Thursday, March 15th, 2007
InstaCalc, a real-time, shareable calculator
Category: Showcase
You have a simple calculator in your computer. You can even type calculations into a Google search input, so is there room for more calculators?
Instacalc thinks there is. It is a real-time, shareable calculator that features:
- Speed: Get answers as you type, and edit inputs in real-time.
- Ease of use: Write human-readable numbers and equations (” 2.2 billion” or “profit = revenue - cost”, not “E3 = C2 - D3″).
- Sharing: Share any result as a link or embed a widget in your blog (no signup required).
- Power: Use charts, random numbers, programming commands and other features you wouldn’t expect from a regular calculator.
Sharing is the really interesting feature for me.
Check out the webmaster calculator, or the unit conversions here, or even an embedable widget.
Instacalc looks to use Mochikit Lite, and much more.
3.1 rating from 19 votes
Ok, I understand that Web 2.0 is all about minutely improving on something that already exists, but I can’t imagine telling myself, “I need to calculate 6 billion * 23, but gosh darnit, I can’t remember how many zeros are in a billion. I’m going to http://www.instacalc.com!”
Does this really need its own domain? It should be buried on someones’ “My Scripts” page linked from their blog.
great example of skill, and lack of creativity.
The line numbers at the end reminds me gwbasic.
I think this a pretty neat idea, not so much for doing calculations, but for teaching the effect of brackets and the order of calculations (”BODMAS” rule). Only one problem, UK billion is 10^12 and in the US it’s 10^9. That’s bound to confuse someone…
WHY do so many of these “ideas” lack any polish at all? I thought Web 2.0 meant shiny, bubbly, and yummy? Why does it have a graph paper background when the information doesn’t even line up on the grid?
*Yawn*
Hey, this is Kalid from Instacalc, thanks for the write-up. InstaCalc isn’t meant for the super-simple calculations; try the examples to see the power available (instant results, variables, sharing links, embedding in webpages).
My goal isn’t to *replace* your current tools, it’s to give you a better option for sharing numbers (see the CodingHorror article above).
The product will constantly evolve with feedback, so appreciate the comments!