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MR 610

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Although not a programmable calculator, the MR 610 does have a special place in calculator history: it is one of the last calculators made in the DDR, the country better known as East Germany.

The MR 610 is a surprisingly decent calculator. Small and lightweight, it nevertheless has a sturdy feel, a good quality display, and a pleasant set of buttons. Internal algorithms appear to be fairly well-designed, with no obvious precision problems. The display has high contrast, and a set of useful, highly legible state indicators, including a separate indicator for the F (second function) button. The calculator comes with a high quality faux leather case; about the only indication of the traditional East Bloc sloppiness is the fact that the case doesn't have a proper opening for the calculator's buttons, some of which therefore remain hidden inside a semitransparent plastic pocket.

Until recently, I was under the impression that this calculator does not resemble any Western model. Mike Sebastian's famous calculator forensic test reveals the truth, however: it confirms that the MR610 uses what appears to be a Toshiba chip, from a family of calculator chips found in several Western models. Maybe it was a chip imported or licensed by East Germany; or possibly, it was yet another piece of Western technology that was obtained, and copied, by an East German regime that was notorious for its liberal attitudes with respect to Western intellectual property.