Hewlett-Packard HP-49G

Datasheet legend
Ab/c: Fractions calculation
AC: Alternating current
BaseN: Number base calculations
Card: Magnetic card storage
Cmem: Continuous memory
Cond: Conditional execution
Const: Scientific constants
Cplx: Complex number arithmetic
DC: Direct current
Eqlib: Equation library
Exp: Exponential/logarithmic functions
Fin: Financial functions
Grph: Graphing capability
Hyp: Hyperbolic functions
Ind: Indirect addressing
Intg: Numerical integration
Jump: Unconditional jump (GOTO)
Lbl: Program labels
LCD: Liquid Crystal Display
LED: Light-Emitting Diode
Li-ion: Lithium-ion rechargeable battery
Lreg: Linear regression (2-variable statistics)
mA: Milliamperes of current
Mtrx: Matrix support
NiCd: Nickel-Cadmium rechargeable battery
NiMH: Nickel-metal-hydrite rechargeable battery
Prnt: Printer
RTC: Real-time clock
Sdev: Standard deviation (1-variable statistics)
Solv: Equation solver
Subr: Subroutine call capability
Symb: Symbolic computing
Tape: Magnetic tape storage
Trig: Trigonometric functions
Units: Unit conversions
VAC: Volts AC
VDC: Volts DC
Years of production: 2000-2002 Display type: Graphical display  
New price:   Display color: Blue  
    Display technology: Liquid crystal display 
Size: 7"×3½"×1" Display size: 131×64 pixels
Weight: 10 oz    
    Entry method: Reverse Polish Notation 
Batteries: 3×"AAA" alkaline Advanced functions: Trig Exp Hyp Lreg Grph Solv Intg Ab/c Cplx Symb Fin Cmem RTC Snd Mtrx BaseN Units Const Eqlib 
External power:   Memory functions: +/-/×/÷ 
I/O: Serial port     
    Programming model: Reverse Polish Language 
Precision: 12 digits Program functions: Jump Cond Subr Lbl Ind  
Memories: 512(0) kilobytes Program display: Text display  
Program memory: 512 kilobytes and 1 megabytes Program editing: Text editor  
Chipset: Saturn   Forensic result: 8.99999864267  

hp49g.jpg (38483 bytes)No other company can claim to have produced the best calculator in the last four decades as many times as the Hewlett-Packard company.

In the 1960s, HP was among the first to produce high-end desktop calculators, and their models quickly became the machines of choice due to their quality, their design, their interconnectivity.

In the 1970s, HP produced the world's first pocket scientific calculator the HP-35 and the world's first programmable calculator (and a decent one at that, even by today's standards!) the HP-65.

The high-end calculator market of the 1980s was dominated by the HP-41C, the world's first alphanumeric calculator, and the first calculator that can rightfully be called a pocket mainframe due to its four expansion ports and the uncountable expansion devices that became available.

By the end of the decade, HP produced the world's first graphing calculator, and their flagship model, the HP-48GX, arguably remained the best graphing calculator even as the decade was coming to a close.

And just when it seemed that HP was finally ready to abandon a field that it has led so long, and allow the market to be dominated by cheap, throwaway devices primarily designed for educational use, not for ergonomic efficiency, they came out with yet another astounding machine: the HP-49G.

To be sure, the HP-49G is not perfect. Some of its shortcomings received heavy criticism from even the staunchest HP fans: rubber keys (rubber keys! on a Hewlett-Packard model!), the lack of an IR port, the lack of expansion slots, a display glass that allowed dust to get in underneath and suffered from discoloration, a buggy operating system, and last but not least, a substandard manual.

Some of these defects were corrected: the display glass is better on current production models, HP published a manual for advanced users, and as for the operating system, since the calculator is flash-upgradable, it is easy to download and install bug fixes. The other shortcomings are easily made up for by the calculator's amazing capabilities, including its built-in computer algebra system, its huge amount of memory, and last but not least, the RPL programming language, an advanced object-oriented language first introduced with the HP-28S that remains by far the best calculator programming language today.

Under ConstructionI am still learning this calculator's capabilities, so for now, I am going to leave this page without a programming example.

Incidentally, if you want the definitive book on the HP-49G, forget about HP manuals. Buy Science and Engineering Mathematics with the HP 49 G by Gilberto E. Urroz instead, published by GreatUNpublished.com. Highly recommended, even for HP-48 users! Chapters from this book are also available at http://www.infoclearinghouse.com/.