There are tons and tons of useful utilities in the world. But one field that's bugging me are "calculators". I'm searching for a decent substitute for default Windows Calculator for years but never found a piece of software that I would really stick with.
What I was looking for:
- realizable/scalable for comfort
- free
- fast startup and fast response
- history
Some thing that I tried to use, but I didn't like too much:
- Microsoft Calculator Plus - only adds conversion to standard Windows Calculator.
- Microsoft PowerToys for Windows XP / Power Calculator - doesn't work right with Slovenian locale.
- Calc98 - Ugly. I like my software good looking.
- PractiCalc - Same as above. Also looks discontinued which is a big drawback.
- HiDigit - Don't wanna pay for something as simple as calculator.
- FreeCalc - Quite nice, actually.
- Calcoolate - Online, many missing features.
- all kinds of calculators gadgets (Yahoo, Konfabulator, Vista,...) - too small, too slow, too clumsy...
What I currently use:
- Windows Calculator - Win+R, calc, Enter and start typing. Fast and simple. Does the job, but it boring. And missing features like functions, history, etc.
- Google - yes, Google's search field is actually a powerful calculator and unit converter
- Microsoft Excel - this is a big honking calculator if you look from right angle. Use it wisely.
But there is a new kid in town - instacalc. It doesn't mean most of above criteria but has some really nice features that makes is a serious contender for adding to "What I current use category".
It's interactive online calculator and unit converter that also sports simple graphs. You can even create and use variables. Works nice and all, but there is one killer feature that separates it from the crowd - the calculations are bookmarkable!
Let's say you would like to create a simple gas consumption calculator. Easy enough!
This way your calculations can be a click away in you put them in your bookmarks or you can easily share them.
Take a look at demo for more good news.
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