Survey posted 2000-03-25 19:17 by Andy.

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I voted for a color display, but then I realized that for really good color, I would need more memory, a faster processor, and a higher resolution. Too late to change my vote, though. Oh well...

What would be the use of having a color display? It will just drain your Batteries faster than the Florida aquifer!

I think there many things I would rather have in a calculator . First , a cartridge slot , cartridges can be games , programs , flash/archive memory for users. the slot can be a comunication port too...(?)beeing able to connect the calc to an external modem specially designed for the calc (modem can be compatible with PC too) , beeing able to connect the calc to a printer , or whatever you want <---(all this will need a lot of work and good programing )
Have 2 cursors , one to trace the graph , the other to scroll the graph ( without the need of regraphing , thing that have to be programed ) .
possibility to connect an AC/DC power supply , in order to save our batts when we're in home . A good Ams that takes FULL advantage of the processor .

Then , Large amount of RAM memory would be nice(4Mb or more)
The color LCD screen with high resolution can improves a lot of things . The speed of the processor can be increased adding cache memory (?) . Anyway a good M68k at 20Mhz is enough .

forget about the printer and the modem ....

Ok, man now we're talking serious pocket pilot type engineering for a calculator! Yeah it would be very nice, convenient, etc for this, but do you realistically think that ti would really market something that impressive, which to begin with was a little solar-powered device that multiplies numbers? Honestly I dont think so.
--Daryl

Why not?
they made the 92

Yes but the 92 is a precise graphing calculator made specifically for college students. Yes this is a very nice piece of equipment, but it is nowhere near what he was talking about. And I also think TI won't take it much further than that of the 92+.
--Daryl

True but did anyone ever think TI would make a calculator that could manipulate variables as well as numbers? Eventually they will have a calc that can do all of these things, it's just a matter of time.

Maybe so, and yes the 92 is already more than the wildest dreams for people back in the day but manipulation of variables was one of the first new operations for the calculator, as you need it to graph linear equations, etc, so good point, bad example.
--Daryl

that is not true, you don't manipulate variables to graph functions, you substitute values for variables. All previous calculators saw variables as numbers and nothing else

What the hell do you think Y1, Y2, Y3, etc are???? Variables!!!!!
--Daryl

Color screen: blue was produced on the 83+ with a special program hehehe

Cartridges: I have been thinking of this myself - a simple card reader connected to a little TI cable which is connected to a TI with appropriate software

more RAM: probably the most needed upgrade and the hardest, but heck, we know alot about TI hardware - it can be done

a MODEM: TCP/IP for 68k calcs has already been created, now all that needs to be done is to write an ASM program that can tell the linking port to connect to telephone lines

a printer: just use the graph-link software - DOH!

sound: already been done

a decent GUI: I'm working on that ;)

make the calc better than a palm pilot: you dont need these mods to do that - there's a wider range of useful software and better games for the calc than there is for palm pilot! not to mention just how bad palm pilot keyboards are! heck, I BOUGHT A TI-92+ AS A POCKET PC NOT FOR MATH CLASS!!! and i could have bought an old palm pilot on ebay for just twice as much, but I LOVE THE TI-BASIC LANGUAGE AND I LOVE TICALC.ORG's WONDERFUL SOFTWARE!!!

Okay, I think you're taking it a little too far. I'm not downing you or anything but those specs are a little too much, except for the AC/DC power supply. If TI were to produce this calc(palm computer), are you willing to pay the $600 cost that comes with it??

Happy wishing!!

Exactly my point.
--Daryl

I think cartriges are a good Idea. Make games easier to distribute, and with your official TI-Burner83, you can make money selling your "games" to classmates. hehe...

Man, that would be awesome! It would totally eliminate the memory problem, as you could keep buying disks or cartridges to store things on. The only problem is cost and time for making something that kicks ass like that.

We can all quit dreaming! Visit www.handspring.com and pick up a Visor for the cost of a TI-89! Expansion slot, more memory (up to 8MEGS!), TONS AND TONS AND TONS of applications, and a faster processor! Download PawCalc and you have an instant scientific calc.
Oh... Now I remember why I still have my 89. Graphing. Ooo, that hurts.


LIGHT BULB!
Hey! Someone could create a graphing calc application!

They already have most of this stuff--it's called GAME BOY.

Have you seen the TI-15 ? it has a nice problem solving !
for example , the calculator gives the problem 6+2=?
you try to answer 7 , but the calc responds with "no"
then shows that 6+2>7 , so you try to answer 8 , the calc responds with "yes" letting you know you got the correct answer !!!

Sometimes I want to become a child again and have a TI-15 , to discuss things like 2+3 or solving things that other calcs don't , instead of discussing incompatibilities with roms , games and all those things that give us problems and headaches . Beeing a child again , and I will not be worried about integrals and derivatives anymore...!!!!

Thanks. I needed a laugh.

roms and games don't exactly give me headaches... but yeah you're right i guess...

I would much rather have more memory. Being able to put complex games on your calc and still having a lot of memory left would be awesome. I think a megabyte should be enough. Second on my list would be higher resolution. Being able to fit a lot of stuff on the screen would be great. Third would be faster processor. This couldn't hurt. Compatibility would come fourth, and the thing I couldn't care less about would be color. Unless it was really high quality, color would be pointless. Grayscale on the 89/92(+) looks really good anyway. It is good enough for me.
That's just my opinion.
-Jordan