Programmable calculator features accessory ports

A new hand-held calculator I’ve been trying has features—plug-in peripheral slots, scrolling alphanumeric display, “musical” beep-boop sounds— that are familiar to users of typewriter-size personal computers [PS, Nov. '79]. But in a pocket programmable, Hewlett-Packard’s new 41C, these features and others add up to exceptional versatility.
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Memo calculators store your facts and figures

Always forgetting appointments? Two new $100 calculators that store alphanumeric messages also have date, time, and alarm functions. When an alarm beeps, your stored reminders are spelled out on LCD’s. Toshiba’s LC-1038MN has 30 memories to store messages at dates and times up to one year ahead. The owner’s manual, though, has tiny print and a format that makes it tough to learn how to use this model. Read the rest of this entry »