Calc-12E RPN Financial app for iPhone and iPad

4.8 ( 9088 ratings )

Business Finance
Developer: Stone Meadow Development LLC

1.99 USD

Current version: 4.2.3, last update: 4 years ago
First release : 22 Oct 2008
App size: 20.23 Mb

5 Stars. “I cant tell you how often I use it, probably about as much as the phone app!"
- CharlieW, President. Waterman & Company (Real Estate Investment and Development)

“This is the first 12C type calculator for the itouch that has actually made me put down my real 12C. One of the best features of this calculator is the register display where you can see what is in FV, I, PV, PMT, etc. That alone makes it worth the $14.95 price. Consider the many other features that it has over and above the real 12C and you have one sweet program here. Best of the 12C emulators out there - hands down! “
- tsinvest

It started in early 2008 with a belief that:
• there was one and only one insanely great financial calculator
• the iPhone is the perfect platform to bring that calculator back to life
• its not good enough to just copy the old, you have to make it better
• a financial calculator is a professional tool, not a game

From this mindset came Calc-12E, the first 12C emulator on the App Store. It was expensive back then ($20-$25) and compared to a game it still is because, well, you usually get what you pay for. Specifically:

Foremost, if the math isnt right in the corner cases I cant trust the calculator. Calc-12Es algorithms were written for iOS by a (the?) key member of the original 12C development team who incorporated his solutions to the quirks in financial computation that historically tripped up lesser implementations. There are reasons the 12C was the absolute best, and Calc-12E draws directly on that heritage.

While the original did what it could, 1980s technology made many features difficult, impractical or impossible to use. Calc-12E pioneered the following innovations to address shortcomings:
• you can always see whats in the financial registers (and stack if you choose) so you have instant assurance that youve entered your data correctly. This feature has been copied by nearly every emulator on the App Store, for good reason.
• visual cash flow editing radically eases how you deal with cash flows... believe it or not it is actually easy to manipulate cash flows with Calc-12E. Theres a demo on YouTube, search for Calc12E.
• Investment mode allows you to simultaneously evaluate metrics on up to three cash flow scenarios at a time. You can compare cash flows side-by-side AND because of visual cash flow editing you can play what-if games
• the results of some calculations need to "leave the phone" to be useful. Amortization schedules, leasing terms, bond yields... everything can be sent via email using customizable templates

Finally, a professional tool receives continuing support and updates. It does not nag you to rate it, it does not invite you to pay to get more. It does not crash. Check out Calc-12Es version history and reviews of previous versions. This is a live, supported app with tens of thousands of long term customers and I have never charged for an upgrade or cloaked features behind ads or paywalls. Its not ethical at this level (in my humble opinion!).

When you buy Calc-12E you get my best (and evolving!) rendition of the most popular handheld calculator ever made. Its core (the math) comes from the same mind as your trusty original and to that foundation you get usability advances that actually enhance the overall tool.

Pros and cons of Calc-12E RPN Financial app for iPhone and iPad

Calc-12E RPN Financial app good for

Best version of 12c calcs on iPhone and it has an innovative twist on the traditional favourite

An excellent implentation of the HP 12C calculator with one minor exception - there is no ALG mode. For those not comfortable with RPN this simulation offers no alternative. I am not sure if any of the other simulations offer ALG. I was hoping that the two spare buttons would become brackets and a toggle between the two modes however the company turned them into lease buttons. They operate differently using the registers and memory and in my opinion were a poor choice due the odd functionality and their impact on the overall elegance of the calculator. However this is a small complaint and shouldnt enter into your decision to invest in this program. It is extremely well done and well worth the price.

I could not stand all these 12C calculators using a picture of the real one, so this one is a nice change from that. Price was a little too high, considering that it doesnt have ALG mode and a few other additions that came with the 12C Platinum. You could buy the 12C Classic for cheaper (though it is painfully slow, something that got addressed with the platinum). Either way, great job with this one. Havent had a chance to use it much yet, but it def has what I was looking for.

Just what I was looking for and very polished. Best version of all the financial calculators out there. And with a bullet-proof pedigree! Thanks very much.

This is a perfect recreation of an essential financial tool. Great job.

This is the financial calculator that I have been waiting for. As I watched the HP 12C emulators enter the App Store, I kept wondering why none of them took advantage of the iPhones power and interface. The HP 12C is my favorite calculator, but I thought surely it could be improved on the iPhone. Finally, the 12E has done it. The 12E finally combines the 12Cs familiarity and reliability with the iPhones power and interface. Here are my favorite features: - email amortization tables and summaries of other calcs; - view the stack values at all times; - seperate screen for bond calculations; - larger keys that light up the chosen function; - instant calculations, no waiting

Some bad moments

I love the concept and features of this app, but I dont have confidence in the results. LIke "Edroid" I get inaccurate results wehn solving for Interest amounts and rates. Even the example for simple interest that is shown in the FAQs page of the authors Web site returned a different result. It would be nice to see a post from the author that an update is in process and that all algorithms are being proofed. Has anyone tried these calcs with Calculator12 from the same author?

Do not trust the results I get all wrong answers. I checked against my real 12c

Strange was working fine for a long time but past two days has been giving me inaccurate loan payment terms.

The changes to the layout destroy the hp feel, which is why I have this app. Bring back the real layout!

This was one of the first Apps I bought for my iPhone. It was the HP-12C, original classic and although the iPad upgrade wasnt very exciting it worked. The latest update coverts it to a 12E? What is that? I tried switching it back to the Traditional layout, but it isnt a 12C. I wonder how many others bought something from this company and then got upgraded to something completely different.

Latest update places calculator in lower left hand corner of iPad; not in the center like its pictured in the app ad. Please move it back to center of screen.

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