when you are busy and need to punch in calculations fast.

Thank you for your kind words, Lee. It's always nice to hear the stories of fellow HP calculator owners which largely parallel my own experience. By the way, I love of the printed color scheme of the 48SX much better than the 48GX, but of course, one can't complaint too much about that in light of the expandability the GX offers. Meta Kernel running off a 128k FRAM card (which needs no card battery) is great! Best wishes!

During my younger days, I worked as a structural draftsman (pre-BSME) and my Boss was an older man (Engineer). He had, wait for it, both the HP-67 and desk top 97. And he utilized the magnetic programming strips (cards).

Hi Lee, I also started with the HP 33E and loved and adored it !!! Then I went to a HP 41CV, then my beloved HP48G and finally HP 50G, it got me through Science (Chem & Physics) and I still use it today !!! From Australia !!!

Thanks for making time to comment, John! The older version Primes my kids use are great, and that G2 is even better. Let me know how you like it!

Thank you for your kind words!

Glad you found it, but if you didn't find it in the text description just below the video above, you should scroll up and click SHOW MORE to check out the other text content I wrote there. Lots of useful links!

Thank you for your kind words and for sharing your story. The fact that the HP Prime is accepted on standardized tests is really why these calculators exist now days. Even though smartphones can do nearly everything better and faster, they are banned from most tests. The Prime is nice because it has a touch screen and is about the fastest dedicated hand-held calculator you can find. To get the most out of the Prime, be sure to join the HP Museum forums. We have a great community over there, and HP engineers often post there too. Best wishes!

JDW Yup. One thing you didn’t mention is that RPN stood for Reverse Polish Notation which for the uninitiated was thought to be an insult instead of what it was which was the naming convention in honor of the inventor. Oh the good o’ days.

@@jlastre Indeed. I'm certainly glad it wasn't called by the inventor's last name though since no one would have been able to pronounce it! :-) I love RPN and hate using calculators without it!

Thank you! I'm pleased you liked it.

Thank you for watching and for your kind comment, Jose! I hope my video will inspire some students to give HP calculators like the Prime a hard look, especially in the USA where TI has a near monopoly on the education market.

Thank you, Jose!

Thank you for your kind words, Hans. I shoot with a Panasonic GH5 and Olympus 12-100mm F4 lens mounted on a tripod, then edit in Apple's FCPX and use unsharp mask (I hate blurry videos). As to the G2 edition of the Prime, it is terribly unfortunate that HP still hasn't gotten their act together and made it available worldwide. It's nowhere to be found here in Japan and still very hard to find in North America. For some reason, HP, despite being an American company, decided to release the G2 in select parts of Europe first. There's been a lot of talk about that decision in the HP Museum forum but members of HP who often participate in that forum are being silent about the reasons why. Anyway, I agree without you that some follow-up videos would be in order. It's just that every time I have time to make a video, my kids are using their Primes for school! :-)

@@JDW- Good equipment. We can see it and the good handling by the quality of your video. If you want a G2, i can send you one from here, but if there is any problem, then guarantee is only given here. Am also reading in hp museum forum, its very helpful. Many commands that we dont find in user guide or only rudimentary are explained there. I think, the time is over when it was useful to learn everything on a calculator, its to much and a large spreading over many themes. So I try now to study only few of its possibilities, esp. programming.

Thank you for your kind offer, Hans; but I won't trouble you with the G2 model. When it finally comes to most stores in the US, I will buy one and possibly review it. I purchased the two Primes my children use (one of which is shown in my video) from Walmart in the USA. The price was about $119 each. They don't carry them in stores though. I had to order from Walmart online, which is strange. Clearly, HP isn't doing enough to ensure their products are seen in-store. It's too bad and one reason TI is more popular than HP among US students. TI calculators are in every store.

@@JDW- Would be no trouble but I would like to do something good for a guy like you :-). Price for G2 here (germany) is today 114,95 Euro (129,87 US-$) and for porto 15,89 Euro (17,95 $) for little package with no insurance (no, not good) or 36,99 Euro (41,79 $) with insurance max. 500 Euro. Last would be better, so I could send it to you during 3-5 days until I get it and the time for sending to USA by DHL service (they tell about 10-12 days for it) for 129,87+41,79. Your very good work made me happy to see, so I have no problem to do something good for you. There are really lots of videos here with shaking cam, dimly lights, showing stomach of autor but the told item and so on...

You have the earlier version which came with the leather case. The 50g hasn't changed but the case has. The one I have isn't leather. Yours has a more premium feel. The only benefit to the case I have is that it won't scratch, if one considers that a benefit. Sadly, the 50g has been discontinued. You can still find one but the sellers want more than $300 for one. It's a pity for those who don't own a 50g. To RPN lovers like me, I still find that the 50g has some appeal over the Prime. But for high school students today, the graphing features of the Prime far outshine any other calculator. It's fast and in full color.

Thank you for watching and sharing your HP story, Craig. That's quite a number of HP calcs you've used!

@@JDW- I am old school. I am old enough to know, hp is the shit. The Hp primes power and speed is amazing.

Thank you for watching and sharing your kind thoughts, Ruben! Your calculator is almost the same as my 48GX. I use the GX at the office all the time to this day, despite the fact the 50g is so much better in many ways. It's something about the feel of the keys, the look, and the nostalgia!

I grew up using algebraic input on TI graphing calcs, so I don’t use RPN on my Prime, but the keyboard on it was actually the original reason for me to look at the Prime to begin with. (I have a pinched nerve that causes me issues, including oversensitive fingertips, so mushy keys that need to be pressed hard simply don’t work for me any more.) At age 40 I went back to school, and my math teacher let me try his various calculators, and let me borrow his Prime for a week. I ordered one two days in. :)

@@tookitogo I agree that the Prime has a nice keyboard. Some purists like the keyboard of the HP48 series better, but I'm not so strict. Glad to hear you were influenced by an HP lover. HP calculators are great. Then again, so is RPN. Even so, the Prime isn't a 100% RPN calculator, but I still enjoy using it in RPN mode. I used algebraic calculators until I started college and switched to the HP28S, which was my first try at RPN. I've been using RPN exclusively ever since!

Thank you for your kind comment, Detron! Be sure to click "SHOW MORE" in the text description under my video because I posted a lot of useful supplementary information there.

I would suggest giving the HP Prime emulator a spin first. Then you can decide if the actual calculator is worth a purchase: www.hp-prime.de/en/category/6-downloads

@@JDW- I am looking at it. The best thing I like about 'real' graphing calculators used for 'Math' students is that you get an answer something like 3pi/7 for an answer to the local minimum of a curve vs. 1.346... BTW, I loved my hp200LX as well. Another really good product from HP. Man, I am old...

I had a bunch hp calculators over the years. I bought the prime and could not program it. Not much info out there on it.

@@clearsailing7993 You can find details about programming here: www.hp-prime.de/files/composite_file/file/201-programming-in-hp-ppl.pdf Any questions you have can be submitted in the following forum, which is frequented by HP Calculator group engineers: www.hpmuseum.org/forum/forum-5.html

I've never used the 28C. I suppose it could be conceivable that it was a design flaw because I never had battery issues on my 28S (which I still own and use today).

Using your 50g in Algebraic mode no doubt makes your life easier when using your TI calculators that lack RPN. But the 50g is really an RPN calculator at its heart, and I find there is so much missing from the experience when switched to Algebraic mode. RPN is something special. With regard to the ACT vs SAT, you may find it interesting to know that the SAT is comparatively more geared toward those who excel at math, versus the ACT which is better suited for those well versed in English. So it comes as little surprise, the SAT offers students liberty when it comes to using the 50g or the Prime. Students can take either test, so I personally would choose the one that allows me more calculator choices. Further reading here: bit.ly/2WxyZdC

@@JDW- Thanks for the reply. For me, the SAT, ACT and GRE are water not only under the bridge, they're well past the delta and littoral out into deep blue water. I've got no kids or grandkids anywhere near the ACT/SAT/GRE age brackets. As an undergrad, the school I attended, ASU, only accepted the ACT. May still be the case with a few schools. That's what I took and in that era it was all paper and pencil. Didn't need a calculator for the GRE even though I had a very simple one with me that did the four functions plus transcendentals (a "slide rule" calculator). All its math questions were trivial *if* you saw through them to underlying principles that provided shortcuts to the answer. The TI four-function from 1967 existed but no HS student other than the independently wealthy could afford one. Wouldn't have been allowed when I took the ACT anyway. I was nearly done with my undergrad degree when the HP 35 hit the streets and they were outrageously expensive. The rest of us used slide rules. I still have a couple and occasionally use them. Great for doing very quick calcs and who needs more than two or three significant digits? At one time I could do dual precision computations with one - needs paper and pencil/pen to record the intermediate values. One part in a hundred or thousand precision works for nearly everything unless you're calculating space probe trajectories. I have to control my laughter when I see applied science and engineering presentations using more than 4 significant digits for other than business case or grant monetary accounting (which must be down to the penny). Most practical measurement systems can't deliver more than 3 digits; some sophisticated ones can deliver 4 digits. Greater precision demands an environmentally controlled lab with very expensive and delicate instruments. No batteries required; slide rules are solar powered. Mentioned the ACT restrictions as your video specifically mentions college entrance exams. I've digressed. ;-) An HP Prime G2 is en route (Rev D, the newest 2018 model) which is supposed to be about 3x faster than the G1 Rev C. Also found an old TI-86 for a pittance, which is easier to connect to a current PC than a TI-85 and it's nearly 100% backward compatible. There are programs I have for the TI-85 I don't want to port to the TI-89 Titanium, the HP 50g, or the Prime. Unnecessary work. Runs fast enough for what I need. I've used RPN, but like many tools, one uses a hammer for nails and screwdrivers for screws. There are occasions when algebraic input is very direct from the source information and fast. On other occasions, using the RPN stack is more efficient, although for what I'm doing it's 35-40% of the time. Being able to flip between the modes has been convenient - if it's the 50g on hand. I'll see how the HP Prime works out. For me, they're all tools in a toolbox, each having a few different characteristics.

A combination of luck and being careful! :-) A tiny bit of plastic broke off mine, but thankfully it still closes well enough. The bigger problem I have with my 28S is that some keys don't work anymore no matter how hard you press them. There's no easy fix for that, unfortunately. Some people have fixed such keys, but only by drilling holes in the case, which in my opinion looks awful. Realistically, when you have bad keys on a 28S, you really need to replace the entire calculator. Mine has sentimental value though since I purchased it when I started engineering school back in 1989. And man did I use it a lot back in those days! It really helped me through engineering school.

It has a mix of good and bad for those of us used to older HP calculators, but the faster speed, color touchscreen, and advanced graphing features make the Prime a great purchase for many.

RPN mode in the Home button is nice, but I wish the Prime also had RPN when using CAS too. Still not sure why there's no RPN mode in the CAS button. It feels slightly inconsistent. But that won't affect most students who will use the calculator in either Algebraic or Textbook modes.

Thank you for your comment, Gary. Both Primes are holding up well. My daughter is older so she has been using her calculator much more, yet the keys look the same to my eyes as the day I purchased the calculator. And because I put a protector on the display, there are no scratches on it there. Even the slide-off plastic cover is in very good condition. The battery still charges well too. I asked my daughter if she regrets that I bought it and wishes I had got her another calculator and she told me an emphatic, "No, this is great!" Apparently, it makes her the envy of her class too. (Everyone else has a TI of some sort.) My 28S is the only one that is giving me issues. I bought it new back in 1989 when I start engineering school and used it for countless hours back then. I've used it off and on at the office since then. But as of the making of my video, some of the keys would stick. If I apply a huge amount of force, I can get them to register, but it's so much force that it's no longer enjoyable to use it. So these days I mostly use my 48GX, especially because I have a 128K FRAM card in it that has Meta Kernel installed. Meta Kernel is installed by default on the 50g. I too enjoy RPN over algebraic any day of the week! Thanks for watching!

Hello..can you help me? how do you calculate % on hp prime? I don't see % key. Ex (2/10)*10=20%

@@julianlee1435 percentage is just 1/100. Just devide your number by 100 and it's the percentage.

Julian Lee open the toolbox, choose catal(o)g,... you’re welcome.

Thank you for watching and for your kind comment. The EBAY seller from who I purchased my FRAM card stopped selling them. Not sure if you could contact that seller to offer more or not, but I discuss all that in this forum thread: bit.ly/2P4CEqR​

Thank you for making time to share your detailed experience. Glad to see someone able to move beyond TI and choose an HP. I agree that different situations call for different tools!

Also, the layout of the keys is far nicer in my opinion. TI has had this annoying habit of not caring about accessability. Every friggin' function is in a menu of a menu of a menu, and it's gotten worse, not better with the nspire, or even on the 30 series. With the HP, you spend your time in the homescreen doing your math instead of in menus. Also, the lack of default backspace and insert mode on TI's. I don't know if they are tone deaf or just don't care but, I write from left to right. So obviously I want to have backspace over delete. And I miss inputs more often than misspress, so I'd rather insert. The nspire fixes this, but it took them almost two decades. This is why for a nonprogrammable I reccomend the sharp w516 series. No menus, it's all on the buttons. And for programmble CAS, the HP prime is best. It's probably the single best calculator on the market.

Thank you for watching and for your kind words. The Prime shown in the video belongs to one of my two children. I actually bought two Primes, one for each of them. They prefer to keep the Prime in textbook mode. They like it better than RPN for some reason. But I will admit that you cannot use RPN in every mode on the Prime, which is unfortunate because it makes the overall experience less consistent. I use a 50g at home and my 48GX with Meta Kernel at the office, along with my 28S when I want a change. What would make the Prime even better would be a Retina display with no flickr, and a more well developed app store promoted by HP, rather than the HP Museum Forum. There is so much potential for apps on the Prime, but in the greater scheme of things, there really aren't that many apps. With that said, the Prime is a very nice calculator, and for high school students it's perfect because you get fast color graphing capability that is allowed on tests like the PSAT and SAT, and sometimes teachers will allow the Prime on general math tests as well.

I have been keeping it in RPN mode on the home side and using that for numbers. When on the CAS side it is nice that it automatically throws down the ans+ when you hit the plus as that does a great job of reminding you that you are not in RPN.

Yes, The Prime does a decent job informing you are not in RPN when in CAS mode, but the fact is I want to use RPN in CAS mode too.

When you say "I still can get... brand new" I think you meant to say, "I purchased these brand new," right? Finding sellers who have unopened "brand new" shrink-wrapped 48GX packages are something I've never seen in recent years! :-)

@@JDW- Nope. Sorry I'm sleepy. The first ones I have them, HP50G it's been selling new in some stores with the Synthetic Case in one transparent package and I found one where they sell the HP48GII and the HP49G+ (sorry the codes where wrong) new as they look.

OK. So you didn't find the 48GX shrink-wrapped and sold as new. :-) I didn't think so. And yes, I too have seen the 50g sold new, but most sellers are insane asking about US$300 for one. They are no longer made, true, but that price is just outrageous. Glad I got my 50g when I did.

You are one of many who feel that way. It's not to say the Prime is bad, but the 50g is truly the ultimate HP calculator.

You need the periodic table app and the HP Connectivity Kit to install that app on your Prime. If you will expand the text description under my video above, you will see a timestamp to my mention of the Connectivity Kit in my video. You will also find a link to the Periodic Table there too.

You would need to search EBAY and other sources for 50g's being sold "for parts or repair" because there is no vendor of dedicated 50g parts. You can also post in the classified section of the HP Museum forum to see if anyone would sell you a problematic 50g for a cheap price: www.hpmuseum.org/forum/forum-6.html

Carl, I would assume that trick isn't in the HP Prime documentation, right? In any case, I do appreciate the tip, as I am sure others are here in the comments section. Thank you!

My daughter is 17 and a Junior in High School. She has an steady A in her math classes. I bought the Prime for her and she not only loves it but is the envy of her class where every other student has a TI calculator. Yep, even the Nspire users have HP Prime envy. The G2 is wicked fast and is the only hand-held calculator with a touch screen. I also bought my son an HP Prime. He will be 14 this coming June. He previously had a Casio, but still picked up on how to use the Prime fairly easily. Keep in mind that the ACT bans both the TI Nspire cx II CAS and the HP Prime because the Prime also has CAS. I think that is silly because the Prime has a test mode that disables CAS, but that's the ACT for you. The good news is the SAT and PSAT allow the HP Prime to the TI Nspire cx II CAS, so if you buy either calculator you definitely want to take the SAT, not the ACT. Lastly, the Prime has an RPN mode (the Home button mode only, not CAS) that is pretty nifty, I think. You won't find that on the Nspire. I hope this helps! If you are based on the US, you can get the Prime on Amazon here: amzn.to/2OhHZxe

Thank you for your comment. I’m afraid I’m not sure what dots you’re referring to. If you start watching my video at about 45:00, you will see a close-up view of the display. In the top right corner you’ll see the battery indicator, and if you tap that it gives you even more information. There are no LEDs on the Prime that I can see. See page 3 of the following QuickStart guide for detail descriptions of the various parts of the Prime: www.hp.com/united-states/calculator/HP_Prime_Quick_Start_Guide_EN_2015.pdf

This, from the Wikipedia entry for the HP Prime: "The HP Prime has a feature called Exam Mode. This enables various features of the calculator (such as CAS functionality, user-created apps, notes, etc.) to be selectively disabled for a specific time, from 15 minutes to 8 hours. This can be done manually within the calculator's menus, or by using a computer with HP's connectivity software.[7] LEDs on the top of the calculator blink to let the instructor see that the calculator is in this mode. Despite this feature, the Prime is still prohibited in many examinations, such as the US's ACT college-entry test.[8] It is however starting to be accepted in other examinations, like those run by the Dutch CvTE,[9] the Swiss IB,[10] or Alberta (Canada)[11] education authorities."

@@Skrapshak Thank you for reminding me about Exam Mode. The LEDs are at the top edge, as shown in this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cKcfjoWtWVk.html

The 3 LEDs are also shown in HP documentation here: hp-prime.com/files/composite_file/file/150-hp_exammode_en.pdf

Thank you for the clarification. Was kinda hoping that it was a battery indicator. Just Subscribed!!

Beside the keyboard, what specifically about the 48G do you prefer over the 50g? I ask, because I own a 48GX. The 50g has Meta Kernel builtin, and the 48GX can add Meta Kernel via 128k card, but your 48G cannot. That’s why I am curious what other than the look and feel of the keys makes you prefer the HP48 over the 50g. Thanks.

@@JDW- Prefer the layout of the keys functions, also although the screen is smaller it handles exactly what I need (stack) although Matrices are nowhere displayed near as good (mind you the Nspire CX is streets ahead of the 50G in matrix presentation/manipulation) - just like the feel and size of the calculator, yes can customise the 50G (and have) but I guess spent so long with the 48 series I really start to prefer it even if technically inferior., but most I think will say it shows its age.

Ed Ed I have a 48G now, had a 48SX for a long time but sold it aiming to upgrade to the GX but never got around to it and now they are hard to find. Lucked out and found a cheap mint 48G. But as the 50g is not available locally where I am at all, and from overseas it's price plus shipping plus customs make it far too costly I have a TI nspire CAS for anything that the 48G can't do. Basically CAS lol, but I got it for next to nothing so why not.

@@noth606 The 50G has one definite superior component - a "Black" screen, similar to the later (post 1999) 48GX's that now fetch a premium price, however, the earlier 48G and GX screens are fine, if less contrasty, but the 48S/48SX screen is terrible, even for 1990!!!

Yes, they are. I own 28S.

Indeed. But the sad reality is that HP's marketing department has allowed TI to take over American schools. They really have. And they don't do much to promote HP calculators in key markets outside the USA either. For example, here in Japan, the Prime doesn't even appear at all in HP's calculator store! As a result, most American math textbooks now showcase how to solve problems on TI calculators rather than HP. You can read more about that monopolization of American math education by TI here: bit.ly/2GdLbZL

I got the ti nspire cx II cas over the prime. I’ve used tis forever but that’s not the main reason. The main reason is because the ti has a much better cas program, and that’s the main thing I needed. I don’t need to compute sequences that go from 0 to 10000, I just need all the cas features. I agree that they have a monopoly but this is in no way worse than this calculator. I’d say they are equal (I also find a touchscreen useless for my liking).

@@nahbro7282 When you graph a lot, the pinch-to-zoom touch screen of the Prime is vastly superior to the TI. Regarding CAS differences, the myth that the NSpire is better than the Prime has been largely dispelled in this discussion: www.hpmuseum.org/forum/thread-11214.html Still not convinced? Hold on to your hat... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cUHpDx4zGG8.html

JDW in regards to the discussion I didn’t mean like simplifying stuff. I’ve been through the cas (or maybe they’re not cas menus idrk) menus of both calculators and the ti had a much bigger menu. I had seen that comparative video but a lot of the features the prime is “better” at don’t really mean much to me. I would never use the touchscreen, the faster processing would most likely not be much of a difference because I don’t think I’ll be doing sequences from 0-30000, and having actual trig buttons doesn’t really matter to me either. The only thing that is kinda annoying are the rough edges in the polar graph the video compared, but that may not be a big deal either because that graph or graphs as complicated may never show up for me. For what I was looking for, the ti, IMO, was better for me

JDW also, for graphing, at home, I would most likely just use Desmond for simplicity and time, so I would use it anywhere that’s not my house.

All except for those lackluster keys (aesthetics). Sorry, but classic HP calculators have a serious one-up on Swiss Micros when it comes to the look of HP's lovely beveled keys. I especially like the keys on my 28S. If Swiss Micros would hire a better CAD engineer and mimic those keys, I would agree with you that Swiss Micros are a hands-down serious rival to some vintage HP calculators. Even so, the calculators shown in my video still have advantages over the DM42, especially the 28S with all its keys. Swiss Micros still has a very small selection of calculators. Beautify those keys and broaden the selection of calculators, I say!

Great question. For now, you may find the following thread of interest. I would encourage you to chime in there because HP engineers who work on the Prime visit that forum all the time. www.hpmuseum.org/forum/thread-12431.html?highlight=Parametric+Equations

For what price is you local store selling the 50G? I'm just curious because I've only seen them sold online for a crazy sum of US$300 over the past year and a half.

@@JDW- ¢89.000 -> $145, 39gs may be available.

How can that be? They quit building them in 2015 I think!

@@clearsailing7993Some local stores keep selling it, I live in CR.

Unfortunately, the HP Prime doesn't have an LED to show charging. When you connect the Prime to USB power, the display turns ON automatically and stays on unless you turn it off. It's OK to turn it off because it will continue charging. But unfortunately you are not told when charging is done. If the battery is dead, it takes about 4 hours for a full charge. You will just need to turn on the Prime, disconnect the USB cable, and then check the upper right corner to see the battery level. If it says 100%, you know the calculator is fully charged.

Since you mentioned nothing about RPN or RPL and focused mainly on the quality of CAS, based on that, I would say you would be happy with the Prime as its speed blows away any other dedicated calculator, especially those in the TI line. It's only those who own a 50g and demand the most complete RPN and RPL experience possible who somewhat hold the Prime in disregard. RPN works only in the HOME button view on the Prime, not in the CAS button view.

@@JDW- RPL is a great thing. RPN is just second nature, I can't believe people make a big deal of it. I had FORTH on my HP-71B :)

What is "Resolv18"?

Thank you for your 2 comments, Paul. I too started out with HP calculators (the 28S) when I was 18 and just entering engineering school in 1989. The first edition HP Prime is Model No. NW280AA, aka Model A, which came out in 2013 and lacks wireless functionality. HP revised the hardware in Model No. G8X92AA, aka Model C, which came out in 2014. In August 2016, HP slightly modified Model C to have darker colors printed on the keys, and that is the version I have (shown in my video). The newest HP Prime as of Feb. 2019 is Model No. 2AP18AA, aka G2, aka Model D, which includes a faster CPU and 256MB of RAM (vs 32MB for previous models). Even to this day, the G2 Prime is still not sold worldwide, which is why I could not buy one when I looked in the summer of 2018. For some odd reason the G2 Prime is sold only in Europe. Strange because HP is a US company. It seems that you have the G2 version? If you do, it should say "G2" somewhere on the back of the calculator. Since I have no experience with that new model, and since it runs slightly different firmware, I would strongly recommend that you join us in the following forum and copy/paste your experience in a new post there. The reason why is because representatives of the HP Calculator group watch that forum and reply to posts. www.hpmuseum.org/forum/forum-5.html

@@JDW- I had just wanted to ask you about your HP Prime hardware. But after scrolled some comments, case closed. Thanks for your review. Now I'm waiting for you to get G2 and review it.

@@iwantoiwanto6080 G2 donations accepted! :-) Seriously, I don't have one of my TO BUY list, but if someone wanted me to review it (even HP) I would certainly do a detailed follow-up review. But even if someone wanted to buy one, they are still pretty hard to find globally. HP does a terrible job these days marketing their calculators. Anyway, thank you for your kind words, and best wishes!

That's a question lacking an easy answer because I don't know if you are a student or engineer in the field. If you want a true RPN calculator, the 50g can still be found online and is the best you can buy. But if you don't really know what RPN is or don't care, then the Prime is a more modern calculator with apps, color screen, rechargeable battery, and touch. You add to the 50g with SD cards, but on the Prime you connect via USB to your computer. I'm not saying the 50g and Prime are the only picks, but you asked for the cream of the crop, so I have given you my experienced opinion. I hope this helps.

JDW thank you very much man, what are your thoughts on the Ti-Nspire CX CAS? Is it any good? I’m a engineer and student but I want the best current graphing calculator.

The CAS in the Nspire is on par with the HP Prime. The graphing speed of the Prime is faster than the Nspire, especially the newest "G2" Prime that is only now becoming more readily available online. There are fewer buttons on the Prime versus the Nspire, making the Prime not only more aesthetically pleasing to the eye but a bit easier to use too. Please consider joining us in the following forum where you can read questions and experiences of those who use the HP Prime, including talk about the Nspire: www.hpmuseum.org/forum/forum-5.html

Thank you for sharing. Although I too still have my battery door on the 28S, the sharper edges of that door broke off many years ago. It still fits into place, but it's not in pristine/perfect condition. Aside from that, a couple keys on the 28S don't work unless I press so hard I think I'll break the calculator. No surprises there, as it was my workhorse in college and is now 33 years old!

I still have my 28S with the door intact as well, although I can't say it has seen much use in the last 10 years. But I broke it out and tested it and it still works! Thanks for the great video @JDW

Thank you, Joe!

I found RPN to be second nature, the way you performed computations is basically the same way we were taught to right down math problems in elementary school., you place one number, put the next below it and then apply the operator, lol..... So going from there, it just meant thinking of all problems like that. And of course the best benefit is not having to fight with operation order, since everything is just done left to right.

Sorry, I somehow missed your question. Since I am now answering this, I deleted your follow-up comment. The answer from your Prime depends on which mode you are in. Press the little icon of a house (Home) and you will ALWAYS get a numerical approximation result. For example, doing "Sqrt(i)" yields the answer: "0.707106781187+0.707106781187*i". And Sqrt(4i-1) in Home mode yields the answer: "1.24962106769+1.60048518044*i". But if you press the CAS button and repeat, you should get Sqrt(i) =(1+i)/Sqrt(2) (which is NOT a numerical approximation). However, doing the same for Sqrt(4i-1) in CAS mode yields the same numerical approximation as Home mode. Sometimes CAS on the HP Prime doesn't give the exact answer but a numerical approximation instead for reasons I do not fully understand. If you wish to pursue this in-depth, I highly recommend that you copy and paste your question to me in the HP Museum forum, where calculator buffs more savvy than I (including HP engineers) can offer you their thoughts: www.hpmuseum.org/forum/forum-5.html

Thank you for your reply.

I myself will be turning 53 this month, so we are in the same age group who know well what makes a good calculator! 🙂

@@JDW- you should contact me. From what I can see, we are similar.

I attended CSU Fresno from 1989 through 1994 and don’t remember anyone other than myself having a 28S. I do remember when the 48 came out my fellow students started buying those, but I didn’t have any bit of jealousy whatsoever because at the time I thought my 28S was superior. I loved the extra keys which I felt made my inputs more productive. I still love my 28S, but some of the keys are difficult to push now which is a bit sad.

@@JDW- As a part of the required book list issued by the Engineering department was the HP-28C/S calculators. In high school, only perhaps 3 students used the 28C/S, U used a Sharp EL-9000. In university, we pretty much had abandoned all other calculators for RPN. I prefer the 28S even to this day though I have the 50G and prime. 28S is a far superior calculator for most tasks. Once you have an RPN calculator you really lose interest in other calculators. Stacking and the tools required to manipulating the stack are nonexistent in other systems. I quit engineering and studied math physics instead and the 28S held up, The only problem I have had with the 28S is the battery doorway broke and the door hangs on by the metal insert.

@@deusimperator Thanks for sharing. What university did you attend? I too purchased my 28S through the university bookstore, but it wasn't required. In fact, I think it was one of the highest priced calculators on the list at the time. I didn't buy it based on price though, of course. I had never used an RPN calculator before. I simply checked out the specifications and made the buying decision based on that. Glad I did! :-) That was my start into the world of HP calculators.

@@JDW- I attended a few universities but not all related to the study of mathematics or physics. The University of Calgary, University of Western Ontario, University of Michigan, University of Fribourg, and the Louvain.

@@JDW- I remember paying about 350.00 for the 28S. These were pretty expensive even for that time

Thank you!

That program, and many others, are linked in the Text Description beneath my video. On a desktop computer, click SHOW MORE to expand it. On mobile, there is a tiny down-arrow character you must click to expand it. Lots of information there, so please be sure to have a look!

Exactly!

Yes! You've already cited the speed difference, but if you want a touch display, only the Prime offers it. The Prime is all around more modern hardware than the TI, and at the retail level the price of the Prime and the TI84+CE are the same. With that said, it doesn't matter how much better a given product is if you can't afford it. It's hard to beat $20. If you're not really into math and just want something to help you get by in class, then when you graduate you won't ever use the calculator again, snag that $20 TI! But if you're more serious about math, intend to use it in college and beyond, I would recommend the Prime.

​@@JDW- Thanks for your input I do like tech and am considering computer science as a major, so I think I'll go with the HP.

Try to buy the G2 Prime, if you can. You can read more about that here: bit.ly/2I57wYh

Those two are in different categories. It’s like car vs bike. In normal life, the TI will get you there, but so will the fx-82. Advanced math, for sure the prime. You can use the TI, but in a way that a bike will also get you from NY to LA.

Danielle, thank you for watching and for your question. Please join our discussion forum at the following link. You can post your questions there and get quick replies. HP engineers also post there too. www.hpmuseum.org/forum/forum-5.html

I found a slow but effective way to calculate normal distribution graphically, you can use NORMALD(mean, std deviation,x) in Function Symbolic View and use signed area for the upper and lower limits in plot mode. Also i read that you can use NORMAL_CDF(mean, std deviation, lower, upper) but this way is only effective symbolically.

Danielle, I started a new discussion thread on your behalf at the following URL. I would strongly encourage you to registered to become a forum member (it's free) so you can participate in that discussions and start new topics of your own. That forum is a wealth of information from people who know math quite well and how also know how to come up with the best solutions on HP calculators like the Prime. www.hpmuseum.org/forum/thread-12463-post-112556.html

Danielle, I'm not sure if you are following the forum thread I linked for you, but today Tim Wessman of HP posted a reply there that you should read. Again, I strongly recommend you become a forum member there so you can ask questions on your own, but you can still browse the forum even if you aren't a member. Take care.

I suppose I like my 50g the most, but I still love the keyboard on my 28S. My kids do enjoy using their Prime at school though. But I think that’s mainly because the Prime is more visually impressive than the calculators other students are using.

My concern is about whether HP even still sells the Prime anymore. But even if you can find a new one for a reasonable price, it really boils down to whether you are “old school“ (in which case the 48 might be better for you) or if you don’t mind the fancy color touchscreen interface of the Prime.

@@JDW- Best Buy still sells the Prime, and HP still sells it on their online store. My main concern with the 48G is the computer interface is obsolete, so I can't easily import or export programs.

If you don’t mind the fact that RPN mode doesn’t work in CAS mode, there’s nothing seriously wrong with the Prime. And although there are custom cables you can buy for the 48 on eBay that would technically work, the Prime is a more bulletproof way to connect to modern computers. Because of its larger color screen, battery life is shorter with the Prime, although the Prime’s battery is rechargeable. But the quality of the color screen on the Prime is inferior to that of an iPhone.

@@JDW- Thanks

its just xmodem, any computer can do that with a usb to rs232 adapter @@gbennett58

Even after all this time, the screen protector is still flawless! Now of course, I don't go around dropping my calculator on its LCD, so your mileage may vary. But I can highly recommend that screen protector. It's built to last!

Really? Gremlins came out 9 years after the Apollo program ended. :-) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kgfgiLlW-yw.html

@@JDW- The term "gizmo" has been around since the 1940's. Spielberg didn't coin the term, he simply used it to name the gremlin. ;-)

I heard it well before that - from my father some time during the late 1950's when I was very young. It preexisted NASA and the Mercury program. :-)

My video is indeed 4K but only 30fps. RU-vid doesn't allow any frame rate higher than 60fps. I shot it at 30p (with a 180° shutter for perfect motion blur) because many people like that over 60fps for some reason. If you watch a 30fps and 60fps video side by side you get a different feeling for each. Higher frame rates would yield yet another different feeling, but again, RU-vid doesn't allow them. Also, you Mac users out there, note that Safari sadly does NOT support 4K videos here on RU-vid so you will need to use Chrome or FireFox to see my videos in 4K (or an AppleTV or similar). I wish Tim Cook would kick some engineering booty and get that fixed. I prefer Safari but hate the fact I'm locked to 1080p here on RU-vid.

@@JDW- OK I understand, but your youtube channel is for free, isn't it? ;) and how high resolution improving video content? Are you able use one of those calculators to estimate how 4K video increase energy demands comparing with 1K 30p? how many power consume create, publish, distribute and decode it? and for what? I sitting opposite for many others reasons.... but this is not about calculators. HP prime is nice option.

Anyone can watch any of my videos for free, of course. In fact, I don't even allow ADs on my videos because I hate ADs. Why do I make all my videos in 4K? Well, my camera shoots 4K so why not? If someone wants 1080p, it's easy to switch to that lower resolution. It's not that difficult to edit 4K videos in FCPX on Macs. If it was hard, I wouldn't upload in 4K. Anyway, thanks for watching and for your comments. Best wishes, Brano!

I prefer FRAM cards solely for the lack of battery, and It’s terribly unfortunate no one is still offering them today. At some point you will grow wary of replacing the battery. And it could be you may simply forget about it, and the battery will be left in there long after it is dead and then it will possibly leak. So not having a battery in the card is a big deal. It has nothing at all to do with MetaKernel.

Sim, suporte para as pilhas é um grande problema no 28S. Mas o maior problema que tenho com meu 28S é que algumas teclas não funcionam mais. É triste porque eu realmente amo o 28S!

Could you please explain what “non-functional“ means? I just checked the App Store and I see that both the iPhone and the iPad are supported for both the Lite version and the Pro version. I will admit that I’ve not use the apps because I already have the actual calculator.

@@JDW- non-functional in the sense of clunky non-native apps prone to crashing.

Thank you for explaining. Because there’s not an app that really comes close, I personally use PCalc in combination with WolframAlpha. I still like my real HP calculators though.

@@JDW- thanks. Wolfram the app or just their website? Slight annoyance even with the app is it depends on their relatively sluggish server even for basic calculations.

I use the app, but I do agree it’s sluggish. Even so, you can do things with it that you can’t do with any normal Calculator like type in “population of Japan.“