Mission Statement: Fragile

Introduction

While a large number of calculator "apps" exist, we at SagaciousMedia recognize that most of them focus exclusively on integers (in different bases) and real numbers. There are very few products that allow users to easily work with operands that have multiple parts, including: fractions (which consist of a numerator and denominator), mixed fractions (which consist of an integer and a fraction), compound numbers (e.g., lengths in feet and inches, weights in pounds and ounces), complex numbers (which have real and imaginary parts), and specialized notational systems (e.g., scientific notation).

Fragile is our first attempt to address this need. It is a calculator that allows users to quickly and easily (i.e., in an agile fashion) manipulate mixed fractions (and, hence, simple fractions).

Vision

Enter (i.e., type) mixed fractions using both a "soft keyboard" and an actual keyboard.
Edit mixed fractions.
See mixed fractions in a visually appealing and easily understood format.
Perform basic operations (e.g., addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) on mixed fractions.
Perform advanced/sophisticated operations on mixed fractions.

Target Market

Marketable Components: We see a market for both a component that can be used to enter/edit mixed fractions (to be marketed as Fragile:Type) and a fully-functional calculator that makes use of the entry/editing component (to be marketed as Fragile:Calc).

Revenue Sources: We intend to:

License Fragile (and its components) to companies that want to incorporate it into their products (e.g., banking apps that need to operate on fractional interest rates, construction apps that need to operate on fractional measurements). These versions may or may not be branded (i.e., may or may not include the company's logo in the app).
Distribute a free version of Fragile (and its components) that includes small advertisements (e.g., above the display or below the keypad).

We also intend to use Fragile to promote other products.

Derivative Products: Though there are several products for teaching fractions (and mixed fractions), they suffer from many of the same shortcomings of the existing calculators. Hence, in the future, we may develop an educational product (to be marketed as FracSure).

Related Products: As mentioned in the introduction, there are many other kinds of operands with multiple parts. Hence, we believe that the ideas (and components) being developed for Fragile can be used in a wide variety of related products.

Constraints Definition

Fragile must be written in Java and must run under Linux, MS-Windows, and OSX.

Business Requirements

Fragile must be usable by people with limited computer after only 5 minutes of on-line training (i.e., after reading a short description).