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.
posted April 11th 2007 10:01AM
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.
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.
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.
*sigh*
Just wish my TI-85 could remember MULTIPLE previous entries like all the other TI's...
yeah, great... can they still play tetris?
Calculus was nothing without tetris.
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....
I have to agree. I love my 89ti. It's a great calculator.
Eh, they peaked with the TI-89 unless these can do my laundry. They ran out of maths to do.
My first calc was a TI-83 (original) and then I upgraded...
The TI-89 = the best calculator EVER.
no joke. the ti-89 is the only thing that got me through math
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.
Kids these days have no sense of history. Especially when it comes to technology.
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.
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.
I, like most engineering students, have a better relationship with my TI-89 than I do with my girlfriend.
oo7ev, you pretty much nailed it.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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."
I'll tell you this much - if you had that Engadget ACSII site up - id use it.. Whee for nostalgia..
The TI-92 AKA 'The Black Beast' IMHO was and is still the King:-)
HP roolz
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!
They should add WiFi to the calculators so students can cheat on tests.
For engineering education, this is a step backward. They need to make a TI89 with color screen, and sleeker, not bulkier.
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. ;)
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.
That thing is so sexy.
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?????????
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.
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.
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....
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Can you do Laplace Transforms with them?
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
Laplace sucks....I hate it...stupid Environmental Modeling Principles...I hate you.
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+ ...
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.
Uh, this was announced like, a long time ago...
And the site has been up for months.
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
Meh, I still prefer my trusty slide rule. Abacus works, too.
How can a company honestly sell a technology device without a color screen in 2007?
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?
You're really emotional about these calculators bro...