TI-30XS Multiview Calculator
by Texas Instruments
List Price:
Our Price: $13.13
You Save: $4.86 (27%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $13.00 (click here)
Category: CE
See more product details
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: Texas InstrumentsModel: 30XSMV/BK
Color: BLUE
Product features:
- Base Number Calculations - No
- Case - Protective
- Catalog Publishing Type - Calculators-Scientific
- Complex Number Calculations - No
- Compliance, Standards - RoHS Compliant
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of TI-30XS Multiview Calculator
Customer Review: Overall, mediocre with a few bright spots
Summary: 3 Stars
I had always used Casio and this is my first TI. My "objective" verdict after using this for 2 years: It has a few good points but on the whole is a rather mediocre model. For what I do on a daily basis, though, I am fairly happy with it.
Pros:
1. This is the most important for me. You can "drop down" results or entire calculations from a previous run anywhere into your current run. This way you can break down complex calculations into smaller chunks and simply drop them into subsequent calculations without having to save each result to memory and trying to recall the correct one each time. You can also scroll up many sets of calculations to review your previous numbers. The drop down feature, I think, is very unique to this.
2. Mathwrite: Many newer models have this so it is not a "set apart" feature but you can basically enter calculations exactly the way it is written on paper.
3. Statistics: 3 column data entry in the form of a table. Again not unique. User friently but not very efficient.
4. Build quality: This one is built like a tank. You can simply feel it.
5. Square root: It automatically puts an open parantheses which is convenient. A TI thing. Casio does not.
6. The cover: Some have said the closing and opening the lid is wierd. It was, initially. Now I am used to it, and actually kind of like it. More secure than a sliding cover.
7. The "What is this?" factor: The design, looks and color of this thing has attracted quite a few curious colleagues to my desk to ask about it. Sets it apart from the old HP RPNs, the fancy graphing calculators, the ho-hum Casios and the oh-yet-another TI.
Cons:
1. Bulky: For a calculator of otherwise average features, this one is large and bulky and I don't think there is an excuse for this. You cannot fit this into an average shirt pocket.
2. Speed: For no reason at all, after many calculations, an hourglass will appear on screen for several seconds even as you are typing and the screen freezes up. It can be annoying when you are in a time crunch and want some quick numbers. I have resorted to routinely clearing the memory after several repeated complex calculations especially in Mathwrite mode. It has helped a little but does not completely avoid the problem.
3. Keyboard layout: This I have realized is a TI thing. After using Casios for so many years, I have only one word to describe the keboard- CHAOS. Often, I have to search around a bit for a particular function like "log" or "pi". There seems to be no rhyme or reason for the way the keys are organized. On a Casio or Sharp, functions are organized and grouped together in a very logical manner. The "E" or "x10^n" key is somewhere in the middle of all the functions even though it is probably one of the more used functions. Should you not have it down below next to the numbers?
4. The "E" key: To enter 2E3, you type in 2 - x10^n - 3. Now if you need to do (2E3)2, you type in 2 - x10^n - 3 - x^2. Right? Wrong. That gives you the answer for 2 - x10^n - 6. Ridiculous. On a Casio, you simply type in 2 - E - 3 - x^2. Again, a TI thing and long time TI users are probably used to it but I think it is illogical.
5. The Ans key: You need to hit the shift key located on the top left corner and then the "ans" key located on the bottom right corner. Irritating. Sharp I believe uses the same layout.
7. The "Ans" approach: You can type in "+ 20" and it will automatically treat it as "Ans + 20". But you type in "sin" or "sqrt" and hit enter, it will NOT treat it as "sin(Ans)" or "sqrt(Ans)". There will a "Syntax Error". Casio will work just fine.
8. Wasted real estate: There are two keys that essentially do the same thing- convert fractions to decimals and vice versa.
9. The scroll pad: Small, hard and inconvenient. When you drop down stuff from previous calculations, you scroll up using the pad which is located on the top right, then hit enter which is on the bottom right. Bad layout.
Verdict:
My gripes about this calculator essentially boil down to its keyboard and input design. My "deal-sealer" for this calculator is its drop down feature. For what I do on a daily basis as an aerospace engineer, nothing beats it. It is almost like an RPN - Algebraic Entry love child. On the whole, I think it is a very mediocre calculator and a college student may be well-advised to get a Sharp or Casio. Yes, some of their models are built cheap and "plast-icky" but gone are the days when an engineer held on to his precious HP RPN calculator for decades like a rare treasure. Unless you are particularly careless with your stuff, even these calculators will last several years. If you are worried about it breaking down during your test, buy another one for back up. They come cheap. Ultimately, how good a calculator is depends on what the user wants from it. You could spend a 100 dollars getting a top-of-the-line model and use only 2% of its capabilities.
Hope this helps.
Description of TI-30XS Multiview Calculator
Texas Instruments TI-30XS MultiView Scientific Calculator TI30XSMV CalculatorsDigital Cameras & Photo Categories
Similar Digital Cameras & Photo Products
Solutions Manual for Even Numbered Problemsby Robert L. McDonald
Addison Wesley; Published: 2006-03-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $39.69
Price in other shops:
PREALGEBRA (CUSTOM EDITION FOR CSCC) DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION COURSE DEV 031 (for Columbus State Community College Course DEV 031)by Magaret L Lial
Person Addison Wesley; Published: 2006; Paperback; Book
Best price: $95.00
Texas Instruments TI-30XS Multiview Scientific Calculator 4-line Display (Dark Pink)Texas Instruments; CE
Best price: $24.99
Derivatives Markets (2nd Edition)by Robert L. McDonald
Addison Wesley; Published: 2005-12-25; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $150.00
Price in other shops:
Chemical Principlesby Steven S. Zumdahl
Houghton Mifflin; Published: 2007-12-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $125.95
Price in other shops:
Loss Models: From Data to Decisions (Wiley Series in Probability and Statistics)by Stuart A. Klugman, Harry H. Panjer, Gordon E. Willmot
Wiley; Published: 2008-09-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $68.69
Price in other shops:
ACTEX Study Manual: SOA Exam P, CAS Exam 1 - 2009 Editionby Samuel A. Broverman
ACTEX; Published: 2009; Spiral-bound; Book
Best price: $80.00
Texas Instruments BA II Plus Professional Financial CalculatorTexas Instruments; Release date: 2010-10-10; CE
Best price: $39.99
Price in other shops:
Texas Instruments BA II Plus Financial CalculatorTexas Instruments; CE
Best price: $20.00
Price in other shops:
TI-36X Pro Scientific CalculatorTexas Instruments; CE
Best price: $17.50