I’ve seen numerous people suggest purchasing a PDA over a physical graphing calculator. After all, a PDA can do everything a calculator can do (there are graphing calculator emulators that run on PDAs!), and it can do so much more. A PDA must be better, right?
I’ve spent the past three years in the PDA industry. I also own a physical graphing calculator. There are no doubts in my mind that a PDA is adequate for occasional use, such as for calculating sales tax or tips, but a physical calculator is superior for any extensive calculations, such as for math, science, or engineering work.
A physical calculator wins handily in the following key areas:
- Physical buttons with good tactile feedback. You want to be able to use the calculator to a reasonable degree without looking at it. You want to be able to feel for the button you want, and you want to be confident that the calculator registered the button press. Why do people prefer bulky physical keyboards to those flat, touchpad-like ones?
- Ease of use. People avoid touching PDAs directly for fear of getting fingerprints on the screen, and pulling out the stylus to tap on virtual buttons is clumsy. If you’re writing results out on paper, switching between a pen and stylus can be tedious.
- Battery life. My physical calculator lasts for years on a single set of batteries. PDAs need to be recharged frequently.
- Durability. PDAs are fragile. Physical calculators are rugged. A physical calculator can be thrown into a knapsack and jostled around without worry. Even if something breaks, a calculator is much cheaper to replace.
- Dependability. I trust the results from calculators of established manufacturers such as Texas Instruments and Hewlett Packard. Their calculators are thoroughly tested and have been used by engineers for ages. PDA software packages are made by less mature vendors who don’t have the same track record.
Plus, if you’re in high school, you really don’t have a choice, because PDAs aren’t allowed on standardized tests.