HP 33S Scientific Calculator (F2216A) by Hewlett Packard
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Digital camera reviews of HP 33S Scientific Calculator (F2216A)
Digital camera Review: 33s
Summary: 3 Stars
We got this calculator for the PE exam. I like the 48G much better, but is you have to have this one it is okay. The 48G has so many more features and a taller stack as well. It is easier to enter matricies as the screen can show more than three lines at a time.Digital camera Review: A Capable RPN Calculator
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought a HP33s a few months ago and find it to be a fairly nice calculator. I don't have a problem with the chevron key layout. It very nicely puts x^2 as a primary function. It is clearly meant for folks who punch lots of equations rather than someone who wants to program a calculator. Not sure who would program a calculator anymore anyway now that we have Excel, Mathcad, etc. on our computers.
I find many of the required processes counterintuitive at first, but the manual is very well written.
The keys are too hard for my tastes and slow me down. For one large equation, I could punch it in 22 sec. with my HP48, but it took 29 sec. with the HP33s because the keys are so much harder. The key layout is better for punching equations through, so it would be screamin' fast if not for the hard keys.
Digital camera Review: A decent update of the classic HP's
Summary: 4 Stars
Even though the HP 33S wasn't developed by the famed HP Corvallis group (the ones responsible for the classic HP RPN calculators from the 70's through the 90's), it is still a quality machine that is worthy of consideration by diehard HP fans. I've been using various HP RPN calculators for over 20 years and I have been very pleased with the quality and features of the new HP 33S.
PROS:
HP smartly retained the famed RPN entry mode but also offers an algebraic entry mode depending on your preference. I recommend you learn the RPN method and never go back. However, in algebraic mode, the 33S does have very nice equation displays that are helpful visually. I've actually been using both modes for various tasks and enjoy switching between them as needed.
The calculator is built very well with excellent attention to detail, good crisp key clicks (similar to the older HP's), and a solid, modern style. It is by far one of the most solid calculators available today. The faceplate is brushed metal and the plastic body is nicely finished with tight seams. The rubber side grips are very functional. Overall, the appearance and feel of the calculator is high quality and it is pleasantly lightweight, as well. It may not have the heft of the older units like the 42S, but heavier is not always better. The 33S also includes an excellent User's Manual (very similar to the old HP 32SII manual) and a very nice lined leather case. A remarkable value for $50 and by far the least expensive HP ever.
While many HP purists have criticized the V-shaped key pattern and the ENTER key placed in the lower left of the pad, I've found that after a few minutes working with the new layout it is totally practical and usable. I think the chevron layout is just as easy to use as the straight key rows found in older HPs. Also, while some traditional HP users don't like the position of the ENTER key, I say that the new position allows quicker access to the numeric/operand keypad area since your hand doesn't have to pass over (and hence cover) the keypad to hit ENTER during RPN calculations. I think both old and new HP layouts are effective with use and familiarity.
CONS:
The two-line LCD display is large and readable except for the small decimal points. I know that the first version of the 33S (sold during 2003 through early 2005) had even smaller decimals/commas and this was a big complaint among users. Now, to HP's credit, they finally did revise the display in early 2005; however, even in my second-generation 33S the somewhat larger decimal point is still pretty crowded when sandwiched between 2's (as in 2.2). The only reason I did not give this calculator a 5-star rating is due to the smallish decimal point issue.
OVERALL:
This calculator is a good effort by HP to retain some market share for their RPN machines. Hopefully, this is not the last of them we'll see from HP but only time will tell. The bottom line is that with the proliferation of sophisticated PC's, PDA's, and software, the handheld calculator has been mostly delegated to the classrooms of high school and college. Hence, the demand for inexpensive calculators for students (like this 33S). However, any professional scientist or engineer (such as myself) always keeps a trusty calculator close-at-hand for quick work in the office or field. This HP 33S is a decent modernization of the classic (and much more expensive) calculators that made HP famous.
Digital camera Review: A disappointing RPN Return
Summary: 2 Stars
I had high exectations for the HP-33s... I had been seeking a replacement for my old HP-15c. Alas, most of my hopes were dashed. On the good side, for basic computations, it does implenent RPN and the basic scientific functions, something that's been missing from most calculators for years.
Other than that, most of the news is bad.
First, in trying to do too many things it once, it is extremely complicated, and requires multiple extra keystrokes just to sort out the correct mode for what you want to do. It's well and good to support, for example, standard RPN operations, "expressions" (the right side of an equation) and "equalities" (algebraic equations with "=" sign and all), but sorting out which you want is difficult.
Second, as far as I can tell, labelling does not work in all modes. It works in RPN procedures, but I haven't been able to make it work in the others yet. To select an expression or equality, you have to manually scroll through a list-- time consuming at best if you have a lot of them.
Third, RPN procedures apparently have to be "jiggered" to do things like integration. Those who remember the HP-15c remember that you could start a procedure with a label. If you wanted to integrate, you'd just key in the upper bound, "enter" and key in the "lower bound," hit the integral key and the label and the integration would happen. The existing system insists on a "variable of integration" which HAS to be one of the labelled variables... but you can't have your procedure automatically store the variable because the storage apparently screws up how the integral is handled when it's recalled. That means that if you want to use the same labelled procedure for basic (non-integration) calculations, you have to manually, outside the procedure, enter the variable you want evaluated into the storage register used as the variable of integration, so it can be "recalled" for the computation. This is considerably more complex, uses more keystrokes, and is much less intuitive than necessary.
One complicating factor in all this is that the manual provides neither descriptions nor examples of how all the modes interact with all the functions. It would have been really helpful to, for example, have short examples of how labelling, mode (RPN, expressions, equalities), and the run, integrate and solve functions are implemented IN ALL COMBINATIONS, as well as lettting you know right up front which combinations don't work.
Finally (I'm nearly out of space), this calculator is large. The old HP-15c was about 3"x5"; this one is more like 3.25"x6"... much tougher to carry in even a coat pocket.
No doubt about it. This calculator does lots of stuff... alas, the only people who may be able to make it do all those things are the ones who designed it.
Digital camera Review: A great calculator
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been using this calculator for 6 months now and I have experienced none of the problems mentioned in some reviews. It is true that decimal point is not as distinguished as it should be. However in practice you can always read the display correctly. Looking at the display now from all angles I find it readable from even the most extreme angles with the ceiling light reflecting off of the screen.
This is an excellent scientific calculator and is much more capable than the TI scientific calculators like the 30XII solar or other 2 line display scientific calculators. It is equal or better in my oppinion to the TI 83 with the exception that it lacks graphing capability. It is also more efficient to use than the 83. On the 83 almost all common math functions are buried in menus. For instance to use the factorial function on the 83 you must hit the MATH button scroll over the PBR menu and scroll down to the !. On the 33s the factorial function is only 2 button presses away. First press green left arrow, and then the 1/x button to which the factorial function is the "green" or "left" function. Very, very few functions are hidden in menus, and when they are the menu's are short not long and never scrolling. This makes the calculator a snap to use.
However it is the feature set that really puts this calculator out of the league of calculators like TI 30XIIs or other similarly styled calculators. For instance the 33s is programmable, has a very very useful equation solver, and a long list of built in physical constants ranging for the speed of light to the rest mass of an electron. It also has built in conversion functions to make coverting pounds to kilograms or rectagular cordinates to polar cordinates quick and pain free. (note although i have not actually used it the Sharp EL-506WBBK might be nice all though it doesn't have an RPN entry mode, you can't beat the price however)
Perhaps most importantly it has the much sought after Reverse Polish Notation entry mode (RPN mode). This entry mode quantitatively reduces the number of key strokes it takes to enter in a complex calculation. If you are uncomfortable using RPN mode (like my father) it also has an algebraic entry mode.
This calculator is a while not quite a "deal" is cheaper than the TI 83 if you don't need graphing but want advanced features this is your calculator.