Wednesday, January 11, 2017

App Review: Calculated Industries Construction App

App Review:  Calculated Industries Construction App

Company:  Calculated Industries
Platforms:  iOS, Android, Amazon
Price:  $24.99
Type:  Construction, Geometry

All pictures are taken from the app on my Amazon Kindle Fire.

Construction Master Pro Mode (4065)

Construction Master Pro Trig Mode (4080)


Two for Price of One

The Construction Pro app is really two calculators in one:

* Calculated Industries Construction Master Pro Model 4065
* Calculated Industries Construction Master Pro Trigonometric 4080

Separately, the tangible calculator would cost at retail, $69.95 and $79.95, respectively.  On the app, you can switch calculator modes by through the Preferences menu, or by pressing [Conv],  [Store] (Prefs).  A check box turns Trig mode on or off.

What are the differences between the two calculators?  Primary the third row of keys.

Pro (4065)





[Conv]

Blocks
Footing
Drywall
x^2
Primary Key
m
Length
Width
Height
%






Trig (4080)





[Conv]

Inverse (arcsine)
Inverse (arccosine)
Inverse (arctangent)
x^2
Primary key
m
Sine
Cosine
Tangent
%

On the Trig calculator, all angles are assumed to be in degrees. 

Other Tidbits

* I really like the extended Preferences menu on the app.  Some of the choices include setting the fraction resolution (from 1/2 to 1/64), set unit preferences for area and volume, choose calculation settings for Arched Wall and Irregular Jack Rafters, and set default settings for headroom height, desired stair rise height, and floor thickness.  The preferences are presented as a scrollable list on the app.

* If you like arithmetic using yards, feet, and inches, this app will do this, including rounding all result to the nearest fraction of inch (that you set in preferences).  If find this feature very convenient and fundamental.

* The app does work with degrees and degrees/minutes/seconds (DMS).  Pressing the period key [ . ] will allow you to enter DMS in this format:  degrees [ . ] minutes [ . ] seconds.  A DMS indictor will appear when numbers are in this format.  You can convert between decimal and DMS by pressing [Conv] [ . ] (dms<>deg).  This feature is available in both modes. 

* The calculator has four memory registers: register M (which M+ and M- are available, press [Rcl] [M+] to recall M), and independent registers 1, 2, and 3.

‘*  The reciprocal ( [Conv] [ ÷ ] (1/x)) and pi ( [Conv] [ + ] (π)) are available.  The change sign is a shifted command (appropriately [Conv] [ - ] (+/-)).




* One of the coolest things about the app is that if you press and hold down a key, the app will take you to the page of its user manual.  The user manuals of Construction Industries are impressive, well written, and detailed.  At least the Amazon version has this, but I’m pretty sure it is also available on the iOS and Android versions as well.  Even if you don’t have a Calculated Industries calculator or app and especially if you are considering buying one (or several), I recommend that you visit their website at http://www.calculated.com/.

Calculations included are:
* Roofs (pitches and slopes)
* Stairs
* Circles (area and circumference)
* Regular Polygons (full angle, half angle, perimeter, radius)
* Cones (area and volume)
* Spring Angles
* Cost Analysis
* Jack Rafters

As you can see, the app has a lot of calculations tailored for geometry, which is really nice.  You can solve various what-if scenarios. 

Final Verdict

If you want a construction calculator and either the following apply:

* You are budget minded
* You don’t mind or desire to a calculator app on your phone or tablet, and you are not a stickler for using hardware

I recommend buying this app, you are getting two Calculated Industries calculators for the price of one and buying the app instead of buying both calculators will save you at least $100 (spending $24.99 versus $149.90 retail).

Also, this app is very good.

I hope you enjoyed my review and until next time,

Eddie

This blog is property of Edward Shore, 2017.