Calculations 4.0 – What the stock ICS calculator should have been

Feb 2, 2012 // by RobertMiller // Blog // No Comments

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The calculator; long before I ever had a smartphone I still had a calculator “app,” so by now they have become a completely ubiquitous element of every phone. Seeing as such, shouldn’t they meld with the OS? In Android 4.0 especially, they are really driving home the notion of some uniformity and yet, the stock ICS calculator sticks out, in an ironic sense, as the blandest piece of software; utilizing just two shades, of grey. The rest of the OS lends itself to electric blues and deep blacks, so what gives with the stock calculator.

Enter a cure.

That’s what brings me to Calculations 4.0. To begin with, this app is pretty. It follows ICS styling guidelines and looks like it was simply meant to be. Google, take notes. Honestly that would have been enough for me, but the developers wanted more and I’m glad they did. While primarily the app functions as a standard calculator, it also includes these modes:

Currency Converter: Real-time (as you type) conversion to up to 10 selected currencies
Measurement Converter: Convert units of length, area, temperature, volume, weight, and time as you type.
Mortgage: See the payoff details on a mortgage or any loan, including advanced options such as points, insurance, maintenance, taxes, bi-weekly vs. monthly payments, and an amortization schedule for Pro users.
Tipping Calculator: Enter your bill amount and calculate your tip quickly with a range of percentages to select from based on the service you received.

Writing for Talk Android, I encounter differences in currency plenty and I’m always Googling the exchange rate; no more. The measurement converter is great in the kitchen; perfect muffins for life. The tip calculator is a classic, improved upon. Again, where were these in the stock calculator? They just make good sense.

The Mortgage feature is definitely a differentiating factor for this app. Plenty of calculators are on the market with these functions rolled in, but this is the first I’ve seen with Mortgage Mode, and of course its still prettier than the rest while on ICS.

I just really love how polished the app is at its debut, just 5-10 installs so far. Its the little things like the colors, measurement conversion on the fly, and correctly using ICS’s horizontally scrolling apps design. Thank you for including that. Simplicity. I love it.Good work White Gorrilla Media, Inc. I’m looking forward to the pending updates.

Screen Shots

So now that you’ve read my 2 cents, head over to Android Market and pick up the pro version for $0.99.