14 DAY TRIAL // With the new Windows around the corner it seems that you are going to benefit from a wider range of options and a brisk new set of applications. The trivial calculator is one of them and if you got tired of the plain old version of the application then Windows 7 comes to deliver an enhanced interface and plenty of new consumer-oriented choices (it may seem like a crazy idea, but you can download it for free and with a little effort even integrate it in your copy of Vista, thus replacing its dusty old brother).
As a standalone application is works perfectly fine on Vista and it does not even need installation as it can be perfectly well dubbed as a portable application. All you need is extract the contents of the downloaded archive and place them in a folder of your own.
Compared to the old version, the interface is definitely slicker and better looking. A larger screen that displays the history of calculi and lets you clear as well as edit them has been appended. The great thing is that if you choose to edit the previous calculations the app will still maintain the initial result as well as provide the new one.
If you think the options are pretty good at a first glance, you should take a look under the hood and check out the four different modes it can be used in. Most users will only require standard calculations, but for those in need of special functions there is also the Scientific, Statistics and Programmer modes. The last two of them are not new, but split modes from the old Scientific one. However, it is good to have them separated and be able to access them individually.
But the fresh calculator in Windows 7 also sports new elements, which are to be found under the Options menu. These let you calculate the duration between two periods of time (date calculation), access a set of four templates designed to calculate lease and mortgage payments, gas mileage and give you a wage estimation. All you have to do is pick the desired worksheet and complete the fields available for the application to calculate the result. Unit Conversion lets you make the transformation between different measurement units for angles, area, energy, length, mass, power, pressure, temperature, time, velocity or volume.
In the case of gas mileage template all there is to it is to provide the values for two of the following: distance, fuel consumption and mileage. In order to find out the resulting value for either of them you need to provide the values for the other two elements of the equation and press the “Solve” button.
With Lease Estimation things are pretty much the same, only there are more fields to fill in: lease value, period of time, number of payments per year, residual value, interest rate and periodic payment. The same principle applies for Wage and Mortgage Estimation.
Unit Conversion is one of the simplest ways to make the transformation of a specific measurement unit into other sub-units. One of the great things of the program is that it lets you copy the values and even arrange the reading order or insert Unicode control characters.
The Options menu also hides a function that helps you with reading large numbers by adding a separator (comma) for digit grouping. This is also the place to disable the display of calculation history. Needless to say that the functionality of the software extends to providing you with the necessary keyboard shortcuts for almost all the options and functions available in all three existing menus.
Even if Windows 7 Calculator won't solve this year's recession issues, it seems to be designed for math aficionados as well as the average Joe and presents a wide range of options for both types of users. It provides the means to solve complicated math expressions as well as more mortal and burning issues such as mortgage payments or gas mileage. In standard mode the application is a Superman in disguise as tinkering with its menus will show you the real powers of the program.
With all the features it shelters, your desktop calculator will soon become useless and less comfortable than ever. It was high time this little addition of Windows grew some features and a new set of options.
The Good
The dockable templates and the smooth switching from one mode to another make it ergonomic and little intrusive on the desktop.
Number pad is highlighted in the interface for those of you who do not find the keyboard numpad section too appealing. Calculation history and the set of templates are an extraordinary touch, adding great value to the software.
The Bad
The Truth
You have four modes now, calculation history plus a neat set of four templates letting you estimate wage, lease and mortgage payments as well as gas mileage. More than this, you get to convert different measurement units and calculate amounts of time from one date to another.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
