Re: The Repulsive Design of the 89
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Re: The Repulsive Design of the 89
At 12:00 AM 03/11/99 -0500, Steve wrote:
>Does anyone else find the unnecessary 'curviness' of the 89 case repulsive?
>This applies to all the newer TI calcs. What is wrong with straight lines? I
>especially dont' like the curved bottom. If you want to prop the 89 up,
>there's no flat surface to rest on. And why? And how about the meaningless
>dip in the display area below the menu keys? What is that for? And why have
>that whole dark area around the display? To show that the display is
>different from the rest of the calc? We can see that already, don't need it
>shoved down our throats.The 81-82-85 cases were simpler, less distracting.
I agree completely. There are MANY disadvantages to the new case design,
and only one advantage ('it looks neat' as stated by a friend of mine).
The ones i mention below arent just on looks, but other stuff too
DISADVANTAGES:
Aforementioned stand up problem
Cleaning/safety problems (the 89 doesnt have a shield between the LCD and
the user to catch... whatever might land there. i already have one pinch
in the LCD as a result of this oversight
Upgradability. I know the average user doesnt stick extra stuff IN his
calc very often, but those of us that do miss the straight lines of the 85.
the extremely thin board in the 89 does, however, leave plenty of space
for improvements, but a square case would increase this even more
link port recession. look at an 89 around the link port, theres a little
'ridge' above and below it. you have to sand/scratch/melt/whatever it off
if you want to use any audio equipment with it. most notable is a
2.5-->3.5 converter that i found that wouldnt go all the way in until i had
the case sanded flat and level with the edge of the port
Hex screws. do you know how long it took me to get my calc open the first
time? i had to go FIND a set of hex drivers. i NEVER put them back in,
they are in a little plastic baggie INSIDE my calc waiting for a purpose
(yet another advantage of the slim interior board).
Why do we need 7 (yes, count em, SEVEN) screws holding the case on the 89?
The 85/86 held together just fine with 3. My 89 stays together with NONE
(see above. those little catches on the sides of the inside of the case
work just fine), and the 92 had that neat little latch on top (slid open a
little too often though).
Would it be too hard to make the screen/board connection detachable? i
(and others i know) have problems with calculators where parts
(lines/colums/pixels/areas) of the screen are broken but everything else
works. we would love to be able to take screens from our other calculators
to use on them. you might ask what use it would be since u could only use
1/2 your TI-XX's at a time. i respond that you could use one calculator
for storage and another for actual use, and if one ever goes bad u could
just move the screen over.
OK, i admit i digressed from case design, but i have ONE other complaint
(yes, i know its shouting)
WHY CANT THERE BE A WAY TO KEEP BATTERY POWER WHEN THE CASE IS
OPEN??????????????
This is one of my MAJOR complaints, as I used to open my calc constantly
and lose my memory as a result. I myself have wired the battery connectors
to the board so that i dont lose my stuff any more, but i would rather that
TI did it. Just today someone knocked my case off the table while i was
working on some wiring. In the pre-fixed days i would have spend an hour
getting the keys back in the right spots, now that i have wired the
batteries in i can test the calc while im putting the keys in, lowering
replacement time to but a few minutes. It also lets me leave the calc on
while im wiring so i can test stuff and change it without having to open
and close and open and close the case.
--
Bill Risher Sparr UIN:1952775 ._, . . .
Lorenai #44 Makra FON:9316484164 |_) o | |
Overlord n7hq Decius |_) | | |
mailto://billr1@midsouth.net FAX:9315526807 ^ ` ^ ^ ^
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