WWDC Demo: two tip calculators
What do Calcutipr and Gratuitous have in common? They are both tip calculators. Yet what seems like a simple thing shows amazing diversity on the App Store, with well over 3 dozen tip calculators available. What makes these two different from the rest? I have no idea, not having tested the dozens of other options available.
But I can tell you choosing a tip calculator has now become largely one of personal preference. Calcutipr (iTunes link), for example, has a sleek and functional interface with lots of options. You can hit a button to round up, for example. Gratuitous (iTunes link), on the other hand, is more "designed" and streamlines functions like splitting a bill. Both do the same thing, but in different ways and with different options. Tip calcs are like shoes: they all do essentially the same thing, so your decision boils down to what you like and what you'll pay. Calcutipr is free and Gratuitous is $1.99, which may make the decision a simple one for some. Both work on iPhone and iPod touch.
I don't know if you'll like either one of these, but they do the job. If you don't like them, you have plenty of other options (iTunes link).
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What do Calcutipr and Gratuitous have in common? They are both tip calculators. Yet what seems like a simple thing shows amazing diversity...
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I use 12C Lite for my tipping purposes. Any other RPN calculator, though certainly the HP emulators, should be similar.
For x = bill, r = tip rate as a decimal:
x [enter] [enter] r * gives you the tip, then hit + to get the total.
Example: The bill is $20 and you got service worthy of an 18% tip.
20 [enter] [enter] .18 * = 3.60 (.18 * 20 = 3.60)
+ = 23.60 (20 is still on the stack since you duplicated with the double enter)
If you use need a tip calculator, you are a moron. If you pay money for one, you phone should brick itself as punishment.
July 11 2009 at 9:37 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHey all, I think the big problem is that most check splitters and tip calculators just do the same thing you can do on a calculator, but I found an app that does much more. "CheckSplit â Go Dutch on a Meal with Friends" by
Daniel Rubin. It actually lets you split the check based on who had what. Then when it splits the check, it tells how much each person owes, instead of splitting the bill total by the number of people evenly. I don't know about you, but I don't like paying for appetizers and drinks I didn't eat or drink. And of course it lets you set you local tax rate, and it lets you set a tip rate, and gives you several ways to look at it. It's only a buck, but I really thinks it's unique in what it does.
Not everyone is good at "math in public."
You people need to get out more.
Here's a good example:
You go social with some people at a bar, the total bill is say $133, with tax.
Your portion comes to $37 before tax.
To get 15% ..
$3.70 + 1/2 of $3.7 = your tip.
Now add your portion of the sales tax, which could be what, 3%? 7%? 14%?
Now do that after a few.
That's a good point, Don. Even simple percentages can get tough after you've knocked a few drinks back.
July 10 2009 at 6:11 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI agree with most of the comments, which is why I made Separate Checks (shameless plug, I know). It's purpose is to split a check accurately as oppoed to tip calculation, so you pay for only your portion. Oh, and it can also calculate tip, based on only your portion.
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=292998177&mt=8
omg nobody needs damn tip calculator. unless you're ridiculously obsessed with getting exactly a 12% tip. Even tipping 15% is incredibly easy to find. $25. to find 15% just take ten percent of 25=2.50 then divide 2.50 by 2 and add it to the 2.50. 3.25. That's your tip. My mom pulls out her stupid tip card all the time while I proceed to do it in my head in half the time.
July 10 2009 at 3:28 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyExactly. It's not rocket science.
July 11 2009 at 1:08 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyFrankly, and on a totally unrelated note, I am getting tired of having to give 20% to someone who puts my food on my plate and refills my drink once or twice. I love the Pei Wei counter service style of dining where I place and order and they bring it out to me and I fill my own dam water glass. Sure on some occasions I take the fam to a nice sit down dinner at a very nice place where the waiters swoop and serve with flair and deserve far more than 20%.
July 10 2009 at 3:02 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyYeah, along the lines of everyone else's "Can't you do math?" comments, I never get why we need a standalone app when the built-in calculator will do the job just as good.
And I agree with ktulaman... if you're EXPECTED to tip, shouldn't that be included in the price of the food to begin with?
Thanks to TUAW for featuring Gratuitous! We've lowered the price to $0.99 in celebration :) http://bit.ly/4GnaVx
In response to "just calculate it in your head": if you want to do a simple 10% or 20% calculation, that is easy for a lot of people. When you want to divide it among a party of 7, though, it gets a little harder. We also included an "expense report" feature that emails a copy of the details in response to real business users' needs and feedback.
When you're in a party setting (and especially in a professional setting), our users agree that it's definitely worth a couple of bucks to have a slick looking app that ensures you aren't rounding wrong.
A quick side note: you can see a demo vid of Gratuitous at the Uproar homepage: http://weareuproar.com/gratuitous/
July 12 2009 at 8:24 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHot Apps on TUAW
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