In this SO Question there is a comment by starblue that
A computer without loops is a calculator
Is this true?
Is that the only difference?
Is there a set of criteria to differentiate or has the line become very blurred?
5
a computer is generally turing complete
whereas the calculator is either a Pushdown Automaton (when it has brackets and priority of operations) or a Finite State Automat when it doesn’t (it excecutes the next operation on the last result)
4
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A universal positive unconditional sentence cannot be true. (This one, for example, is universal, but negative). Here Joachim Sauer is correct.
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“A computer without loops is a calculator” is a definition. It cannot be true or false at all. You can accept it or not.
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But any definition can be widely or universally accepted or not to be. Or maybe it was sometimes accepted. Here you should choose yourself, what do you want.
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As for history, in the middle of the XX century in fantastic literature all computers were called calculators. Later, in 70/80-ties, programmable calculators had hundreds of command places, arrays, cycles, conditional branches, gotos and everything. As I remember, much more programs were made for them than for “large” computers.
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Now programmable calculators are a minor business, but they do exist and there are new models of them. Look here.
So, the answers are: no; no(difference is in size mostly); yes, it is blurred.
Of course, as far as you take wiki as widely accepted opinion
2
It’s not true if you’re talking about a standard calculator. I would consider conditionals to be very important here as well.