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A cool traveler’s watch, but: Casio, please stop photoshopping your product images.,
I’m a backpacker trekking the globe several times a year. I wanted to get an economically priced sports watch that would help me with a few things:
Alarm – so I don’t miss flights in foreign countries
Local time – for whichever country I’m in
Multiple global time zones – for when hopping from one country to another
Water resistance – for those lazy, or sporty, days in tropical waters
Low price point – so if I get mugged as I did in Bogota, it wouldn’t totally ruin my day.
I did the usual searches on Amazon: sports watch, travel watch, etc. Did not see this watch, and almost bought another watch that I did not quite like. And then this one appeared under a “People who looked at this, also looked at these” suggestion.
Bam. Exactly what I wanted. Now that I’ve received the watch, I tried doing a search for this watch to help other readers in their searches.
If you do:
Watches > Sport Watches > Casio > Prime Eligible > Under $50
It’ll appear as #73 (today) ! And that’s just looking at Casios. Forget about if you were looking at the entire database of sports watches under $50.
It does all the things laid out in my objectives. The alarm can be a daily alarm or a one-time alarm. I like that, since the one time alarm will disable itself.
Cool features:
1. You can set the LOCAL time for your country/city (or wherever you happen to be) under T-1.
Then you can choose to store 3 other cities/countries, and it will automatically show the time for those selections saved under T-2, T-3 and T-4.
The watch can show the current time in 48 cities (31 time zones) around the world, and you can easily scroll through all the zones and set any city as T1, T2, T3, T4.
For example, I live in California and will be traveling to Asia in a few days, and have currently set LA as my T-1. I have chosen Hongkong, Bangkok, and Delhi as my T2-4, and it automatically shows me the time for those cities by pressing a button. Time zones are calculated on the UTC format – Universal Time Coordinated – so you’ll always have the right world time anywhere.
Time Swapping: When I get to HongKong, I’ll make it my T1 because I want to be on local time (simply by first selecting T2 which is my current HongKong setting, and then pressing 2 buttons simultaneously to convert HongKong to T1. It then makes LA my T2. You get the drift). Similarly, when I’m in Thailand, I’ll make BKK (Bangkok time zone) my T1.
The map is cool, as it shades the time zone you are viewing.
2. The digital display shows you the time, day and date. The analog display (circle) shows the time as if in an analog watch.
3. It has the usual sports watch features: stopwatch, countdown timer.
I would have given the watch 5 stars if:
1. It had looked even cooler: they should have made the face (or base background) white instead of gray. Then things would have stood out more, and the watch would have looked classier as well. The picture makes the face look bright and almost bluish white. Far from it! It’s a dull, boring gray. When in a room with the shades shut during the day, it can be hard to read the time since the black digits are hard to see against the dark background. Casio, please stop photoshopping your product images.
2. The analog hands in the little analog cirlce were not black. They are and they blend in with the ‘+’ sign that delineates the quadrants, when at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions. They should have made the hands red or something. Go for broke…colors should pop.
Conclusion:
Overall, a cool, and light, traveler’s watch for only $24, but with a gray face color. Or go with some nice ones in the $40-60 range.
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|A great watch for travel or sports,
An excellent watch for people who do sports or who travel. As it can resist up to 10 atmospheres and 100 meters (about 330 feet) water resistance. You can wear this watch during rain, windsurfing, swimming and other instances.
I personally like this watch, because it looks great (especially with this world map). Plus there is also an analog dial screen for those who like analog screens. The watch has 5 alarms, stopwatch, and world time (which is an excellent tool for travelers or people who have relatives or friends in other countries). An the last, this watch is very light weight, so after some time you will not even notice if it is on your arm.
Overall, this is a great watch, I give it an A+.
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|Awesome Watch! Great Deal!,
Great deal on this watch. $20 is great! I was looking for a cheapo watch with a stopwatch that I could use at the gym when I’m running on the treadmill. I saw another Casio and was going to go for that but I saw this one in my local retailer, where I paid about $6 more than what it goes for here on Amazon.
After looking at it, I decided I liked it enough to pay the difference.
Pros.
-5 Alarms! 5! You can set them to go off once or daily. Awesome!
-Local time for over 35 cities across the world, plus an easy to change feature that makes any of them local time at the press of a button. (The ability to change home time at the touch of a buttom….awesome. Will come in handy when I travel to the west coast later in the spring.)
-Countdown with anything between 24 hours and 1 minute.
– Stopwatch with dual finish split time for measuring two finishes.
– Date accounts for leap years and built in month changes up to 2099.
– Breathable strap and lightweight design.
-Water Resistant up to 100M
Cons.
– Would have liked to see the backlight illuminate the whole screen when the button is pressed, as other cheaper Casios and Timex watches do. Small thing to nit pick at as you can change the light from one second to three seconds to conserve battery life.
– Have to manually change DST. Not a big deal to change twice a year but still. Would be better if it had it built in, but again, a small thing to gripe about.
The bottom line. This is a great watch for the price for anyone who’s looking for a sports watch, world time watch, watch with multiple alarms or even someone just looking for a digital watch. It’s a nice looking design, lightweight and to be honest, with the features it has, I’d imagine it could be even $10-15 more.
Pick one up. You won’t regret it.
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|A worthy successor of the classic HP12c is finally unleashed,
The HP12c Platinum 25th Anniversary Edition (HP12cPAE) is the 2006 special commemorative limited edition model and the second official upgrade of the original HP12C. The HP12c Platinum (HP12cP version 1.0) has been improved since its released in 2003. Although the HP12cPAE is based on the HP12cP version 2.0,it would has its historical place as the 4th model in the HP12C lineage since 1981 and may be unofficially designated as HP12c Platinum version 3.0.
FIRST LOOK AND FEEL. HP has showcased this upgrade with an overall quality in both the looks and feel department. The “new” retro-styling and colours of the HP12cPAE closely resembles the exterior of the silver plated HP11C, a made in the 1980s HP scientific calculator cousin of the gold HP12C. As a bonus, HP had made this a special purchase for the fans and new owners by including a nice black 25th anniversary “PDA” style leather pouch with the HP12cPAE. The overall construction is firm and solid and the improved keypad buttons has a very nice tactile feel indeed.For better viewing, users can now adjust the contrast of the clear LCD display screen.
WHAT’S NEW? Since the HP12cPAE is faithfully and conservatively built on the time-proven functionality of the HP12C, existing users should not expect to see any major hardware and software improvements. However,it is evident that HP had listened to its customers negative feedback on its first half hearted attempt to upgrade the HP12C with the slow HP12cP version 1.0 released in 2004. HP had dutifully responded to its customers negative feedback on the HP12cP v1.0 and and demostrated their wholehearted effort with the HP12cPAE by incorporating all necessary enhancements which could be possibly squeezed into the package to expand the capabilities of the classic HP12C.
HARDWARE ENHANCEMENTS. The current upgrade is 6 times faster than the HP12C as claimed and probably 10 times faster than its slow early release HP12cP when performing certain TVM calculations. The improved speed is now up to par with cheaper products from its competitors. This upgrade has four times more data storage memory which is sufficient for input of up to 80 cashflows or 400 programming steps. With the HP12cPAE, advanced users have a more powerful tool which would enable them to store more keystroke programs into their HP12cPAE, to perform routine complex and customized financial calculations by executing the programs stored in its memory.
THE HP12C NICHE. Potential new users of HP12C series of financial calculators should be aware that the proven form factor of the HP12cPAE is quite a novelty product to get used to. Despite the age of its design, if new users are looking for the unique RPN input method and user programming capability, the HP12C series and the HP17B2 series are the only choices available.
AGAINST THE COMPETITION. It is difficult to compare the user programmable HP12C series against offerings by other manufacturers, simply because no HP rivals has ever managed to produce an equivalent product to challenge the HP12C series. Advanced “power” users of financial calculators would appreciate that complex financial calculation, such as the Black-Scholes European Option Pricing Model formula could be keystroke programmed and stored into any HP12C series. HP12C, HP12cP (versions 1.0 & 2.0) and HP12cPAE users could recall the program from memory to perform routine computations repeatedly.
WHO SHOULD BUY IT? A fan of the HP12C with some spare cash on hand would probably grab a HP12cPAE off the retail shelf without thinking too hard. From my personal experience, new users to the HP12C series would find that the HP12C actually glows on you and grows with you once you are familar with it.
WOULD IT BECOME A COLLECTOR’S ITEM? Savvy consumers should know that the HP12cPAE is mass produced and sold worldwide as a mainstream consumer product. IMHO, the HP12cPAE would have to be made with real titanium, platinum or gold plated parts and engraved with unique serial numbers if it were to qualify as a rare collector’s item. Only time and actual HP sales quantity would determine if any collector-speculator would profit from an auction sale of a new and sealed HP12cPAE on e-Bay.
WOULD I RECOMMEND IT? Yes, definitely. By improving the on the HP12C, HP has again demonstrated in the HP12cPAE (and HP12cP version 2.0) that with the right effort even a good product design can be improved upon at the matured stage of its product life cycle. Now, there is a real rival for the much loved classic HP12C, and it is no other than its successor,the HP12cPAE. Realistically,it is difficult to keep improving a near perfect product such as the iconic HP12C. Judging by the high industry standard it has set, the HP12C would probably celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2031.
Thank you for reading my enduser review, hope it is useful to you.
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|I still prefer the regular 12C,
I have been using the HP12C for about 20 of the 25 years it has been around. I love the calculator, and this is why I have used it for so long. I would recommend a purchase of an HP 12C to everyone. I also recommend purchasing the HP 12C instead of this anniversary edition. I only have a couple reasons for this.
1) The keys of the anniversary edition do not respond as well as on the regular HP 12C. For example, when I turn on the anniversary edition, I have to check to make sure it actually turns on.
2) The quality of the anniversary edition is just not on par with the regular HP 12C. For example, the screen on the anniversay edition is already getting scratched up. I have a twenty year old and a five year old HP 12C, and neither of them has any scratches on the screen. Also the keys are just not as solid and they don’t have the nice tactile feel of the regular HP 12C. The anniversary edition just feels cheap.
So I would recommend skipping the anniversary edition for the regular HP 12C.
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|Nice, overall, but PLEASE HP bring back the quality!,
There’s been many a good review on this calculator previously on Amazon so I won’t delve too deeply into what has already been said. I will, however, off a few opinions that are gleaned fromm over two decades worth of using financial calculators, so I hope someone finds this interesting.
First, there are only three ‘true’ manufacturers of financial calculators: HP, Texas Instruments and Calculated Industries. Well, four if you count everyone else. But, HP & TI own the student and financial market. TI’s calculators use the Algebraic Operating System (AOS) and HP uses RPN (Reverse Polish Notation) and some (the HP-12c platinum reviewed here) offer both. It’s a matter of personal choice; RPN is more fluid once you learn it, but AOS is easier and flows math as you were taught in school. That said, once you master RPN, you won’t go back to AOS.
Secondly, and this is my big beef with ALL calculator manufacturers. Handheld calculators need TACTILE feedback; meaning, notably, that you have to both KNOW when you press a button and, also, KNOW that when you do, it registers and doesn’t do something funky (i.e. NOT register or DOUBLE register). This is beyond important and frequently overlooked by engineering types designing these calculators. Face it, a financial calculator isn’t mainstream and it isn’t used for insignificant calculations; they’re used by investment bankers, accountants, analysts, etc. and these people have to be comfortable in the fact that the buttons ‘work’ and work everytime.
No one, not a single manufacturer, understood this except HP. And HP understood it to the point that their products were in a class by themselves. That was until about five years ago. Then, HP moved calculator production to China and the first products, notably the HP-12C Platinum and the HP 17BII+ suffered horribly in the hands of users because the tactile response simply was awful. Read the Amazon reviews on these products to get a feel for what I’m talking about here. I have a 17BII+ (2006 production) and call attest that if you don’t watch it, it will frequently not register a number. That’s useless in a financial calculator.
Fortunately, HP in this latest 25th Anniversary Edition apparently listed to consumers and got ‘most-of-it’ right on this model. Certainly better than the HP-12C Platinum and arguably better than it’s more expensive sibling, the 17BII+.
Here, in no particular order is my Good/Bad list of features:
Good
Follows typical 12C keyboard layout and convention. The 12C is THE standard in financial calculators and HP wisely left the form factor alone.
Faster than the original 12 and Platinum editions that followed. By HP’s literature, almost 6x faster, but the big deal here is that it is faster than the horrible Platinum 1.0 version which suffered in TVM calculations.
Re-designed battery door. If you used an original 12C, you’ll like the honking big door on this version.
VERY sweet rear labeling of functions; the metal decal attached on the back really goes a long way towards helping one with the keystroke/feature set of this calculator.
Runtime is just insanely long, which is useful since it uses non-standard batteries (CR2032’s–better buy ’em now; you WON’T find them when you need them!)
Bad
Tactile response. Yes, it’s better than the 17BII+ (much!) but it still isn’t in the same league as the older US or Singapore produced calculators of the 1980’s and 1990’s. Arguably better than a ‘cheapie’ calculator but not what I would call ‘good’ by $50+ product standards. Honestly, I cannot fathom why HP won’t belly to the bar on this and just spend $5.00 more and put a better keyboard on their high-end calculators. I will say this keyboard is the BEST keyboard HP has in their calculator product line, PERIOD. But that’s not as big a compliment as it sounds.
Build-quality. Good. Not great, good. The thing still feels flimsy compared to the older products, plain and simple.
Case. Know what? On the web, that leather case looks very cool. In real life, it’s three times bigger than the calculator and twice as hard to carry. A simple leather slip case would be nice.
Other odds and ends.
HP’s manual for this baby is honestly worth the price of the calculator; maybe more. One thing I’ll have to give HP is at least in this day and age of PDFs and web searches, they still give you an honest-to-goodness manual and a good one to boot. Kudos to them for that one!
As it stands, this HP 12C 25th Anniversary Edition stands as my pick of the absolute best available financial calculator on the market today. I say that because it’s better built than it’s bigger brother (17BII+) and offers RPN and programming and a familiar keyboard and layout.
However, I wish HP senior staff would puruse these…
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