Awesome Calculators

While most of us use our phones or computers when we need to do math, sometimes a desktop calculator can be more convenient. This model from Sengu will look great on your desk, with its case and keycaps made from real bamboo wood. Available in 29-key or 18-key variants.

These days, if you need a calculator, you simply use your smartphone. But there was a time when calculators were popular standalone problem solving tools. Techmoan checks out another retro oddity – a 1970s calculator crammed into a clunky writing instrument.

YouTuber It’s a Small World is back, but her musical calculators have multiplied for her latest performance – a fun cover version of John Williams’ Star Wars opening theme, complete with the iconic 20th Century Fox music.

There are already a gazillion cover versions of the Luis Fonsi megahit Despacito, but we can honestly say this is the first time we’ve heard it played on a couple of musical calculators. Is it wrong that we like this version better?

The short answer? Networking. By getting cozy with math teachers, Texas Instruments became the trusted brand for graphing calculators. Teachers now know the brand’s interface so well that it would be inconvenient for them to switch.

The Crazy Calculator goes beyond letting you spell “boobies”. In prank mode, when you enter an equation it’ll display a funny reply using actual letters. Also works as a regular calculator.

Sure, there’s an app for just about any calculator you’d ever need, but TI’s new calculator breathes new life into the dying breed, with a 320×240 color 3D graphing display and wireless networking.

Made by Jonathan Bittner, it estimates price per sq.ft. and divides your place into bedrooms and common areas. The effects of other parameters are based on surveys conducted by Bittner.

Good news if you like your gadgets green: Lexon has released a rather large line of bamboo gadgets, appliances, and accessories including radios, calculators, and lighting.

Okay, so a calculator isn’t exactly cutting edge tech–but we’re liking Monroe’s 8125 for its blend of clean lines, 30% smaller packaging and chunky keys; think of it as porn for accountants.

The calculator is the last thing we’d call stylish, but the Amadana Stick Calculator comes in at a svelte 8mm with an elongated design that (almost) makes doing our taxes appealing.

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories has a DIY for making your own Fraction Adding Machine out of a Rice Krispies Box, glue and tape. It’s based on an actual 1952 calculator.