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Odyssey Software's Pocket BizCalc 1.0

John Ottini | Handheld PC Reviews
February 9, 2004

If you need a nice, simple straightforward calculator then the standard calculator provided as part Windows CE ROM software is probably all you'll ever require. On the other hand if you are looking for a full-scale financial calculator then I suggest you take a good look at Pocket BizCalc by Odyssey Software.

BizCalc is state of the art software, which fully emulates the industry standard HP-12C calculator, which is one of the most popularly, used calculators in the business & financial community. BizCalc uses RPN (Reverse Polish Notation) logic, which allows you to perform all types of financial functions such as Loan, and mortgage calculations, Depreciation, Amortization schedules, Compound and Simple Interest, Discounted cash flow, Leasing, Markup and so much more. Just like the standard Windows CE calculator BizCalc provides a powerful tape display but with added features such as annotation and date/time stamping which can all be saved for use at a later time.

 

Pocket BizCalc main interface

I have to admit the it took me a little while to get use to the RPN style of arithmetic calculation because I'm so use to hitting the "=" key to get my totals, but with a bit of practice and patience, I got the hang of it in no time. Be aware that this is very powerful software and the interface can be rather intimidating with all the buttons and myriad of multiple functions, so it's very important that you read the manual very carefully. Fortunately Odyssey provides a pretty thorough 40 page manual in Acrobat format and recommends that you purchase or download a copy of the HP-12C Owners manual from Hewlett Packard website, if you need a more in-depth explanation of the many functions. For my limited purposes the manual Odyssey provided worked out just great. I was able to create and save an Amortization table, figure out the compound interest on some money I have invested and worked out a Loan Calculation on what I can afford to pay on a new car.

Amortization anyone?

I think this is a wonderful and useful piece of software, which performs a wide range of functions - from easy mathematical calculations to complex "my brain hurts - what does this mean?" formulas. It's obviously not for everyone but it's a great tool to have on your HPC if you need it. I apologize for the lack of in-depth details regarding this software, but it's almost impossible to put into words all of the complex functions this software is capable of, therefore I would recommend that you checkout the trial version and the users manual and see if it's right for you.

A 30 day trial version of Pocket BizCalc is available for your HPC, Pocket PC and your desktop PC and can be downloaded at . If you find it useful then the full purchase price is $39.95 US, if not, then you'll probably just be left wondering what the big fuss was all about?

System Requirements

HPC2000 and above
StrongARM, MIPS

More information on Odyssey Software Pocket BizCalc 1.0 can be found at
http://www.odysseyinc.com/

Ratings

Cost: 2- Star Rating
Usability: 4- Star Rating
Built-in Help: 3- Star Rating
Customer Service: 4- Star Rating
Overall: 3- Star Rating