Off topic, but does anyone know why the TI-83+ and the TI-83+ SE have F1-F5 in green (implying that they are accessable via an Alpha shift) on the top five buttons (Y=, Window, Zoom, Trace, Graph)? Do they actually DO anything?

No, they don't. I always wondered why myself too....

Maybe for later functionality. For all we know, they might make an OS similiar to that of the 89, though I doubt it.

-W-

F1 through F5 are the "soft keys". They work a bit like an 86-style menu; a program (usually an app) draws some buttons on the bottom of the screen, and those are accessed with F1-F5.
That's the theory, in practice every program I've seen is smart enough to not require you to push Alpha first, and they interpret for instance Graph as if you'd pressed Alpha+Graph (that is, F5).
(I don't have documentation on this computer, so I can't check it, but maybe the scancodes for Alpha+Graph and F5 are even the same...?)

Inequality Graphing is an example.

Perhaps it had been carried over from the TI-85 series?

Hey, that is weird. I never noticed that before. Maybe for TI-86-type menus (OH NO!!!) in some programs or APPS.

Dude... those menus were tons better than the 82/3 set of menus... You could still see what was on the main screen and be able to make your choice...OK , maybe that's not tons, but still... I like them better...

The menus are better on the 86. I own a calc from every series postdating 1995, so I know this. The best feature was that there's 2 layers max, instead of one, like the 83.

Seriously you have to be a moron to not be able to understand the 86 menus...anyone who complains about it I hold no self respect to what-so-ever.

The new 89 has undoubtedly become the best ti calc available...the v200 was the best in my opinion before, becasue of it's available free space and now that the 89 has it the 89 is better because of it's compact size. I do however like the size of the v200's sceen.

*coughs*
Don't get me started on those menus again. :-)

Dude...I meant what I said...

Oh, I understand the little buggers, I just hate them with a firy passion that burns deep down in side.

-W-

I get the menu systems on pretty much all the calculators. (How can't you?) I'm just more comfortable with 89's and 86's methods.

Same reason I like them better....

mabye because its easier to say 'press F1 for ...' than press 'graph' or 'window'

just a guess...

Wow! This is great! I think I will save my Christmas money to buy one of the TI-89 Titanium editions.

Oh look, and they even have all the APPS preloaded into it! That's nice.

Oh, never mind... you still have to pay for some. :(

Yeah, I noticed that too...in addition to TI considering French Spanish and other localizations as APPS. sad :(

Erm... Language localizations ARE Apps, they just show up in MODE instead of Apps. And they're free.

That's the other thing that annoyed me, is that most the apps they included were free anyway...things you could already get free...include some of the expensive ones! lol j/k

In particular Geometry. Even the lower-end TI-84+ gets them factory-included, only the TI-89 Titanium doesn't.

Huh? The Voyage 200 has The Geometer's Sketchpad and Cabri Geometry preloaded, so I think the 89Ti should have them, too.