Simple Calc Offers Powerful Features

[Mike Temporale]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.smartphone.net/smartphonethoughts/software_detail.asp?id=1656' target='_blank'>http://www.smartphone.net/smartphonethoughts/software_detail.asp?id=1656</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Designed for MS Smartphone it can make calculations in Decimal, Hexadecimal, and Binary number system, work with Degrees and Radians. Wide range of operators and functions is available while short number of commonly used operators are accessible with phone's keypad. The distinctive feature of SCalc is keeping history of your calculations. If you made a mistake or need to change an argument, you do not have to calculate the huge formula again. Just press back button and change the operand, operator, or function you like. Want to recollect your calculations made some hours ago? Just get back to the application on your phone and look at it. All the actions you made are there."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/Temporale-20050916-SimpleCalc.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> <br /><br />Simple Calculator looks to be pretty powerful for something so simple. I haven't tried it, but from the screen capture, it looks to support Sin, Tan, Cos, and more. Could this be the Scientific calculator that some of you have been longing for? The best part is, it's free! :)

[ctmagnus]

Anything's better than the built-in calculator. Even finger and toes.

[bvikhanskiy]

Hi,
SCalc version 1.0.2101 is available on smartphone.net, and on developer's web site: http://mobile.bav73.com :P

Boris.

[ctmagnus]

Since we've got your attention ;), I have a suggestion or two.

1) The first softkey is set to open the Functions menu, yet the Menu softkey has options to open the Operators menu (item 2) or the Functions menu (item 3). An option to replace the Functions softkey with the Operators softkey might be nice.

2) Number the entries in the submenus, similar to how the Start menu functions. This would allow for quicker navigation. You'd just have to hit one or two keys to get the menu item you want, rather than scrolling through a screen or two to achieve the same thing.

Of course, I am not a developer so I have no clue how easy it would be to implement these ideas.

[bvikhanskiy]

Hi ctmagnus,

Thank you very much for your suggestions. However I would like to clarify them:

1. The latest version works as you described, at least it supposed to work this way. Left softkey can have one of the following
- "Functions" (if you can insert function)
- "Operators" (if you can use it; after operand for example)
- "Hex Digits" (in Hexadecimal mode)

If your left soft key does not change the name as you type, then it can be a bug which must be fixed. :oops: Main menu always has both "Functions" and "Operators" menu.

2. Are you suggesting make it flat with "More..." item? Or leave just first level menu and make other menus as a dialog (like Functions for ex.)? In any case it is interesting, because I am planning to add more options to the product, what requires me to make more items in menu, and I was planning to move some settings like precision and angle to dialogs. Not sure if it is conviniet... will try. Your advices and opinions are very interesting for me.


Thanks very much! :P

Boris.
http://mobile.bav73.com

[ctmagnus]

Hi ctmagnus,

Thank you very much for your suggestions. However I would like to clarify them:

1. The latest version works as you described, at least it supposed to work this way. Left softkey can have one of the following
- "Functions" (if you can insert function)
- "Operators" (if you can use it; after operand for example)
- "Hex Digits" (in Hexadecimal mode)

If your left soft key does not change the name as you type, then it can be a bug which must be fixed. :oops: Main menu always has both "Functions" and "Operators" menu.

:oops: Keeping my eyes on the screen, I notice that the softkey funtion changes. I usually keep my eyes on the keypad as I enter things. So that's one item gone off my wish list. 8)

2. Are you suggesting make it flat with "More..." item? Or leave just first level menu and make other menus as a dialog (like Functions for ex.)? In any case it is interesting, because I am planning to add more options to the product, what requires me to make more items in menu, and I was planning to move some settings like precision and angle to dialogs. Not sure if it is conviniet... will try. Your advices and opinions are very interesting for me.

The Functions menu, in particular, has a rather long list of items that can only be accessed by scrolling to them and selecting them. If you made that menu similar to how the Start Menu works, with items 1-8 being menu items and 9 being More, or having submenus like on the right softkey. For example, you could move all the angle functions to a submenu.

I now notice that the right softkey menu has numbers for quick access. I must have been half asleep when I wrote my initial post as I'm now discovering a lot more things about the program that I didn't realize the first few times I played with it. The ability to cycle through the basic operators with the # key is a nice touch. :)

[bvikhanskiy]

Hey ctmagnus,

Left softkey can not contain submenus by the behavior of .Net Compact Framework on Smartphone 2003, but there are some tricks which allows us to simulate such submenu. Will try creating something, if you think it is better than context menu. :D

Numbers for menu is the standard feature of .Net Compact Framework :wink:

BTW, what functions you really need in such calculator?


If you have more ideas, it would be interesting to discuss them.


Boris.

[ctmagnus]

To be perfectly honest, I haven't needed anything beyond 2+2=4 in over a decade. It's fun to play with trigonemetry, exponientation and all that, but I haven't had a need for it. So I guess that Simple Calc is about as advanced as I need right now.

Keep up the great work (and customer support)!

[Jim R]

Very nice job Boris. I have sent you an email, before I found your site, asking how I can pay you for a not-so-simple full function Calc I use often. I especially
like the running calc inputs, similar to a desktop calc with a paper printout. Nice!

Hard to find any improvements, but a couple of things I found would make even more easy to use, to consider for your next update:

1. I don't fine a 1/x invert function. Most calcs have this.

2. Can number access be added to Functions LSoft key? If not, can the end of
list be made accessible by allow the UP Nav key to scroll the list in reverse?

3. How do you cause the list of calcs to scroll up, insert new lines. Intuitively
I think it should do this with successive presses of the Enter Nav Key, after
the first(which now displays (=) the result.

Jim
San Diego

Thanks again, and let us know how we can PayPal you appreciation payments.