[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
A92: FAQ on 92+ (et al)...
Questions and Suggestions for TI's newest products.
Q: Will the Plus Module require an additional lithium battery for the
supplementary amount of RAM or alter the location/type of the lithium
battery used? If not, and the additional RAM runs off of the existing
power
supply, how will this affect battery life?
A: No, the Plus Module will not require an additional lithium battery. The
affect on battery life is negligable, actually better because the
calculation speed is faster so the battery is not being used as long.
Q: Will the interaction between the new RAM and the existing RAM remain
invisible to the user? How seamless will the interaction between the
two
RAM components be; i.e., will each component remain and operate
independent of the other?
A: Yes, RAM interaction is invisible to the user, and seamless.
Q: If the two remain independent, the following issues are of concern:
a. Hypothetically, if 68K of the existing 70K of RAM is full, and
a file requiring over 2K of memory is sent to the calculator,
will it be necessary for the calculator to store the entire file
to
the RAM in the Plus Module, or are the two RAM components
fully integrated (so that, in this scenario, 2K of the file will
be
stored in the existing RAM, and the additional portion of the
file will be stored in the RAM on the module)?
b. Certain programs/functions on the calculator require an
allocated amount of RAM in order to run (for buffers,
variables, etc.). Will this amount of free RAM have to be a
portion of the existing calculator RAM, or will the calculator
be able to use RAM from the module for allocated buffers, or a
combination of both, etc.?
c. If the additional programs/features require more RAM to run,
will the effective amount of RAM available to the user be as
much as advertised? Hypothetically, if the 3D graphing utility
that allows for the manipulation of viewer perspective in real-
time requires 15K of free RAM in order to run, and other new
programs/functions require similar allocated memory, how
much will this affect the user in terms of available storage
space? In essence, will the new RAM actually have to be
dedicated to running the new programs so that, in reality, the
amount of additional RAM is not that dramatic of an increase?
A: (part a) The two types are fully integrated.
(part b) A combination of both... It adds free RAM
(part c) The amount of storage is as much as advertised. There is no
"overhead" affect on available storage space. The total free
RAM is about 3 times more than TI-92.
Q: Will programs stored in the 384K of the User Data Archive be able to be
run
from the archives or will they have to be moved entirely into RAM to be
run?
A: Unbeknownst to the user, the programs are copied from the user data
archive
to RAM, run from RAM, and deleted from RAM.
Q: Will the user be able to graph more than one 3D function simultaneously
in one
window (without having to split the window)?
A: No, the user cannot graph more than one 3D function at a time in the
same
window.
Q: Will TI be charging money for Flash ROM upgrades?
A: TI will provide maintenance updates on the web for free. New
functionality
will be available for purchase from the web.
Q: Will the TI-92 Plus Module be compatible with Fargo assembly shell
programs?
A: No, it is not compatible with the current Fargo program. However, David
Ellsworth, who is the principle person responsible for engineering
Fargo, has
said that he is considering a Fargo shell for the 92 Plus and 89.
Q: Is TI planning to introduce compilers and documentation for the Assembly
programming features on the Plus Module, or will assembly programs use
existing 68K assembly compilers?
A: We are still evaluating whether or not to provide a compiler for
assembly
programming.
Q: Will users have the ability to manipulate the Flash ROM by creating ROMs
and
sending them to the calculator via the TI-graphlink? Will TI offer
support and
documentation on doing this?
A: No, the user will not have the ability to manipulate the Flash ROM be
creating ROMs and sending them to the calculator via Graph Link.
Therefore, TI
will not provide support and documentation for doing this.
Q: Will the user be able to backup, via the graphlink, the User Data
Archive? Will
the user be able to send directly to the User Data Archive via the
graphlink?
A: Yes, the user can backup the user data archive with Graph Link. The
user
can send the whole backup (not image) to RAM and ROM from Graph Link;
however,
individual files cannot be sent directly to ROM from the Graph Link.
Send to
RAM, then move to ROM.
Q: Will the Plus Module include an ASM Compile for ASCII compiling as
featured
on the TI-86?
A: Yes, this is done with the "Exec" command. But, unlike the TI-86, the
new
"feature" does not integrate right into a menu.
Q: Will TI be releasing a symbolic manipulation (assembly) program for the
TI-86
and/or TI-83?, Since competitors' products, such as some of the H.P.
calculators,
have symbolic manipulation (integration and differentiation, etc.) and
are allowed
on the SAT and ACT tests (unlike the TI-92), does TI plan to update its
calculators to include this functionality?
A: There are no current plans to provide a symbolic manipulation program
for the 86/83.
As for SAT and ACT, TI hopes that the TI-89 will be allowed on these
exams. We
realize that teachers and students are interested in a symbolic tool
from TI
that is allowed on exams.
S: Since ROM updates could easily be "pirated", and because those users who
purchase the Plus Module are entitled to the TI's support of the module,
all
ROM updates should be available for free download off of TI's web page.
R: The ROM updates are protected to prevent piracy.
S: TI should work with the Tl calculator web community to make resources
for
TI assembly on all calculators readily available, in the form of
compilers
tutorials, and system information for all calculators. TI should also
work to
support TI assembly shells such as ASH on the TI-82.
R: We are considering this suggestion.
S: TI should enable text documents created in the TI-92 text editor to be
saved,
sent, and retrieved as *.txt files, so that they can be easily
manipulated on the
computer. This will dramatically increase the potential of the TI-92,
and
allow the calculator to surpass certain palmtop computers in
functionality.
R: We are also considering this suggestion.
Shawn A. Prestridge
Texas Instruments, Inc.
Educational & Productivity Solutions
7800 Banner Drive MS 3908
Dallas, Texas 75251
(972) 917-1698
(972) 917-7103 FAX
"He's back... Kicking bottom or what?!?!" --Holly, Red Dwarf
Follow-Ups: