Texas Instruments finally gets fresh, unveils TI-Nspire calculators

We're not exactly sure if Texas Instruments' widely utilized TI-83 / TI-84 line of calculators have reached the same success as Casio (but it's fairly safe to assume a "yes"), but the firm is finally throwing out a substantial update to the graphing calculators that you, your folks, and probably your grandparents all used throughout high school. The TI-Nspire lineup maintains the same relative form factor, but offers up a few swank advancements such as multiple representations, "grab-and-move" functionality, resizing, dynamic linking, and of course, the oh-so-sweet ability to save and edit in-progress work (shown after the jump) right on the device. Additionally, Windows / OS X software will be available to mimic the on-screen abilities of the handhelds, which means those days of viewing the monochrome display via an overhead projector are long gone, and for those who just aren't willing to make the transition, TI is even including a snap-in TI-83 / TI-84 Plus keypad so you can upgrade your machine without relearning keystrokes. The TI-Nspire and TI-Nspire CAS are both slated to hit instructional dealers this Fall for educators (commercially available by Fall 2008), so we'd suggest pinching those pennies now in back-to-school anticipation.

[AesirX @ Apr 11th 2007 10:26AM]

Very cool... Its about time that TI finally made some strides towards making their calculators an actual *modern* piece of hardware. I just wish they would come up with a back light of some kind, and maybe an SD slot (HP's have 'em...)

I really like the keyboard (as ugly as it may be). Finally, no need to have to hit a shift key to input letters. It took TI way to long to produce something like this, but at least its finally happening.

[eugene @ Apr 11th 2007 10:34AM]

Awesome-cool...BUT...

If these things aren't certified for use on AP and SAT/ACT/SATII tests, etc, its pretty much going to mean nothing for 90% of the people who buy these kind of things. Other than that, they look real schnazzy.

[Jason @ Apr 11th 2007 10:38AM]

It says on the Nspire site that they're allowed on those tests.

I hope these are better than the TI-89 Titanium. They took the incredibly useful TI-89 and made the whole thing a mess. I'll be sticking with my plain jane 89 for a while, I think.

[Brian @ Apr 11th 2007 10:35AM]

yeah, great... can they still play tetris?
Calculus was nothing without tetris.

[Ayle @ Apr 11th 2007 12:51PM]

What do you have against the 89-titanium? I find it more comfortable to use than the old version, and it has more memory too....

[Ryan @ Apr 11th 2007 4:51PM]

I have to agree. I love my 89ti. It's a great calculator.

[Ryan @ Apr 11th 2007 10:38AM]

Eh, they peaked with the TI-89 unless these can do my laundry. They ran out of maths to do.

[nth256 @ Apr 11th 2007 10:39AM]

*sigh*

Just wish my TI-85 could remember MULTIPLE previous entries like all the other TI's...

[Aron Trimble @ Apr 11th 2007 10:42AM]

My first calc was a TI-83 (original) and then I upgraded...

The TI-89 = the best calculator EVER.

[v_dogg @ Apr 11th 2007 6:07PM]

no joke. the ti-89 is the only thing that got me through math

[paul @ Apr 11th 2007 10:51AM]

grandparents?! you're kidding.

my PARENTS didn't even have graphing calculators. they tell me stories about how they were amazed when they got their first 2-function TI. and i'm 22 years old.

[DutchGuy @ Apr 11th 2007 11:10AM]

Kids these days have no sense of history. Especially when it comes to technology.

[John Stracke @ Apr 11th 2007 12:11PM]

The first graphing calculators came out when I was in high school. I certainly couldn't afford one then; I might have been able to get one in college, but, by then, I was taking real math courses, where the numbers didn't matter.

[sheldon robidoux @ Aug 16th 2007 12:12AM]

Exactly. And if they recall their first basic calculator, chances are they were all too familiar with a slide rule. I went from slide rule to Hp45 to TI-59 and then to the PC without ever seeing, much less using, a graphing calculator.

[oo7ev @ Apr 11th 2007 11:09AM]

I, like most engineering students, have a better relationship with my TI-89 than I do with my girlfriend.

[R2DEVO @ Apr 11th 2007 11:24AM]

oo7ev, you pretty much nailed it.

[Justin @ Apr 12th 2007 12:41AM]

As an engineering student, I've got a much better relationship with Matlab.

But seriously, after checking out that site... for the kinds of problems they show, students shouldn't need a calculator. What good is a calculator if you don't really understand the concepts behind it?

[Jack @ Apr 11th 2007 11:13AM]

I like my Ti-89 titanium, it's been very useful as a physics student...now...the TI-92 is where it's at though, functionally the same calc as my 89, its sooo much more fun to play with my friends 92 than my 89.

These look good though, i'll be waiting to check em out.

[design4food @ Apr 11th 2007 11:24AM]

Is it certified for AP and SAT/ACT/SATII?

From the TI-Nspire website:

"The TI-Nspire™ handheld is permitted for use on SAT*, ACT, PSAT and AP* exams.

According to the College Board calculator policy, the TI-Nspire handheld is allowed for students to use on SAT* and AP exams.

With the TI-84 Plus Keypad** snapped in, the TI-Nspire handheld can be used on exams that may currently permit TI-83 Plus and/or TI-84 Plus family graphing calculators.

The TI-Nspire CAS handheld is permitted for use on SAT*, PSAT* and AP* exams.

Quickly and easily prepare TI-Nspire and TI-Nspire CAS handhelds for test day. Educators can simply press a reset button located on the back of each unit."

[Rynth @ Apr 11th 2007 11:26AM]

I'll tell you this much - if you had that Engadget ACSII site up - id use it.. Whee for nostalgia..

[Stephen @ Apr 11th 2007 11:34AM]

The TI-92 AKA 'The Black Beast' IMHO was and is still the King:-)

[TVGenius @ Apr 11th 2007 11:34AM]

HP roolz

[bigbenaugust @ Apr 11th 2007 11:37AM]

Was I the only one who had an TI-85 and then an TI-86? I also had an HP in college... but come on. By the time I started, I'd already had a year of experience on the 85, so the HP just seemed slow and strange.

I'm not in engineering anymore, so I only use Casio scientifics now, but in college, the 86 was my best friend. Seriously!

[Tim @ Apr 11th 2007 11:55AM]

My TI-89 is sitting right next to me as I avoid doing Lightwave Devices homework. It is by far the best calculator I've used. And yes I do have a very intimate relationship with my TI-89 as an engineering student. But my girlfriend is more jealous of Matlab.

[Engineer_This @ Apr 11th 2007 3:33PM]

I can relate on both fronts, Tim. Except my TI-89 is sitting next to me while I avoid doing Heat Transfer homework. And as a side note - Matlab could quite possibly be the best computer software ever written.

[nojok3 @ Apr 11th 2007 11:56AM]

They should add WiFi to the calculators so students can cheat on tests.

[Roberto @ Apr 11th 2007 12:21PM]

For engineering education, this is a step backward. They need to make a TI89 with color screen, and sleeker, not bulkier.

[weblogsinc @ Apr 11th 2007 1:06PM]

Twenty years ago, the Casio graphing calculator was the shiznit. TI didn't even make one. However, you weren't allowed to use them on tests, because you could store text in them (i.e. formulas), which you were supposed to memorize. I guess students today are permitted to cheat.

Oddly, unlike most technology, which plummets in price, graphing calculators are more expensive now than they were when I was in high school. Such are the perks of a captive audience.

[NeoteriX @ Apr 11th 2007 1:40PM]

That thing is so sexy.

[JB @ Apr 11th 2007 2:09PM]

Not so fast there! Check the spec's before you throw away your TI-89, TI-92 or voyage 200 and buy an nspire! The prototype was reported to have limited programability and no 3D graphing. Is it a better or a dummer calculator? Where are the spec's?????????

[Paul @ Apr 11th 2007 5:12PM]

I taught myself how to code on a TI-83 before I knew how to write computer software.

I think this is a major step backwards.

[Owen @ Apr 11th 2007 2:36PM]

When I went through engineering school everybody used HP calculators...not TI - the joy of RPN - nobody ever borrows your calculator... and I will tell you my trusty HP 20s is still with me every day since. I would bet you won't get 17 years of service out of one of those cheap TIs....

[Jake @ Apr 11th 2007 3:33PM]

I don't know Owen, I've been using my TI-89 for eight years now, and I haven't had a single problem with it (and it's been dropped more times than I can count). I would imagine it was last me for several more years if I need it to.

[Kev50027 @ Apr 11th 2007 3:39PM]

I must say, My two TI-82+ calcs have been dropped down stairs so many times it's not funny, but they're still chugging along. I had to replace the battery the other day when I realized I had a notecard inside the battery compartment from middle school. I'm well into college now.. these things last forever. They could be improved though.. the TI-83 is slow, had a low rez screen, and limited functionality.

[pentumforever @ Apr 11th 2007 2:42PM]

I'd know my class used for about 6 Months now prototypes the results were mixed.

For many classmates was the calculator to complex, it wasn't programmable, they broke more often then usually and they sucked power like I don't know what.

I hope the final version is beter, MUCH better.

[Nick @ Apr 11th 2007 2:55PM]

I bought my HP-48G 15 years ago, and it's still the best calculator I've ever owned. TIs are nice, but real work is done in RPN on an HP.

As an aside, I keep my calc next to my keyboard on my desk. Excel and the Calculator app are great, but for quick tasks, using the calculator is much much faster. I've used all sorts of Widget interfaces on my work PC (Konfab) and home Mac (Dashboard), but none are as fast to use.

[M Bison @ Apr 11th 2007 3:01PM]

Had an HP-48G+ for 8 years until it was unwittingly stolen along with a backpack. The 48-series were at least a decade ahead of their time in terms of functionality and built to last. Now with less math demands I just use an HP-45 which is still running great after 35 years although the AC/DC converter is the size of an iron.

[JeffM @ Apr 11th 2007 4:01PM]

TI-92 is junk... it makes your teachers/professors far too nervous; it is more likely to be disallowed on standard tests and offers no real usability increase over the TI-89. With college behind me I feel indebted to Texas Instruments for any and all success in my career. It sits with me at my corporate desk as a relic of years past to help me with any addition or subtraction necessary for a career in EE. ;)

[LongshotX @ Apr 11th 2007 4:29PM]

Can you do Laplace Transforms with them?

[JB @ Apr 12th 2007 12:02AM]

Someone asked can you do Laplace transforms on the nspires? LOL LOL LOL TI's idea of a good calculator is one that only does what high school math teachers want. No less and certainly no more. So when was the last time that a high school math teacher used a Laplace transform? LOL LOL LOL

[LongshotX @ Apr 16th 2007 12:35PM]

Laplace sucks....I hate it...stupid Environmental Modeling Principles...I hate you.

[Josh @ Apr 11th 2007 4:30PM]

Can they do integrals and derivatives like the 89? calculators have become so powerful these days, i only have an 83 but my school uses only 84+ ...

[mpjoyn @ Apr 11th 2007 5:17PM]

The model with Computer Algebra System capabilities will probably snare a lot of people who would have otherwise gotten a ti-89. I know you can use the ti-89 for many more powerful things, but CAS, combined with pretty print, was always one of my favorite features of the ti-89.

It will be interesting to see how this new line compares.

[Solomon @ Apr 11th 2007 8:14PM]

Uh, this was announced like, a long time ago...

And the site has been up for months.

[Tim @ Apr 11th 2007 8:24PM]

Oh jeeze. You were really late on announcing this one. ticalc.org mentioned this when they only had it available for the Germans, and then a few months ago to the rest of the world.

Even my state in Australia has explicitly mentioned the TI-nSpire calcs for highschool examinations. ;-P

[Jackson @ Apr 11th 2007 9:37PM]

Meh, I still prefer my trusty slide rule. Abacus works, too.

[Dean Croshere @ Apr 11th 2007 11:28PM]

How can a company honestly sell a technology device without a color screen in 2007?

[Rory Bigger @ Apr 11th 2007 11:36PM]

A company that has a device with no use for a color screen, wants to keep thing priced around $100 and not running through batteries at an insane rate?

[adrian @ Apr 12th 2007 12:14AM]

You're really emotional about these calculators bro...

[crispy @ Apr 12th 2007 9:19AM]

I have both the TI-89 and the 48G+ and I can't figure out how to use the dang HP. Plus finding documentation for it is dang near impossible. I hear how awesome it is from other engineering students but my community college ass it too dumb to use it.