The HP39GII will arrive to Europe in June. It is scheduled fot week 25 and we are already taking orders.
I have received a sample. I have been told that there are 250 samples in Europe. It came wrapped in plastic, not in the usual blister, and without manuals. The final units will of course come complete, in blister and with manual and software.
How is it, then?
First of all, it has a cover, like some lower level HP calculators like the Smartcalc 300s. It does not come with a pouch - plastic or leather.
The calculator is pearl white, and it shines, although it can't be seen with the lighting I used to take the pictures. The screen is the same size as the 50g, or slightly smaller. We will see that in future pictures. The color is nice, but it looks student, not professional.
The key feel is much, much better than that of the 50g. I know that this may sond superficial, but I place a high importance in the keyboard feel. Is one of the things that makes you decide and grab one calculator or another. The keys are, of course, click-and-rotate.
The box has the same basic shape as the HP 17bII or the HP 35s. The keys are kind of protected by the sides, and the lower side has round corners so that it can be grabbed with one hand comfortably. There is an USB connection on the side, not on the top, of the kind found on the later Blackberries or the Amazon Kindle.
The manual is clear and well organized. I found that, once known the general method, it is a simple machine to learn - in fact, an order of magnitude simpler than the 50g. I am now using the solver app and it is the easiest solver in my HP experience -even simpler than the 17BII/19BII machines (and they were simple!). As it has no CAS, we have to expect in the near future something like a HP40gII that has it.
The keyboard is less cramped than that of the HP 50g. It does not have the irregular form found on the 50g: round below, square on the upper side. There are no writings on the calculator surface, only on the keys.
But the main attraction of the calculator is the screen. Let's see a couple of pictures and you will appreciate how sharp thenumbers are.
It is worth noting that the screen supports several grey levels - not just pure black and white.
Due to the poor lighting, the numbers look not as sharp as they really are. See them compared with the mighty HP 50g:
Side by side, both look the same dimension. The rounded upper and lower edges of the HP 50g make it look slightly smaller, and the screen just slightly bigger.
After this initial exploration, I am beginnign to play with it. I need to fully read the manual and start to play with it. As it is not RPN, I need to learn it from scratch. I have to confess that I have no previous experience with either the 39gs or the 40gs.
There will be other related products available for it:
Interactive E-demo also called Computer Based training similar to
39GS: available on May 15 in local languages
• 39gII Learning activities : June 1st in English then we need to work
with local math teachers for adaptation to each country
• Emulator in local languages: available on April 30th
• Data Sheet :english version available, Localize by June 5th and
published on HP.com
• Product Images: available on Partner marcom took kit
• Connectivity kit: available on June 8th
Interactive E-demo also called Computer Based training similar to HP39gs
39gII Learning activities
Emulator in local languages
Connectivity kit
The price will be 79,9 €, and it can be preordered from now.
We will post any news on the blog
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