What's 4.3-inches diagonally, costs $200 to build and has absolutely
no reception issues when held as shown in the image above? Why, the Open SciCal! Matt Stack, the genius who pieced this gem together, relied on a 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 CPU, 8GB SD card, WiFi module and a spartan web browser in order to concoct what's likely the most desirable
graphing calculator this side of Pluto. The handheld device weighs about 1.6 pounds, runs Linux as well as the statistically inclined R, and is reportedly capable of doing roughly twice as much crunching as Texas Instruments'
Nspire. Skeptical? Considering that this bad boy sucked down stock data from
Yahoo! Finance and ran auto-correlation on the numbers in order to near-instantly report current trends, we're guessing TI (or any other graphing calculator company, really) has no room to argue. Hit the source for more details, and don't worry -- that feeling of insignificance wanes with time.
posted August 7th 2010 3:26AM
Claps. Next?
TI 83+? I got an Nspire
@Almo Thats basically a Evo lol.... $200, 4.3 inch screen,1GHZ processor, 8GB SD, and WiFi
@Almo Considering how powerful and relatively inexpensive mobile phones have become, I'm surprised that graphing calculators are still way underpowered than what it could be.
@EliteGeek
I am happy with the power of my TI-83+, I just want a goddamn color screen.
@Almo *Warning, partial-thread jack*
As long as you aren't clapping about "has absolutely no reception issues when held as shown in the image above? "
Earth to Engadget, we know this is a joke, however. You continue to say how you can get the HTC X, Droid Y (I'd regularly use "x" in this siutiation) and Blackberry Z to lose signal with a death grip...however, no one death grips a phone and only 1 phone on the market loses signal when held in such an everyday usage scenario.
The death grip is not something you should have to look for, which Engadget now does in every phone review, and is successful finding since this isn't the grip they use to find it. Come the iPhone 5, the search for the death grip will probably be a thing of the past, because Apple (hopefully) won't have this problem using the grip in the image above.
@liftedngifted1
Except it's actually $450 plus a lot of time. Considering an HTC Android for the same price also has camera, capacitive (not resistive) screen, GSM, etc. etc. etc... I suspect it'd more practical to root a random HTC Android and get R running on that.
@shaynes
Id settle for a high-res screen. My TI-83 makes really bad looking graphs. Especially when I compared them to the graphs from a 2 dollar app on my iPhone.
@EliteGeek http://xkcd.com/768/
I rather do this then buy a TI. Definitely seems worth it.
@JJS
Too bad you could never use this in College/highshool; at least not without some modifications. That Wifi+Web browser would make it extremely easy to cheat, but I could see this being used in a professional environment a lot.
@Special Agent Steve lol
@Special Agent Steve
What if you used a smaller screen and put it in the shell of a TI calculator?
@Special Agent Steve
Highscool i could see no problem with. Theyre not gonna know it has net capabilities. Hell, most of my teachers wouldve just been "Oh woah thats a cool calculator.
@einhanderkiller
Lol, that might work. But then again, you could do that with any modern phone today.
@Special Agent Steve
If you could find a screen like the one in the TI83 and a ti83, I imagine you could hack this into it.
Then you would have an instant win...
@Special Agent Steve I say if the student can build it from scratch themself, he wouldn't need to cheat.
@d3sc3nd3ncy
http://xkcd.com/768/
no further comments
All we have Is Texas Instruments, I feel so ashamed...
nvm, this will NEVER be certified for official test taking. maybe for taxes or business use, but not college.
@JJS well, if you were to take out the wireless capabilities....
@Herman Melville nobody would go through the hassle of building this, to then take some capabilities out. i just don't see a way this can be certified, there are so many obstacles to go through, it'll just be a waste of time.
@JJS And that's how TI gets away with the obnoxious prices and old software :(
@JJS
After like intro math classes, *most* colleges typically don't give a s*** what calculator you use. Then again, they don't help much after intro math classes. . .
@d3sc3nd3ncy
Even if it didn't an internet connection, the school usually wants a model number or something so that they can approve it. If don't think "oh, I built this myself" would fly in one of my exams.
@shaynes
In my 5 years of undergraduate experience (BS in Math and Comp Sci, 1 class from a minor in Physics and EE as well as some Poly sci classes before I decided I'd need to get a real job) at a major state school (yea, not a top private school but still), once you get past introductory classes, professors couldn't care.
Lots of people use TI Voyager 200s in classes.
You're probably right that they wouldn't allow you to use a home built calculator, but I didn't see many calculator checks after intro to diff eq (around the time when you start proof classes... where they don't care what you have as long as it's not internet connected).
As cool as this is, I'm a college student, so my good old TI-83 will have to suffice!
@B3astofthe3ast
If you learn to use a TI89, you'll love yourself forever. Best. Calculator. Ever.
(I had mine from Algebra II in 10th grade until I Differential Equations in college - then I sold it and started using Maple and bumming a calculator off of a friend if I had a test)
Ummmm... i really dont think you can build this for 200 dollars Engadget. The kit without the beagleboard itself costs 149 dollars. Then the two other modules in a bundle costs 293 dollars.
@ChuckBartowski
Rule number 1 of engineering samples: They cost a lot more than the product will. (Rule 2 is they might blow up)
..but does it run Crysis?
Are we going to see Drug Wars on this piecestro'?
Most people who actually needs that amount of crunching will use computers. Seriously, this thing is a waste. TI-83+/84 calculators are good enough for everybody.
@exenter
Yep. The first thing you learn after you are allowed to start using a calculator in classes and such is how to use a computer to do it faster.
Mathematica, Maple, etc.
@exenter You're right. My only gripe is that the TI83/84 is overpriced, and/or underfeatured. They're the classic classroom graphing and test-taking calculator, but I don't see why they can't put a color screen on it, allow for animations, or at least lower the price. I can't see getting a Casio or TI89 for school though. The first is quirky and the second is not allowed for taking tests with. ahh - TI has a lock on this market for some years to come.
$200 for a thing with circuit boards hanging out the back and needs a wall-plug for power? Okaaaaaay. Now compare that with a TI-83 Plus (which I don't own) that's available on ebay for a quarter that price.
Something is putting something else to shame here, but I don't think it's the way the headline says it.
@petel
It doesn't need a wall plug: http://www.liquidware.com/shop/show/BB-TP/Tablet+Pack
Wait, that link I posted earlier doesn't contain all required components. This is the full kit: http://www.liquidware.com/shop/show/BB-ESK/Beagle+Embedded+Starter+Kit
XKCD anyone?
http://xkcd.com/768/
I always wanted a matlab calculator.
What is the battery life?
It uses Linux and R. Pretty sure it also can runs GNU Octave and gnuplot, or OPENDX.
Yet, math professors probably still won't allow it on exams.
Texas Instruments makes overpriced, piece of shit graphic calculators that pale in comparison to other electronic devices out there. Shocker.
Wow. now That's some awesome tinkering. Awesome writeup too.
There's still hope for humanity after the dot.crash and the brain.bust.
If that costs $200, why is the TI-84, with its 15MHz Z80, 96x64 b/w display, and 24K of RAM, selling for $100?