Pi Cubed - Calculator Application for iPhone

Review

Pi Cubed is slated as a calculator application for the iPhone and, despite a few flaws and issues with stability, it is still a good enough scientific calculator.

Upon starting the application, the first thing users will notice is the interface. The interface is unique in that it does not have the usual calculator line-by-line display. It, however, looks like a chalkboard - an interface that is very easily read; equations are displayed in full, and users can zoom in order to focus on the different parts of the equation by using the pinch and zoom controls of the iPhone.

Users begin with a blank box to the left of the screen, an equal sign, and a question mark to the right. To type in items, simply tap on the box. Items are categorized as numbers, operations, exponents and so on. Users can then build the equation using the items.

Variables

Users can set variables using the Pi Cubed application. Selecting the category 'x' provides the following options: x, pie, and e. Upon selecting 'x', Pi Cubed adds 'x' to the equation the user is working on. Tapping on the edit icon allows the user to modify the variable, changing it to another character or add annotations. Adding another variable of the same name will link those two variables. Giving one of those variables a value will automatically update the other variable.

Issues

Pi Cubed has excellent features. However, it is far from perfect. The application crashes at times, after which, it resets to the last instance it was opened. New, unsaved equations will most probably be gone if the application crashes.

The application is also rather difficult to use. It is not intuitive and has a bit of a learning curve. There is, however, documentation for the product and its features, but it would be better if the implementation was modified a bit to make the app easier to use.

Also, the application could do with an improvement on selecting and editing of parts of the equation. Selecting an operation automatically appends a box to the equation; however, the new box is not automatically selected.

Another thing, users are unable to add annotations at random areas of the 'board'. Lastly, all settings for the application should be located conveniently within the application itself. This is not the case for switching between Radians and Degrees in the Pi Cubed application. Users who wish to switch between these two units need to go through the iPhone's Settings app first.

As a whole, Pi Cubed is a useful, nifty application. It is a bit on the expensive side, but it does come with a cool interface and the database of equations - something extremely useful.

Pricing

The Pi Cubed application is available for purchase at the App Store for $9.99. Pi Cubed Lite version is also available free at the App Store.

Conclusion

The application is well-integrated into the iPhone. Its user interface and core functionality is excellent. The application is also reusable, giving it an overall rating of 4 out of 5.

Features

The application has the following features:
Mathematical calculations
Construct
Evaluate
Typeset

Controls used:
Pinch zooming
Touch panning
Enhanced data entry and editing

Mathematical operations supported:
Trigonometric functions
Exponents
Factorials
Logarithms
Arbitrary roots
Storage of calculations
Built in equations (over 150)
Email support (equations may be sent in LaTeX format)
User manual (in-application)
Video walkthroughs of features (available on product website)