
Leading Android scientific calculator now requires Caller ID - doctorshady
https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/45xgpo/leading_android_scientific_calculator_now/
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flyinghamster
That's not a new problem at all. The top-ranked metronome app in the Play
Store wants location data. Location data, for a freaking METRONOME?!

Simple Metronome by Ethan Brown does what it says without asking for ANY
permissions (as it should).

God help you if you're looking for a flashlight app.

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castratikron
A questionably legal but terrific calculator is any TI-8x emulator for
Android. I think as long as your own a real TI-8x and extract the ROM
yourself, you can legally use the emulator. One of the emulators is called
"Andie Graph".

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buddylw
I'm a big fan of hp calculators and use an emulated HP-48 most of the time.

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CaptainZapp
I still own a HP48gx and just love that thing.

Alas, nowadays it's overkill. A bit like a Mack truck, which you use to drive
300 metres down the road to buy a pack of cigarettes.

It's still one of my favorite gadgets, though.

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noxToken
Overkill? Sounds like business as usual to me.

On a serious note, you have to admit that the familiarity of the calculator
helps. I don't know how much you're crunching numbers for complex
calculations, but trying to get them to work on Wolfram Alpha or some other
web calculator can be near impossible.

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Benjamin_Dobell
Nothing improves your rating quite like a good ol' opposition sledging...

[http://i.imgur.com/tNwR3RW.png](http://i.imgur.com/tNwR3RW.png)

To be fair, his points in the article are 100% valid. However, it would have
been nice if he gained legitimate users and reviews, not just those adding
reviews in spite of the opposition.

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jonlucc
I'm of mixed opinion on this. What is the correct way to point out that your
opposition is doing something slimy?

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Benjamin_Dobell
Well, what he's done is clever, but perhaps ever so slightly unethical.

If he genuinely just cared about users he could have reported the issue
without pushing his product. Mind you, I can't blame him from mentioning his
app, it's a great chance for publicity.

He probably didn't know he was going to get so many dodgy reviews/users up-
front. Nonetheless, the appropriate thing to do now would be to edit the
original post. State that he appreciates that privacy conscious users agree
this is an issue and he is glad people have downloaded his app. However, he's
after genuine feedback so that he can further improve his app - as such could
users please ensure they try his application and only then provide legitimate
feedback, either via Google Play reviews or another contact mechanism.

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jonlucc
I think that would be an appropriate edit to make. In the beginning, I think
it's fair to have the disclaimer that he has an interest in a competing app.
So should he do that without naming the specific app he's working on? That
might carefully walk the line.

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atomic_cheese
RealCalc is my favorite. It supports RPN and doesn't require any permissions
other than storage.

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benologist
It gets even sillier, despite having permissions that resemble malware it is
correctly classified as suitable for "Everyone", the most lenient
classification.

[https://medium.com/@PuzzleBoss/why-aren-t-app-permissions-
re...](https://medium.com/@PuzzleBoss/why-aren-t-app-permissions-reflected-in-
app-classifications-44f27ff7d651)

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ck2
Xposed + Xprivacy = problem solved

(or privacyguard if you have a custom rom)

If you don't have root, you don't own your device, someone else does.

(just wish the xprivacy ui was as easy as old CyanogenMod was, simply strike
through the privilege to revoke)

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OhHeyItsE
Don't need any of that if you have marshmallow. Can now restrict or allow
perms on a per-app basis.

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Kevguy
Except you can't turn off internet access on a per-app basis...

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andThen
If you're running Android 5.0 or better, this blocks internet on a per-app
basis.
[https://github.com/M66B/NetGuard/blob/master/README.md](https://github.com/M66B/NetGuard/blob/master/README.md)

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brudgers
I have the same HP11C I bought in 1989. It has hardware buttons, instructions
on the back, and RPN. Needs batteries about once every three years of heavy
use and fits in a pocket. Get off my lawn.

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rkangel
On the other hand, I already have a powerful computing device in my pocket,
capable of providing an extremely flexible interface (admittedly not with
physical buttons). Why should I carry another object just to do maths?

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brudgers
When _I_ need to do a math as part of _my_ primary activity, _I_ use my HP12C.
In part that's because it is easier for _me_ to use a dedicated device, even
in the field, than to wade through an app store and it is more pleasurable for
_me_ to use something that is advertising free and more intellectually
satisfying to _me_ to not share personal data with advertizers when I perform
calculations.

I didn't say anything about what anyone _else_ should or shouldn't do.

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outside1234
This is sadly sort of the norm.

Shazam, for instance, is beaming back significant location changes and each
time that you pass a BLE Beacon within its network (among other things).

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crispyambulance
FWIW, I found the Wolfram|Alpha paid app for android to be everything I need
as a "calculator". The permissions don't seem excessive, although it does use
GPS it does not slap ads on me.

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slazaro
Unfortunately, it needs internet to work, and the keyboard IMO doesn't work
that well, I keep mistyping stuff, which doesn't happen with the regular
keyboard.

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steaminghacker
Ah, this must be the unintended side effect of Play requiring developers to
declare their apps having ads. :-/

