Texas Instruments BA II Plus Financial Calculator
by Texas Instruments
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Texas Instruments BA II Plus Financial Calculator
Customer Review: A Good Calculator but not a Great Calculator
Summary: 3 Stars
The TI BA Plus II is a better calculator than most of the current TI models.Pros:
It's a nice conservative brown color and not a day glo blue or some other candy color.
The button feel (button feel a critical factor in buying a calculator) is much better than most TIs but it still could be improved. (It is not as good as the HP 12c). One shouldn't have to keep looking at the display to see if the number was keyed correctly.
The different colored keys make it easy to find the various functions.
The display is uncluttered and easy to read.
The alpha characters on the left side of the display make it easy to know what data you are entering and what the resulting number from a calculation refers to.
It has a backspace key.
The manual is well written and very complete.
Cons:
The number of key strokes that you need to do the simplest things is unbelievable. For example, to change the decimal format you have to press 2nd, format, [the number referring to the number of places], enter, 2nd, quit. Compare this to the HP 12c where you just press F and the number referring to the number of places. Six steps on the TI verses 2 on the HP.
The calculator has no weight to it. It seems flimsy. I would be very afraid of dropping it. The HP 12c is a tank by comparison.
The hard plastic slip "case" doesn't fit securely.
There is no way to change the contrast of the display.
Extra steps are required to do TVM calculations as compared to the HP 12c since with the TI you have to press the CPT key to get an answer. If you forget to do that then the display number becomes a new, unintended variable.
It doesn't retain the display when you shut the calculator off.
The arrow on the backspace key points the wrong way. Compare it to the backspace key on your computer.
It's easier to change the battery in your watch than it is in this calculator.
The "cheat sheet" in the plastic cover is only paper and very easy to loose. The HP has it printed on the back of the calculator.
No rubber feet! How much can these cost? That means you have to use two hands with this calculator; one to hold it so it doesn't slide around the table and one to enter data. You can't enter data with one hand and keep track of your place on a list of numbers with the other.
Not noticeably faster than the HP 12c which was designed over 20 years ago.
Conclusion: This calculator is better than most on the TIs in this price range mostly because of the improved button feel and the quality of the display but it would do well to take some lessons from the 80's and incorporate some of the features of the HP 12c. It's the little things that make a good calculator a great calculator. A calculator should be like an extension of you and not something that you have to constantly think about in addition to the business/math problems that you are working on. My first choice for a business calculator is the HP 12c but, if you are short on money, this is a good second choice.
Customer Review: A first look at the New Look TIBA2+
Summary: 4 Stars
VALUE PERFORMER GETS NEW LOOK
BA2+ users may like to know that Texas Instruments has released a "new look" TI BA2+ (allow me to call it it BA2+N), which may come with just more than cosmetic improvements over the popular BA2+.
IMPROVED LCD DISPLAY
I was able to observed from a short distant away that the LCD display of the BA2+N,is clearer and more contrasty than the orginal BA2+ which I own. TI gets a thumbs up for doing this improvement quietly plus giving a facelift to this already highly regarded value for money business-financial electronic calculator.
DID TEXAS INSTRUMENT KILLED SOME BUGS IN THE BA2+?
Although I have not yet been able to test the BA2+N, TI may have also incorporated some improvements and killed some bugs on the popular BA2+. It is also probable that some improvements or new functions incorporated on the September 2004 released BA2+ Professional (BA2+PRO) may also have been also incorporated into the specs of BA2+N.
I would like to believe that some small but extremely annoying bugs of the "original" BA2+ has been quietly fixed on the BA2+N. In particular, I wish to see the "Reset" button nuisance which clears all user input formatting on the BA2+ has been done alway with. Most users of BA2+ would know that an accident user soft reset would return to the default Number of Periods per year P/Y to 12, this would upset the results of many TVM calculations when user has set the P/Y to "1" to use the calculator in "number of periods" instead.
BATTERY REPLACEMENT WOES ON THE BA2+
I was not able to exam a unit of the BA2+N to see if end users would still need a screw driver to unscrew and pry open the BA2+ casing just to replace the CR2032 battery. It would be nice if TI would incorporate a user accessible slide open battery compartment for the BA2+N or future upgrades of the BA2+.
MY RECOMMENDATION
Would be buyers should get hold of the BA2+N or buy the BA2+PRO if you have a bigger budget. Budget conscious users could see that for the price of a BA2+ PRO, a screw driver and spare batteries, new users could afford to purchase for themselves two sets of BA2+N.
An advantage of having a spare BA2+N set on hand is that users could free themselves from the trouble of carrying a philips screwdriver and replacement lithium batteries to important assignments or to the examination centre.
HOW DIFFERENT DOES THE BA2+N LOOKS? I have downloaded the BA2+N JPEG picture from TI's calculator site and posted it to the Amazon's picture gallery.
IMPORTANT NOTE:I have commented on the BA2+N as an end user and I don't work for TI, HP or any of the manufacturers for the products which I have used, reviewed and posted my comments on the pages of Amazon.com. It is my pleasure to be able to share my first look at the BA2+N with you, thanks for reading!
Customer Review: Comparison of TI BAII Plus, HP 12C and HP 17BII
Summary: 5 Stars
Texas Instruments, inventors of the pocket calculator, have done it again with the BAII Plus. This is an extremely fast little beast with a lot of functionality. It outstrips even the more expensive competition with a higher number of functions. You have to look to the HP 17BII to cover all the same bases and even then in some case you will have to work around problems. For instance, the BAII Plus allows differing compounding periods to payment periods. You can even calculate bonds to call as well as yield.Sadly there is one serious problem with the machine. Strictly speaking it is not year 2000 compliant. Your date range is 1950 - 1949 and can only be entered as two digit years. TI have no work around for this either.
If you just want to number crunch all day long, this calculator gets my vote. Everything is in front of you on the keypad, you don't have to navigate around registers or menus. The keyboard is light and sensitive and easy to use. And the way the functions work together is very flexible.
The HP 12C. What can I say about this beautiful piece of craftsmanship. This not just a calculator, but an example of fine engineering. Sort of in the same league as a vintage car. You can almost here the engine purring gently when you turn it on. In comparison with the BAII Plus and the 17BII it lacks functionality. You will also see criticisms of its speed. But in reality this is untrue. What the 12C lacks in processing speed (and the difference is so slight that your calculations won't be affected) it makes up for in form factor and ruggedness. Don't underestimate this. The keyboard is industrial strength and so is the case. You can sit there banging away in RPN with one hand without even looking whilst you follow columns of figures with the other. You gain the best of both worlds between a heavy duty desk top calc and a neat pocket calculator. There is one other big advantage, which is the wealth of tutorials guides and papers about using it available for free on the internet.
But for uncompromising power, the HP 17BII is, for me, the ultimate financial calculator. It isn't as cumbersome as the 19BII but has everything I need from that calculator. The functionality is comprehensive, and where you might find limitations it gives you accurate work-arounds. The solver is indispensible. You can enter a formula and set up variables to enter as if you were using built in functionality. And it will solve for which ever variable is missing. Did you get that? - it actually does the algebra for you!!!
The 17BII is fast and rugged and I haven't yet found something I can't solve either through the built in functions or by programming it.
Customer Review: Good but not great. Probably the best choice for college business majors who need to take math/science courses.
Summary: 3 Stars
I just bought this calculator (December 2006) for use in actuary exams and I immediately experienced the problem where the calculator fails to record key presses. I think this happens because the calculator will not register a second button press until the first button is completely released. If I enter calculations with two thumbs (as some people hold their BlackBerry devices) or multiple fingers, then this problem seems to happen a lot, and it's frustrating. If I use just a single finger to enter calculations, then the problem seems to go away. (In contrast, my HP 32S II registers keys when they are pressed (even if one is being held down), and doesn't exhibit this problem.)
The scientist in me appreciates the inclusion of trigonometric functions (which aren't available on the Hewlett-Packard line of business calculators). This could be useful for business/finance/accounting students who only want one calculator but need to take a variety of different classes.
Unfortunately, the calculator doesn't have an "express exponent" button for ease of entering numbers in scientific notation; the manual recommends that you use the y-to-the-xth-power button for this by typing, for example 6.022 x (10 y-to-the-xth-power 23); on most scientific calculators, you could type 6.022 E 23. The calculator has natural logarithmic and exponential (base e) functions, but not common logarithmic and base-10 exponential functions. (Of course, you can work around these easily, but I think they're much more useful to have as buttons than hyperbolic trig functions, which are also easily worked-around and are rarely seen in ordinary life.)
Also, while the calculator does offer parentheses buttons, I find that these are super-hard to use without some visual feedback or indication of where you are in the calculation. Casio calculators say how many parentheses you've opened, and two-line calculators (from any company) are great for showing the expression in progress, but here, it's easy to get the feeling that you're typing blindly, and, given the button problem I mentioned above, that's not a comfortable feeling. For example, if you want to enter 6.022 x (10 y-to-the-xth-power 23 ) and instead enter 6.022 x 10 y-to-the-xth-power 23, you won't be able to tell that the calculator missed the parentheses button until you press the y-to-the-xth-power button and the calulator shows 60.22 in the display. (You wouldn't need these parentheses in the available AOS (algebraic order-of-operations) mode, but it's not the default setting, and the no-visual-feedback problem still remains.)
Customer Review: Ignore the buffoons above--this is THE financial calculator
Summary: 5 Stars
My friends, if you're looking for a financial calculator capable of calculating basic TVM functions, amortization, NPV, IRR, statistical analysis, deprection (SL, DB, SYD, and DBX), break-even analysis, bond calculations, markups and margins, interest-rate conversions, and even the number of days between two specific dates, then look no further than the TI BAII Plus. Here's why in a nutshell:(1) Ease of Use: Look, anything that's new to you will require some time set aside to learn about it. It will take no more than 15 minutes of perusing the manual before you know this calculator like the back of your hand. I don't know what the goofballs in the previous reviews meant when they said this calculator was hard to use--they don't even sound like people who work in finance. And whenever you need to lookup a function, just refer to the manual--what's so hard about that?!!
I used the HP 10Bii calculator. This thing actually used REGISTERS for input. In other words, it's not like entering data into a "spreadsheet"-style list that the TI has. You actually have to remember all the cash flows and data that you enter into the registers of the HP; there's no viewing, inserting, or deleting of data like the TI allows you to do. It doesn't have all that the TI has, and yet it costs exactly the same. Huh?
(2) Cost: Folks, if you want an HP calculator that is comparable to the BA II plus, you will have to shell out anywhere from (dollar amount). This is nothing new; HP always had this arrogance in pricing their calculators high--come on guys, they're all pieces of plastic made in China. What, you like the rigid feel of the buttons on HP? Well whoop-dee-doo, I thought we buy these things to perform calculations...
(3) It's got everything, Need I say more?: For instance, did you know you can perform statistical regression analysis, where you can input an "X" variable and have the calculator compute the corresponding "Y" value on a least-squares regression line? You've even got trigonometric functions (SIN, COS, and TAN) as well as the inverses of those functions.
Trust me, this is a serious calculator packed with all the basic financial tools you need, all for a REASONABLE price (read: affordable). If you want something more serious, then by all means, screw the HP, and just use Microsoft Excel.