94 apps is just insane. Is TI planning on releasing a ton more or somtething? Plus it comes with most of the ones that are available for purchase now. It looks kind of odd too, reminds me of the odd look of the HP49, maybe it will sell better...

Maybe they should make a TI-92 Plus Silver Edition. Complete with 10 MB of Flash, a TFT color screen, and a clear casing and no ASM limitations. Or I could just go out and buy a handheld computer...

I, personally, like (and still do) the look of the HP-49G. But, this is just plain ugly. 1.5 MB of Flash ROM or not, I just don't like the thing. Is that 1.5 MB with or without the OS included on there? The HP-49G already has that much and I like it a whole lot better (in every aspect). I need some good reasons as to why I should even consider buying this. I'm more likely to go buy me a HP-48GX (which I really want) before I even think about wasting any amount of money on this. Plus, it looks like Detached Solutions is getting kind of desperate for some one to enter there contest. But, I'd do the same. Can't be harsh on them...

Glenn Murphy - A.K.A. Eric Greening

Just for clarification, it has 1.54 MB of *free* Flash ROM that you can load stuff on.

As for comparing it with the HP-49G, the 49G is probably better in most aspects. The TI-83 Plus Silver Edition is not designed for the same type of people who would use a 49G, that's what the TI-89 is for. The TI-83 Plus Silver Edition is made for the people who would normally buy a TI-83 Plus, but want something with more power. Then again, it's also interesting for Z80 programers. You can do a lot with 1.5 MB of space, and a 15 MHZ procesor.

No, we're not getting desperate for contest entries, and we're expecting to get some cool stuff entered (which was the point of the contest, to get people to write some cool stuff). This was planned as a prize since the beginning, we just couldn't announce it since TI hadn't made their announcement yet.

If you already have a 49G, you probably wouldn't want to buy this (unless you're like me, and like having new toys to play with :), but you can always enter the contest and win it :)

Dunno about you, but I'm excited,
-Dan

True, I should have read down and saw that this was the special calc you where talking about a couple posts down but, who has time? :)

In my opinion, the HP-49G is better than any TI calc. But, unfortunately, not user friendly like TI calcs are. When I have to use my 49G, I normally use my 83+ for simple mathematic stuff (like, just simple + - * / etc.) but, when it gets to more complex stuff, I use my 49G. The keys on the 49G are just too hard to press.

I'm excited about it too but, I unfortunately don't know z80 well enough to enter (nor the discipline). I would definately enter and try to win this. I just wouldn't want to spend money on it. (unless had some extra, which hardely ever happens) Maybe I can learn in time to whip something up and win (unlikely).

Anyways, good luck with your contest. I hope you get a lot of good entries. Maybe I'll try, who knows...

Glenn Murphy - A.K.A. Eric Greening

Uhhh, ther're bigger TI's with more functions. Truthfully, the TI-83 Plus was intended for Algebra 1 through Advanced math (and even into some college), but once you get to that point you get a higher calc from TI like the TI-89, etc. As far as I'm concerned, HP has a very crappy OS and is S_L_O_W for what it's intended for. I think the TI-83 Plus SE is one of the best things they've done since colored slide cases (get one of those for your HP) ;). I'm getting one the day it comes out.

Isn't this a TI page? Who would put something about an HP calculator on here? Someone that's been brainwashed?!

The reason the 49G is so slow is because it is so small. It isn't optimized for speed, it's optimized for size. My 49G can far out-perform any TI calculator. The menus are slow but, it's math performance far outdoes the 89's. Better 3d graphs, the equation editor save me a whole lot of time. HP got a bunch of 3rd party developers (if I recall correctly) to make the OS that's on the HP-49G. And you're saying I'm brainwashed? Have you tried a 49G for a math class at all? It's a little user-unfriendly but, I much prefer it to my 89 or 92+. It has a slow processor but, what does that matter? It wasn't made for games, it was made for math. And it still has some good games for it. (http://www.hpcalc.org) My HP already has a colored slide case, it came with it. Who needs multi-colored slide cases? I thought those where the dumbest (yet, at the same time, the smartest) things I've ever seen. The reason I mentioned HP was because I was comparing (yes, I know, it's a big word) the two brands. Yes, I realise that the 83 was meant for lower maths. The 89 was seems like it was meant for the exact same thing. The HP-49G is far superior to the TI-89, in every practicle way. Inferior to the 89 processor-wise but, the genious program authors more than make up for that, making games the more than compete with the 89 games. I was brainwashed once myself but, then I grew up. The HP-49G is mathematically superior to the TI-89 or any other current TI calculator.

I think that's enough for now...
Glenn Murphy

I know that the 49G is great for math, but the TI-83 Plus and all the other ones with Archive space far out does any of HP's models. With the TI-83 Plus, you can have the entire Periodic Table, an organizer, an inequality grapher and many more applications usful in almost every subject in school. The 49G may be 'devoted' to math, but TI has gone beyond that point by doing all these things. There are 3D graphing programs for the TI-83 Plus (check out http://www.detacheds.com/upcoming/ ). Beside that, my friend has created a good 3D graphing program, but once this applications, it'll be a bilt-in 3D graphing utility. I will never buy an HP. I'd much rather go with a TI-89 or a TI-92 Plus.

Nathan Buda

Okay, the HP-49G has the same amount of memory as this new 83+. It can hold more because the programs are generally smaller. It's got a periodic table for it plus many other useful programs for chemistry: www.hpcalc.org/hp49/science/chemistry/ While having the entire periodic table (is that a shocker?) it can hold almost all the games/other programs you could want. When I was putting games on my hp, I could fit just about every game on the hpcalc.org page (of course, they where new then. there's more now). I have YET to see a calculator that can outdo the HP-49G. And, I'm doubting that TI can ever outdo the HP-49G.

Ever...
Glenn Murphy

Amen

I think that the faster processor will have a larger effect on basic games and basic programs. A good basic program designed for a 15mhz processor could be as good as many of the curent ASM games. The scorch game I am working on now for example (www.xcoderz.com) running at that speed would probly be as good or better than any other scorched earth game on the 83 and possibly the 89.

It has 1.54 MB Flash after the OS is on there. When you get one, though, it will have something like 1.38 MB free. That's because it ships with several Apps already installed. Besides, the OS is most likely 256KB, so you would still have more than enough room to put games, programs, and apps.

This is the ugliest TI calculator I ever seen!(so as imacs)
Besides, this is not for math anymore,it's for games!
(and it still does not support grayscale and has a small screen)
I wonder, if regular 83+ cost 100 bucks, how much this one is going to cost $150? More?
Healthy choice, buy 89!(it's the best calc, even though I have 83)

Why doesnt ti make an 86+? that would be so cool. For now i've looked arouund at what else is out there. There's a new hp that might come out might not to my understanding. its the xpander which is a really stupid name but check out hpcalc.org for more info. really cool touchscreen, mp3, geometry things, read about it. it has 8mb of ram 32mb of flash and it is still a calculator. it runs on windows ce. check it out. i want my 86+ and i think that this is kinda ugly

Calculators with MP3 players? What the hell are they thinking?

hey geuss what, the ti does support greyscale. have you ever heard of the program rigview?

what is this going to cost? Near the price of an 89? Then who'se going to buy it? Everyone, even people who don't even know what a graphing calc is, will probably purchase a 89 if the prices are the same. Remember that the 89 has about the same amount of flash rom ,but it's complex AMS takes up most of it, and it's 12 mhz 68k processor is WAY better than the 83's Z80 processor. The 83 will forever have a very primitave mathamatical system that shall never rival that of the 89.

if they dont know what a graphing calc is, how are they going to know about its processing speed and crap. When i bought my 83+, some girls dad was trying to talk his daughter into buying a 89 because it cost more, but the girl went with the 83+ because it looked easier.

To me it looks like this new 83+ is ment to advance TI's control of the school market. It should be in no way compared to the TI 89's or the HP 49G's CAS systems, even though it rivals the 49's memory specs. It still can't do any symbolic manipulaton.
It is nice to see that much memory on an entry level model though (even if they screwed up on the colors).

Does anybody know how much this calc will cost?

My 1 ENTER 1 + cents (hooray RPN users!!!!)

www.ti.com says, "The street price for the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition is expected to be about $30 - $35 (US) more than the TI-83 Plus." Which is about $140.

I doubt that TI will release 94 anytime soon, but it makes it sound better when trying to sell them.

OK, fine, don't use all the details I sent to news@ticalc.org... See if I care :)

Anyhow, for those wondering, the calculator will have a 15 MHZ CPU (wow!), faster linking, and 1.5 Megabytes of Flash ROM. That's enough to store 94 applications. Speaking of applications, it will be preloaded with a bunch of neat applications, including Periodic Table, Organizer, and CellSheet. It also comes bundled with a TI-Graphlink cable.

But wait, there's more! The TI-83 Plus Silver Edition is the "Special Edition" TI-83 Plus that is being awarded as the top prize in the Detached Solutions application programming contest. We couldn't say specifically what "Special Edition" was because TI hadn't announced the calculator yet, but now you know!

For those wondering, BASIC *and* assembly programs will compatible between the TI-83 Plus and TI-83 Plus Silver Edition.

15 MHz CPU? Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't that be more useful on an 89/92+?

I wonder when 94 apps are going to be available... after all, how many can you make before you run out of (practical) ideas?

No, the 15mhz z80 cpu isnt as powerful as the 10(or 12 in hw2)68k cpu. I don't know much about old computer proccessors like the z80 or the old macintrash 68k but my dad does(cause he's an electrical engineer(and its really cool cause he's teaching me asm) and has built crap on both and says the 68k is lots better) and this is from more of a professional than most people on the forum. I would've rather seen an 86+ come out first. I like the appearance and style of the 49g much better than this and i dont think i will buy it(cause for the same price +20$ could get a 49g) Oh yeah, i own an 86. Personally i dont want to go with an 89 cause their built on os is too confusing and when i put doors on my friends calc that doesn't have a pc link, and then it kept on crashing and not letting me do anything to the mem (like run it). I want ti to come out with an 86+ with a speedswitch so you could use it like the turboed calcs w/ a switch. then you could run old programs too without a shell. Maybe 2mb of flash mem on this one with a 6/15mhz(w/ speed switch thingy) prossecor and an extra 100kb of ram. That would kick ass so hard and cost ti only a 50 cents to a buck or so more to make it. also doest the 83++ or whatever or 83+(2) have a better screen? the 83's screen sucks my left, so thats why i bought an 86. I'm looking to get a good calc that is powerful (an 89 or an 49g) and want the best games. the 49g looks like it kicks ass(i will still be faithful to ti and buy one when the 86+ comes out but now i dunno) the 83+ is what 2 yrs old or something(who cares if i'm wrong) and the 86 what 4 now that it is 2k1? This doesn't look that cool (hp's looks cooler) and an 86+ was more important than this so i dunno. Dont flame me for saying this stuff, just correct me where i'm wrong and ansewer my questions please.

Yeah, but what I'm thinking is that the MHz isn't enough. There's simply no point to a 15 MHz 83+ Z80 processor, unless you want to do some incredibly complex equation faster, in which case you should have a TI-89 anyway. And in any case, the HP-49G is at the same level as the TI-89 (which is at a 10-12 MHz 68K), and it's only a 4 MHz Saturn (I think).

Performance of a calculator comes down to essentially three things: the efficiency of the OS code, the processor, and the clock speed of the processor.

The TI-89/92/92+ run either a 10MHz or 12MHz Motorola 68000, which is a 16-bit processor. The only thing that limits 89 processing performance is the fact that the OS is written in C rather than 68000 assembly.

The rest of the TI calculators (with the exception of the TI-80) run a 6MHz Zilog z80 (now apparently made by Toshiba, if my TI-85 and TI-86 are any indication), an 8-bit processor. Even at 15MHz, it simply isn't powerful enough to outperform a TI-89, even a HW1 one.

Based on what I have seen on this and other message boards here, the proprietary 4MHz HP Saturn is a 4-bit processor, but because of how its OS is written, it can perform on the same level as a TI-89. I personally have no working knowledge of any HP calculator, so if this is incorrect, I apologize.

These last three paragraphs lead up to some interesting conclusions: HP has the most efficient OS code, while the TI-89/92/92+ have the least efficient; _all_ TI calculators, with the possible exception of the TI-80, should be outperforming all HP calculators, based purely on hardware comparisons; and, the TI calculators either have inefficient architectures or very sloppy OS programming. I do not mean to bash TI or exonerate HP, although it may sound that way. I am merely giving my (hopefully) objective analysis of the hardware and software differences in the aforementioned devices.

Owening both the TI-89 and the HP 49G (but having little actual knowlige of the internal architecture) this sounds like a fair assesmint. The 49G is a bit slower, but is still on par with the 89's CAS. (I think) the 49G uses the same prosseser (Overclocked?) as the HP 48G origenaly released back in 1993 (still a fine calculator).

I don't think the processor is overclocked but, they are the same. I have both an 89 and 49G and much prefer my 49G. I want an HP-48GX very badly but, don't have the money...

Glenn Murphy

It is atleast my opinion that the OS in the TI-89 is much better. First of all, they have pull down menus that provides quick access to many of the commands. The 89's OS is, as I believe, a lot easier to understand. I just find the 49G OS really confusing and hard to navigate through. The abbrevations of keys also look really confusing sometimes on the 49G. I personally believe that TI-89 has a better OS. I would like to see TI rewrite that whole OS in Assembly to increase speed and decrease size.
If you want the best games, an TI-89 would probably be better than the 49G. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the 49G only have a 8 bit 4MHz Saturn Proccessor that was made in the early 1970s and can only handle a screen with the maximum size of 128x64. That is somewhat sad compared to the 16 bit MC68K that runs at 12MHz (10MHz for HW1) made in the 1980s. The TI-89 is more powerful. Basically, the only thing that makes the 49G cool is the memory since it has 2x the ram of the 89 and 1.33 flash rom. But still, when the processor sucks it doesn't matter how much memory one can put on it.

I disagree on the game part. The processor is very inferior but can still pull off games that can more than compete with the 89's games. The 49G is a little harder to use but, it's more than worth it. I thoroughly detest the horridness of the 89's OS. It's just plain horrible. If I didn't like 68k asm so much, I'd sell the thing.

Glenn Murphy