After the project was discontinued HP released the software as freeware. This software was the core of the whole project the hardware was merely a vehicle to get it into the hands of teachers and students. Programs compiled for this platform seem to run just fine on the Xpander, although I have no idea if there were plans for the production model to be locked down. Your eyes do not deceive you, it is in fact running Windows CE 3.0 (Build 126) on a Hitachi SH3 processor with about eight megabytes of RAM. The quality of the screen– with several gray levels –was abysmal, even for the late nineties.įortunately the connectivity software packaged with the calculator has a screenshot function and we were actually able to use it to get genuine screen captures for the images that follow.
(I don’t trust batteries that have tufts of white crystals growing out the ends of them.) As far as I know no compatible external equipment was ever supplied to testers outside of Hewlett-Packard.Īfter all these years it still powers up just fine, although I did remove the original batteries before plugging it in. It also had a Compact Flash slot on the side, intended for use with external sensors and other equipment. The socket in the middle is a display output port, and was used to connect the overhead projector display unit to the calculator.
#EBAY HEWLETT PACKARD 42S RPN SCIENTIFIC SERIAL#
Each calculator also shipped with a serial port cable and software to transfer files, update the firmware, and take screenshots. The Xpander is powered by two internal Nickel Metal Hydride cells which are charged with a wall adapter. The calculator ran custom software on top of Windows CE 3.0 on an Hitachi SH3 processor. None the less, it’s an interesting piece of history.įor input the Xpander had a stylus-driven screen (tucked away into a slot on the left side) and a calculator-like keypad. Despite positive feedback, the project was shuttered in 2001, with HP stating that the project did not have “a broad enough appeal”. The Xpander was Hewlett-Packard’s attempt to reinvent the graphing calculator as a smart, stylus-and-keyboard bearing interactive computer.Īnticipating wide distribution, HP Sent prototype units–like one shown here –to a select group of educators in the year 2000. Not just a relic from the age of brightly-colored transparent plastic, but what could have been the future of HP graphing calculators. Behold, in all its glory, the “HP Xpander.”
0 kommentar(er)
