Lake Success, N.Y., January 5, 2010 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, today announced the addition of the X Mark I calculator to its lineup of environmentally conscious calculators incorporating recycled materials into critical structural components. Advancing Canon’s commitment to a sustainable environment, the display panel of the X Mark I is made from Canon Digital Camera Prism Preconsumer recycled material. Designed with the Canon Inc. Camera division’s input, the new calculator incorporates similar curves and designs as the award-winning PowerShot Digital cameras. In addition, the 100-percent solar-powered X Mark I helps reduce waste while combining sophisticated styling and ease-of-use. The calculator has an increased memory capacity and important functions such as Cost-Sell-Margin, Grand Total, Sign Change and Backspace Key. Perfect for use at home or in the office, this slim, compact calculator has comfortable, low-profile durable keys for smooth and silent operation.

Available in two colours, black and white, the suggested retail price of the The X Mark I is $US29.99.

OK…meaningful…here goes…

For that definition, it was probably an electronics learning kit I got for Christmas at about age 8 or 9. As I recall, it didn’t teach electronics formulas or resistor codes, but was full of projects to hook up input devices like switches and output devices like buzzers and lights. It was like learning how to connect all the devices to your hi-fi, or connecting all your peripherals to a computer. It also gave me a good start toward understanding logic rules, like both switches have to be on for the light to shine, or if switch A is on, then switch B selects which light is on.

I call this one the most meaningful, because, pretty clearly to me, it preceded my other important gadgets and inspired me to like gadgets and to understand how to build some. It’s like how the transistor led to the chip, which led to microprocessors, which led to personal computers. Everything goes back to the first invention, in that sense. This electronics kit gave me the understanding that made it easy to progress to large logic devices with multi-pole switches, and some relays, which then progressed to a large tic-tac-toe computer with transistors which progressed to a large adding/subtracting machine with transistors, etc.

The word ‘meaningful’ has the root ‘meaning’ which implies some emotion. In that sense, my first transistor radio, at about age 10, would fit the bill. It gave me portable music that I could listen to all night long as I slept, every night. 20 years later came the walkman, and 20 more years later came the iPod, but the real change in life, the one having the most ‘meaning’, was with the transistor radio.

I always wanted my own computer. With the Apple I, I now had a machine that I could program. I would never run out of things to do in my entire life. So it’s a close runner up to the other two.

The gadget that has been the most attractive of attention ever is not my Segway. It’s my nixie tube watch from CathodeCorner. It looks very large to other people and looks very strange. It’s handmade in America too. The nixie tubes run on 140 volts on your wrist. Airport security guards who have seen every kind of watch ever made have a thrilling time with this watch.

I used to fly to Japan regularly to scour new gadgets, and always bought tons of things which were always surprising at the time, but looking back, few have special meaning. The first consumer digital camera, I think the Mavica technology, was meaningful. The first one for computers, not TV’s, was the QuickTake from Apple. But in many ways, no digital camera to this day has been as good as the first Ricoh one.

The HP-35 calculator was also very meaningful in my life, as it led me to an incredible job designing for the follow-on models.

Much thanks to Woz for helping to kick off our series. Coming up soon: Phil Torrone, gadget maker and modder extraordinare.

Image credit: Sony Mav, HP Calculator

What are these “calculators” I am talking about, you ask? Please, allow me to pull a Chris Anderson here:

The HP-15C was a high end scientific programmable. To the HP-34C’s numerical integration and root solver the HP-15C added complex numbers and matrix calculations.

The HP-12C is HP’s longest and best selling calculator. Though it has been followed by many newer models, with both more and less features this model continues to sell well. In fact an EduCALC catalog says of the HP 17BII (in bold type): “It’s 15 times faster than the HP 12C, and displays more than 4 times as much information.” And of the HP 19BII: “It’s 15 times faster than the HP 12C, and displays more than 9 times as much information.” In addition, both newer calculators can print via infrared to compact printers, have more memory, general purpose solvers, menus etc.*

Oh man, that was easy. Now the question is: Do you really want to spend $US15 on a financial calculator or $US30 in the scientific one? If you are asking that, probably you shouldn’t buy it, but here is the answer: Yes, get the iPhone version because the actual financial calculator is $US80 and the 15C doesn’t even exist anymore—and newer models are more expensive. [HP 12C and HP 15C]

HP Announces Calculator Software for PCs, iPhone and iPod Touch

HP announced that some of its most popular calculators will be available as software applications on PCs, iPhones and iPod touch devices.

HP 12c and 12c Platinum software are exact replicas of the original calculators that millions of business professionals and students use. The software is built with the same algorithms and calculation sequences and has the identical layout and functions as the originals. The Platinum version of the industry-standard HP12c adds the choice of time-saving Reverse Polish notation or traditional algebraic data entry as well as convenient editing features such as “backspace” and “undo” keys.

Ideal for engineering professionals, teachers and science students and professionals who already use the HP 35s Scientific Calculator, the software version offers quick, accurate answers from the PC. The software offers the identical HP 35s calculator layout and functionality and provides quick results to scientific and engineering calculations. The software was developed by HP, recipient of the IEEE Milestone in Engineering for the original HP-35. The HP 35s software also offers more than one hundred built-in functions, HP Solve where the user can store an equation, then use it to solve for any variable and the ability to copy and paste calculations directly into financial documents.

Designed for business professionals and students, the software version of the HP 20b Business Consultant is identical to the calculator. It is designed to be a convenient tool for finance, business, and real estate functions. The large two-line display enables the user to view up to 12 digits and scroll through variables, detailed real-text labels, menus and worksheets, and prompts as well as copy and paste answers into other documents.

The HP 15C application, designed for iPhone and iPod touch, replicates the original calculator’s layout, functions, algorithms and calculation sequences. Used by college students and career people alike, the programmable HP 15C was revolutionary when it was introduced in the 1980s. Like the hardware version, the software application provides an array of matrix calculations plus complex functions and a Solve key that finds the root of an equation.

Pricing and availability

The HP 35s application for iPhone and iPod touch is available on the iTunes App Store. Software for the HP 20b and 15C is available at www.hp.com/buy/calculators. Software versions of the HP 12c and 12c Platinum are available on both sites. Most of the software is available now on the iTunes App Store and through HP at prices starting at $US9.99.(1) The 12c Platinum solution is expected to be available in late summer.

About HP
HP, the world’s largest technology company, simplifies the technology experience for consumers and businesses with a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com/.

* All this from HP museum site.

I contacted Anders Bylund, the author of the original Motley Fool article that hundreds of stories are citing. I was curious as to how he got these figures and he gave me his rationale.
He cited a Cens.com article that said, “according to industry insiders, T-Mobile is planning to order a total of between 1.5 million and 2 million units of G1 with HTC in the near future, including 400,000 to 500,000 to be sold in the fourth quarter of this year.”
Then, Bylund cited T-Mobile selling out of pre-order units, and tripling the number of phones initially available. He then tripled the 500,000 number to get 1.5 million.

Considering the iPhone, which launched in 20 different countries, only hit a million during its first weekend, we all probably should have been a little more suspicious of one phone in one country on one carrier surpassing that. The G1 looks to be a spectacular competitor, but we ought not to lose our heads rooting for its success. [Infoweek]

Our good friends over at Lifehacker found this video tutorial gem on how to create your own metal detector on the cheap.

Essentially, by just sticking a calculator on the back of an AM radio you can create an annoying tone sound when you put the two near a metal object. There’s something about radio frequencies and digital signals or something, but who cares how it works when you know that it does work.

As far as hacks go, you won’t get much easier than this. Plus, you’ve probably got the necessary components somewhere in your garage. What better way to spend your evenings?

[Metacafe via Lifehacker]

The Robot Calculator will not only confirm parts of multiplication tables you are unsure of, it will also hold down your spare paper clips on its magnetic back, illuminate your face with an LED light it comes randomly supplied with and store your rather short memos on the back of its small, calculating head. If that was not enough for $14.99, it may also cuddle up to you in bed…if you forced it to. [Retro to Go]