can someone please explain where this guy got 2.00 to test, did ti give it to him or is there a place to download it?

Taken from hpcalc.org:

The 89G, based on the TI-89, marks the first time Hewlett Packard has licensed a calculator from another company. "We decided
that because we couldn't beat the competition, we'd join them," said product team leader Ronald Sorensen.

Nuff said!

Is it just me or is this guy a little bit biased towards TI calculators? At least, that's the impression I get given all his inaccuracies and his lack of understanding of HP calculators.

1. The reason a lot of the answers aren't simplified to the extent that the 89 does is because the 48/49 were designed with a lot of obscure mathematical concepts in mind (like 0^0 = 1) and many of the simplifications follow these rules. Just because your average high school kid doesn't recognize the answer doesn't mean it's not right.

2. There seem to be a few pictures of the HP49 missing. I see one showing step-by-step differentiation on the TI-89, but there's no mention of the HP49's *BUILT-IN* step-by-step capabilities.

3. Pretty print, eh? So why is there a picture of the HP49 doing stack selection (pretty print is turned off then)?

4. You can increase the capabilities of the TI-89 by programming it? No fooling? Well, what about the HP49? It should also be noted that the HP's UserRPL is much more powerful than TI-BASIC and allows the programmer to perform much lower level operations than TI-BASIC, as well as having less restrictions.

Etc, etc. Some people just shouldn't do comparisons.

HPs are great calculators and I recommend you all check them out some time and make the switch to a REAL calculator when you're ready. HP calculators are for engineering/mathematics students and professionals, NOT high school students. They aren't that user-friendly, but they're incredibly powerful. Did you know that in *1986* HP calculators were doing *symbolic manipulation* (yes, you heard that right), supported directories (and sub-directories -- which the TI calcs do not), long variable names, had clocks/IR/beepers, etc? So who's *really* ahead of the curve in the calculator world? :P

Good points but I thought I'd let you know the TI-89/92/92+ does know that 0^0=1...

I totally agree with your post
The original comparison was obviously done by someone who was not familure with how to use HP calcs.

Most of the failures or incorrect answers that were noted were due to an improper understanding of how to use the hp49. I don't have the hp49 but I do know that the hp48 with ram cards and erable, Java (Yes it has pretty print [even better then the ti-89's] ) Is better then the ti-89 in many ways. In short if you are a highschool kid trying to get through begining calc class you are probably not qualified to evaluate the usefullness an Hp49 or Hp48 has over a ti. Do a comparison only when you develop a better understanding of math and how to read your Hp manule.

It should be noted that the hp49 outpreforms the ti89 or ti-92 plus in many areas.

I have a HP49G and I am beginnging to grasp it's functionality. It has taken some time though. The manuals aren't currently finished, and when they are, I'll have to download and print them :(.

Notice that despite what ticalc.org said, this is NOT a "very high quality" comparison. Even the author admits this, saying, "The aim of this article is not to show qualities of one machine compared to another, but to show that if it is possible to create a list of calculations where TI89/92plus puts more time than the HP49G, or have some difficulties." One can do the same for the 49.

Also, the author evidently did not know how to use the 49, since he listed some things (such as a variation table) as not being possible on the 49, when the 49 actually has it built in! (You need an add-on program to do this on the 89). Of course, this is understandable considering the horrible manual shipped with the 49.

The site also says, "It should be noted that the programming of the TI89 enables you to increase its possibilities." Did you know that the HP49 has *built-in* tools for programming in System RPL and assembly language, including both assemblers and disassemblers with mnemonics. With an add-on library, one can even use named (instead of numeric) entry points to routines in the ROM. You can't do this on the 89, to my knowledge.

Hey, I can give somebody a piece of paper and a pencil and they can do math. Gosh, who would then spent over a hundred dollars on something that DOES give WRONG answers. It takes minutes for the Ti to do in a second. The Ti is correct and the HP is useless. If I were to turn in wrong answers, I would get myself in trouble, if Hp were to give non-working properly products and make money. Go Ti.

On your TI-89...

Integrate sin(2x), now integrate 2sin(x)cos(x). Should give you the same answer, right? Then why does the integral of sin(2x) equate to -cos(2x)/2, and the integral of 2sin(x)cos(x) equate to -cos(x)^2?

-- Walker

Actually, they are the exact same thing. I've always evaluated 2sin(x)cos(x) as sin(2x), so I assumed the answer the 89 gave for 2sin(x)cos(x) was incorrect. Now that I take a brief second to look at this problem, I relieze they both are correct because of the constant term that must be added to complete the integration.

Sorry about that post, ignore it.
-- Walker

-First of all this comparison was a totally P.O.S.

-The guy doing the comparison not only didn't know how to use his hp49 but went out of his way to only point out what he thought were the advantages of the ti-89.
Hmm funny how I was able to get all the right answers on my Hp (and in quicker times then recorded)

-Hp's are far superior and much more versatile calculators. Ti's are more simplistic and less customizable. The best analogy I can think of are that Ti's are like Mico$oft Windows and Hp's are like Linux.

-The Hp49 outperforms the ti-89 in many areas none were listed in the comparison. In general I find that the ti-89 gives wrong answers more often then the Hp49, Hp48

-This comparison is like saying
Windows: Linux:
floppy drive access: typed a: got access typed a: didn't work
Starting programs : pressed start bar and couldn't get passed the login: screen
started program obviously doesn't work
ect......

I read all these postings, and all I see are 49 users yelling that the 49 is better, and 89 users yelling
that the 89 is better. Having much experience with both, let me offer a voice of mediation...

You hp49 people are ridiculous. The TI-89 is better in every way imaginable. I have owned both
calculators for a long time now, and I have to say that the TI-89 blows away the hp49 in sheer
speed. The 89 does complex calculations in seconds, whereas the same calculation on a 49 could
(and frequently does) take MINUTES! I have gone through 2 advanced math courses using both
calculators, and never have I witnessed the vice versa situation.
89's are better in speed, memory, resolution, and user-friendliness. By user friendly, I mean that the 89 is much easier to get acquainted with than the 49, particularly because of the comprehensive manual (the hp manual is horrible to say the least). Games (which is why the average person buys a $200 calculator in
the first place) are far superior in both speed and graphics. Besides the calculator itself, the
off-calc advantages to the 89 are vast compared to the 89. Let me start this idea by asking what
company, you, the reader, thinks the average person thinks of when asked about graphing
calculators. I think the answer is obvious (TI for you slow ones out there). In fact, I am the
ONLY person in a school of roughly 1300 kids, that even owns an hp49. Also, when a math
teacher wants to show his/her students how to do something on a graphing calculator, do you
think he/she whips out their trusty hp49? Of course not. They all have and use one or more of
the TI line of calc's, along with their students. I have asked my math and science teachers, and nobody has even heard of
the 49. Personally, if I were a 49 owner (well, I am), I would think it advantageous to have
teachers that could help you out with calculator functions that you did not understand, especially
considering the uselessness of the 49 manual. Off calc software is another clear advantage to the
89. There are literally hundreds of webpages devoted TI calcs, including at least 3 fantastic, huge
TI webpages with their own servers, notably ticalc.org, Dimension TI, and The TI-Files. All three
of these have a 2 or more man staff, compared to the 1 man staff of hpcalc.org. The quantity and quality of programmers for the 89, far outwiegh the programmers for the hp49, as evident in the web page comparison I just made. Thus better programs themselves are made for the 89, including such things as emulators (may I say, Virtual TI is a gem of a program that is better than all hp emulators combined).

When the company Hewlett Packard, themselves, announced that they were no competition to TI in the field of calculators, that should be incentive enough for you hp users to throw in the towel.

Some words to soften your ideas, boy...
-First, It would be nice if you could say what "advanced math courses" you followed, since it would be certainly interesting for both the TI and HP community to clearly see where the TI shines so well.
-Second, The "average person" doesn't buy a 200$ calculator for games: whatever you think, it is mainly a tool for _work_. Sure, games are a cool extra, but is not the main aim for most people (the major exception is the full-of-money-to-spend-student).
- Third, you say that the 89 is faster (can you precise your test protocols), more user-friendly (true, but only at first glance: did you ever used a TI for time-critical heavy calculations, I mean really time-critical, not tiny high-school exams)? );
- 4th: I don't want to depreciate your teachers (after all, HP or TI is mainly a matter of taste), but it is strange that they never heard of HP49. Do you live in the far Alaska between ice and bears ? My math teachers do know the broad lines of their branch actuality (I mean, tools available). And being the only one of 1300 kids to own a HP doesn't mean TI is better.
- 5th: Hundred of pages devoted to TI for only a few HP sites ? Maybe you should look at the HP webrings and at the programs available. And never forget the fact that most HP48 programs are source-compatible with HP49 (Yes, you must recompile it, but if you use such tools, you've a scientific formation, no ?). And for the quality of programs, let the professionals evaluate this (Ingenieurs and scientists, those who really use those programs).

In conclusion, I would say to HP and TI fans : BE CAREFUL ! Don't say because YOU found the TI (HP) more useful than HP (TI) that the HP (TI) users are ridiculous ! YOU are the only ridiculous, because you will never be able to encompass all the calculators applications.

PS: I own a TI89 AND a HP49, but as an ingenieur, I found HP was definitely the best (But again it is only MY opinion, based only on MY profession).