i48
i48 is an emulator for the HP48GX calculator, so the next time you’re out and about and need to do some quick matrix calculations or work out the integral of a function, just whip out your iPhone (or iPod touch) and have at it.
i48 is based on the x48 project and as such is open source. The source can be accessed via github here.
Great start! I hope to see a help system and a way to import objects in the future. A suggestion to save space: if we touch the soft menu labels directly the white menu keys are not needed, small labels ‘A’ to ‘F’. We could use the extra space to draw the keys bigger.
Wow! I have been waiting for a HP-48 series emulator since I bought my iPod Touch last year. I have a number of other HP calculator emulators for the iPhone/iPod Touch but I use my HP-48SX almost daily and it is my favorite. I don’t know if you are permitted to sell a version of this open source emulator but I would gladly pay $15-$20 for a version that offered saving and loading programs via WiFi.
Thank you very much for porting this emulator!!!
Thanks *so* much for putting this out there… the 48 was my buddy, and it’s been hard trying to get used to the other excellent apps out there that simulate older machines.
I would suggest enhancements such as keyclicks and animation like the 42s program uses, which does a great job of replicating the feel of a physical calculator.
I too would be eager to pay good money for this app, particularly with such enhancements, and perhaps a program-transfer feature, again like the 42s did so well. I would be happy to compensate the fine efforts made to port such open source software to the iphone, and get it placed on the app store. Thanks a bunch, and great job!
Great job. Back in the early 90s I used a 48sx thru high school… then the 48gx at the university. I still have both of them but prefer the software versions such as Emu48 on Windows and Power48 on the Palm.
A few comments:
– could you get rid of the interpolation on the screen. The blurry look is really painful after a while.
– the first step before going to clickable button would be to use a drawn keyboard instead of a skewed pictutre.
Here is one mock-up I did from my trustworthy Power48 (that runs in 320×480 on the Palm TX)
http://www.pbase.com/image/117205974
In case the comment system drops the link, I included the link in my “website”, so click on my name left of the comment.
Regards,
Fabrice Roux
I really like the latest mock up, particularly the lining up of the buttons under the folders on the screen.
Great app. Thank you.
@Fabrice Roux
I’ve taken your mockup and added it as a second skin for the next release of i48. Hopefully it should be released soon. For the impatient the source is available from github. Currently it includes a couple of small fixes and code to allow the emulation to run as fast as possible. When running without any speed limit there are currently issues with navigation keys moving the cursor too fast, so it’s not advisable to run in fast mode when trying to edit things
At least!!!
Thank you very much Fabrice!!!
Just one suggestion… could add an option to select/emulate the Hp48Sx instead of the Hp48Gx?
Really thank you again: this was one reason to buy the iPhone, even if a Hp48 still didn’t exist at the time.
Excuse me! I meant to say Daniel instead of Fabrice… but thanks anyway to Fabrice for the “mockup” image.
Great… I can’t wait for the updadte. Given how fast Apple green light apps… the new version should be out for the holidadys season.
I just hope you got the full rez picture. Because I remembered that PBase displays scaled down images by default. So unless you click on the Original link at the bottom of the page… you got a imperfect JPG.
Since PBase is AWHOL today… I uploaded the file directly to my webpage:
http://www.fabriceroux.com/files/external/hp48_froux.png
Fabrice Roux
@Fabrice Roux
Yes, I got the original file and it looks pretty nice in the app. Maybe if I get some time later I’ll post a screen shot to my blog.
Great ! and what about adding little light when pressing key ? (like hp15 / 42s emulators)…
Thanks you for this great app
Hello Daniel,
My name is Robert Hildinger and I am the author of Power48 (a 48SX, GX, and 49G emulator) for the old Palm platforms. Good job on your iphone port! My question is, how the heck did you get Apple to approve this? I always wanted to port Power48 to the iphone, but Apple’s developer restrictions seemed to explicitly prevent any emulators from ever being approved on their platforms. I didn’t want to go through the time and effort to port Power48 only to have Apple refuse to approve it…
Hat’s off to you for getting this through!
i48 in Youtube –> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jwk0b9nuk0
@Robert Hildinger
Hi Robert, I essentially did the port for my own use, and submitted it on the off chance. I think one of the big reasons it was approved is there is no way to download new code onto the emulated device. I imagine that if I were to add some way to load new programs into the emulation then it would be yanked from the store very quickly
@jpph
The latest code in git has this. I’m currently looking into supporting sound, but it looks pretty nasty to get 100% emulation of the sound due to the way the HP48 produces sound. I may submit the current code in the next few days and then see about adding in sound for a third release.
With a jailbroken iPhone/iPod Touch, you can replace the existing “ram” file with the HP48GX RAM file from an x48 emulator to get programs/variables on it… but don’t tell anyone, okay? =]
Hi Daniel,
Great job on i48! I downloaded just a couple days ago and have been evaluating and comparing it to the two other HP-48GX emulators in the iTunes App Store (plus 42s which I’ve been using for several months)… I think i48 is the best of the three HP-48GX emulators in the App Store. Here are some observations/suggestions:
- occasionally the keys don’t respond requiring two presses
- eliminate the iPhone status bar at the top so that i48 can use the entire screen (like done in 42s and GraphiX48) –> this can allow for the keys to be a little bigger; easier to press; easier to see; can add the “CANCEL” text below the “ON” key
- the annunciators on the left side in black (alpha, hour glass, I/O) are not very visible –> maybe use another/brighter color for increased visibility
- the ability to upload/download programs would be nice (like done in 42s or something equivalent)
- I noticed when plotting graphs that it only shows the final result (unlike other apps which show you the trace as it’s being generated)… not a big deal, just nice to see
Other than the above, I think i48 is an excellent app and will be my iPhone calculator of choice from now on!
Thanks so much for putting this together. I only have one request / suggestion.
Someone had previously ported the 48 to both pocket PC and Palm devices. Each of these had a rather nice / intuitive landscape skin / key configuration. Any chance we could see something similar in future updates?
Thanks again, great app
I have an ipod touch 2g with the 2.2.1 firmware (downgraded from 3.1.1,), I had the i48 v1.0 but I updated to the 1.1 one and It doesn’t work any more on the 2.2.1 firmware, where i can get the 1.0 version??
Thx
RIC