You can not call it a scientific calculator until ...
This calculator is lacking a major and basic functionality for a scientific calculator: working with angles in HH:MM:SS (degrees - minutes - seconds). Right now it expects for you to input the decimal value for the angles (so youd have to use another calculator for it). There is no way to convert the angles from sexagesimal HH:MM:SS to decimal values and vice-versa. And of course there is no way to work directly in HH:MM:SS either.
So no good to have all the functions like SIN, COS, TAN ... if you like most people need to work in degrees. This guys need to buy a scientific calculator and learn to use it before programming one. Who knows what else they messed up - hard to trust this calculator.
Hey, I even bought the full pack $9.99 hoping that this functionality will be there - but NO, I wasted my $. BTW ... why after the purchase the app still says PCALC LITE CALCULATOR?
So here is my first app review so you can spare your $ and look somewhere else.
I was going to email to support but after I searched their forum and found this same suggestion posted on 12/12/05 with a reply that this would be a good idea for the next versions - which never happened evidently - I gave up. If they did not fix in the past years why bother.
Well, I probably will copy this message and email to them as I dont know if they read the comments here. I want to see if they will fix it in the next version.
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NOTE TO DEVELOPERS:
If you want to fix it: than consider adding a button that converts degrees from sexagesimal to decimal and vice-versa. And also a way to add degrees in sexagesimal
- use a comma between the degrees and the minutes and seconds (i.e.: 180.3015 for 180 degrees 30 minutes 15 seconds) and then convert the value to decimal before doing any operations or functions with the value - like HP calculators do - see the button HMS- and -HMS on HP scientific calculators ... i.e.: 180.3015 for 180 degrees 30 minutes 15 seconds after which you have to press HMS- to convert to decimal value: 180.504167. The you can use an operator (+ - * / ) or functions (SIN, COS, TAN ...), enter then next angle value, use HMS- ... When finished press the other button -HMS to get the value back in sexagesimal. You only need one button for it with 2 states (using shift) - you can do 2 if you have room. You could use the empty room where you have your logo for i.e.
- want to do even better? Then beside the above functionality, do what CASIO scientific calculators do: having a button (0 ") that you press after entering the degrees - minutes - seconds and being able to do direct operations with sexagesimal values without having to convert to decimal. Having both ways to do it makes it versatile, fast and engineers will appreciate it.
- DO NOT TRY TO FIX IT BY JUST adding it to THE A->B converter page. While you can add it there too, what this really needs is an easy and fast way to be able to operate with angles: its own BUTTON(s)
If you need more information google it (sexagesimal to decimal), buy a CASIO and HP, TI Texas Instrument scientific calculators and read the manual to see how you operate with angles.
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gochip about PCalc Lite, v2.3.3
