Iambic Releases Tipper, Your After-Dinner Helper

[Nurhisham Hussein]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.mobihand.com/pocketpcthoughts/product.asp?id=9034' target='_blank'>http://www.mobihand.com/pocketpctho...uct.asp?id=9034</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Tipper is a useful everyday utility that saves you time (and mathematical embarrassment) when dining out. Its two main purposes are to quickly calculate a round total amount based on the percentage you wish to tip, and evenly split the total amount between 2 or more payers."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/hisham-20061031-tipper.jpg" /><br /><br />This software does exactly what it says, but does anybody else think $4.95 might be a bit much for what is essentially a single purpose calculator? Maybe it's a cultural thing - tipping is almost unheard of where I come from, so I might not appreciate the usefullness of such a focused application. If you think something like this would be useful to you, a trial is available through our <a href="http://www.mobihand.com/pocketpcthoughts/product.asp?id=9034">affiliate store</a>.

[Paul Martin]

I guess it might be a bit much since there are freeware options that do the same thing just as well. At such a low pricepoint, it's hard to differentiate your product from those freeware options.

[JamesM]

Ilium Software Tipster (http://www.iliumsoft.com/site/fp/tipster.htm).

Free.

'nuff said.

[CTSLICK]

And for that matter, am I the only one that can still calculate tips in my head?

[BugDude10]

More than $4.95, but more powerful, too...

http://www.applianmobile.com/pocketpc/coolcalc/index.php

[dragonhand]

The best is not the cheapest. PocketTip v1.1 from Megasoft2000.com not only allows you to split the tab evenly between each person, but has a module which will calculate each persons actual charge, including tip and tax. Here's some description from their web site:


"Tax" value permits up to 3 characters after the decimal point
"GoDutch" mode: possibility of storing and editing of the most
frequently used contacts (persons) list for their quick selection
in the calculation process.
Possibility of storing and editing of the courses list divided into
categories (e.g.: alcohol drinks, hors d'oeuvres, fruit, etc.).
The number of categories is unlimited.
Mini calculator to calculate "one item price".
VGA and 240x240 full support
WM 5.0 support.

The price is $9.95, but this does it all.

[iant54]

Alternatively, multi-function applications which include a Tip calculator such as Burr Oak's Conversions In Hand (http://www.burroak.on.ca/cih.html?PHPSESSID=6f1d01110034cd3af94d057d0072a447

[Paul Martin]

And for that matter, am I the only one that can still calculate tips in my head?

Actually, that's a skill I've been working on in the last few years. I little rounding makes it very easy to do. I normally shoot for 15%, so 10% plus half that is easy to figure out. But, if you have to divide it up among several parties, a tool like this might be easier. I will say, I would feel a little geeky doing it - geekier that I already am, that is; some are convinced I'm playing games in church while I'm taking notes - that's my story and I'm sticking too it! :D

[iant54]

15%, so 10% plus half that is easy to figure out

Then you get UK VAT at 17.5%, which is 10%, plus half of that result, plus half of the second result .....

:D

[Brad Adrian]

Maybe it's a cultural thing...
It sure is. In the U.S. in any restaurant involving a waiter/waitress, a 15% tip is almost mandetory, unless the service is especially bad. And, for groups of several patrons, the tip is often added in automatically by the restaurant.

[Jacob]

And for that matter, am I the only one that can still calculate tips in my head?

Nope. However, why you need a calculator specifically for tipping - that I don't know.

Is this an indication of how poor our basic math skills are?

[Janak Parekh]

It sure is. In the U.S. in any restaurant involving a waiter/waitress, a 15% tip is almost mandetory, unless the service is especially bad.
Actually, in NY, a 15% tip is a little "low" for dining, etc. Typically, for satisfactory-to-good service, you want to tip 18% or so. The heuristic here is to add "double the tax", since the tax in NY is 8.375%, and if you round it up, you get very close. I'll certainly leave less if the service sucks, and maybe a bit less for less personalized services as in a taxi, but we pretty much stick to that.

I agree, though, that this app is not worth $5. In the worst case, I can just use the Calculator. What'd be more useful is a "check distributor" application, because that can sometimes get complicated if some folks drink and some don't, etc.

--janak

[Paul Martin]

Then you get UK VAT at 17.5%, which is 10%, plus half of that result, plus half of the second result ..... :D

I don't tip on the tax, US, UK, or otherwise. :mrgreen:

[yawanag]

Ilium Software Tipster (http://www.iliumsoft.com/site/fp/tipster.htm).

Free.

'nuff said.

That one's a good one and so is Tip Calculator by Brain Thump,LLC. Also FREE!

[Paul Martin]

Link for Tip Calculator (http://www.pocketgear.com/software_detail.asp?id=17954)

[SteveHoward999]

It sure is. In the U.S. in any restaurant involving a waiter/waitress, a 15% tip is almost mandetory, unless the service is especially bad. And, for groups of several patrons, the tip is often added in automatically by the restaurant.

Having moved here from somewhere where tips are regarded as a reward - a pleasant, unexpected extra thank you if you like - not an expectation, it irritates me that wages are so bad for waitresses that we are expected to tip them, and they are taxed assuming we do!

[beq]

Actually, in NY, a 15% tip is a little "low" for dining, etc. Typically, for satisfactory-to-good service, you want to tip 18% or so. The heuristic here is to add "double the tax", since the tax in NY is 8.375%, and if you round it up, you get very close.
I think 18% is the norm in Houston too? With 8.25% tax I usually double it and then add a little more. Often figuring out a 20% tip is easier and a safe thing to do.

My so always wants to leave a lot of tip though (which I agree to when I like the service or person).

But I don't like places that automatically add in the tip to the bill as a requirement. Worse are those who do this, then still leave a blank line for (another) tip! :evil:

[mrmagoo]

I would not pay for such a program. It isn't too difficult to calculate a 15% tip in my head. We shouldn't get so dependent on technology or software for that matter to do such trivial calculations.

[k1darkknight]

Actually...
It's not so much that "wages are so bad" for tipped employees, as the fact that tipping waiters/waitresses became fairly common practice, before tipped employees ever had a separate (lower) minimum wage. At some point, when the minimum wage was being raised, businesses lobbied to be allowed to have a lower minimum wage for tipped employees, based on the fact that people they were paying minimum wage ended up (in some cases) making significantly more than that.
In any case, it's gotten to a point where tipped employees almost depend on tips to make a living, so I'd say that 15% is the commonly quoted amount. I'm of the belief that 15% is just for service that you can't complain about, but wasn't especially great, either. If the employee clearly doesn't want to be there (and, having done my share of similar work, I can't say I blame them), but keeps your glasses full, and checks on you just often enough, that's a 15% tip. For an enthusiastic server who manages to stay on top of things and is friendly, yet keeps from being annoying (to where you can tell they're just 'fishing' for a better tip), I'd tend to go for a max of 20%. I RARELY tip more than 20%, but it has been known to happen.
At the other end of things, I'd say that giving less than 15% would generally indicate to a server that their service was less than satisfactory. If everything went ok, but I kept having to look around to get a refill or somesuch, I'd probably just round the tip down to the next lower 1/2 dollar or so, but I've been known to leave no tip (for absolutely HORRIBLE service), or even just a VERY small tip, if I wanted to make a point. As I understand it, servers may simply assume that if someone leaves no tip at all, they simply didn't realize a tip was expected, however leaving a small tip makes a point of letting them know the service was lousy.
ANYway...(didn't mean to be so long winded...sorry...) all that said, even if I want to figure splitting a check, and a tip, and all that...I'd still either use the basic M$-built-in calculator, or I might even (for complex check-splitting) break out pocket Excel...if I needed to split a check more frequently, I'd just set up the calculations in Excel in advance, and go from there. Paying even $5-10 for an application, just because someone's packaged the calculations all fancy-like seems a bit ridiculous to me.

[k1darkknight]

Aaaaaaannndddd...

Killed another thread...