Author: cvsoft
Posted: 24 Feb 2013 12:24:02 am (GMT -5)
Most people use a TI-84 Plus in my math/science classes, almost entirely due to its design. By tossing in a color screen, TI should make a lot of money and no longer have to pay for outdated screens. As I found, what the common user wants is a faster processor. However, the nSpire is a PITA to use IMHO, compared to the ill-fated TI-89 Titanium. It's also prohibitively expensive ($150 for the CX) compared to the $105 TI-84 Plus and the $80 Casio fx-9850G.
Comparing the graphing speed, the Casio is always the first calculator done graphing something, and the TI-86 is last. TI should set themselves a goal to have sin(x) graph at about 100 pixels per second, so that people don't have to wait so long to see results.
The rechargeable battery is a nice inclusion for the average user, but limits the lifetime of the device to a few years before a new battery needs to be bought. Considering TI-81s are still in use, the 84+C won't get the longevity praise older models once got. People don't like having to pay for new hardware anyways.
TI should be following Casio in using a fast processor, having plenty of RAM and Archive, and backlit screens for darkened rooms with projectors showing SmartView. I feel that color was just a ploy to prevent competition. It's as if they're listening to the community and users a lot less now than they did 15 years ago. People don't need to put pictures on the graph screen, then wait about a minute to see they typed an equation or graph range in wrong.
Edit: TI should focus on making a faster TI-68k model. The nSpire is slowly being forgotten, and 68k devices have more potential than TI might see. If they toss the V200's screen onto the TI-89 and add a backlight, they'd have one of my dream calcs. And from a programming view, the lack of the modulo function and the menu system on the 84+ series makes math programming more difficult. Dialogs or the TI-73's SetMenu( make input a lot easier.
Posted: 24 Feb 2013 12:24:02 am (GMT -5)
Most people use a TI-84 Plus in my math/science classes, almost entirely due to its design. By tossing in a color screen, TI should make a lot of money and no longer have to pay for outdated screens. As I found, what the common user wants is a faster processor. However, the nSpire is a PITA to use IMHO, compared to the ill-fated TI-89 Titanium. It's also prohibitively expensive ($150 for the CX) compared to the $105 TI-84 Plus and the $80 Casio fx-9850G.
Comparing the graphing speed, the Casio is always the first calculator done graphing something, and the TI-86 is last. TI should set themselves a goal to have sin(x) graph at about 100 pixels per second, so that people don't have to wait so long to see results.
The rechargeable battery is a nice inclusion for the average user, but limits the lifetime of the device to a few years before a new battery needs to be bought. Considering TI-81s are still in use, the 84+C won't get the longevity praise older models once got. People don't like having to pay for new hardware anyways.
TI should be following Casio in using a fast processor, having plenty of RAM and Archive, and backlit screens for darkened rooms with projectors showing SmartView. I feel that color was just a ploy to prevent competition. It's as if they're listening to the community and users a lot less now than they did 15 years ago. People don't need to put pictures on the graph screen, then wait about a minute to see they typed an equation or graph range in wrong.
Edit: TI should focus on making a faster TI-68k model. The nSpire is slowly being forgotten, and 68k devices have more potential than TI might see. If they toss the V200's screen onto the TI-89 and add a backlight, they'd have one of my dream calcs. And from a programming view, the lack of the modulo function and the menu system on the 84+ series makes math programming more difficult. Dialogs or the TI-73's SetMenu( make input a lot easier.