Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus Graphing Calculator
by Texas Instruments
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List Price: Our Price: $105.99 You Save: $33.01 (24%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $62.95 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus Graphing Calculator
Customer Review: Very expensive for the lack quality and complicated to use.
Summary: 2 Stars
I will admit up front that I am an HP RPN snob -- I'm 46 years old and have been using RPN since I was a college student. So using ANY algebraic calculator is a bit of a challenge for me.
That said, this calculator is required by nearly every student from 8th grade through college level classes and so I reluctantly plunked down the money and bought one of these for my son. I hate it and I personally won't use it. IF I have to use something that requires algebraic mode I use the HP 35s Scientific Calculator and this review is primarily in contrast to the HP 35S (it would be unfair to compare it to my trusty HP 15Cs since those long went the way of the dodo bird).
The TI is much heavier and bulkier than the HP 35-S. However, being made completely of cheap plastic and not having its own protective case, it is going to get clobbered in my son's backpack -- which usually weighs a good 20 pounds on any given day. But he has to have it so what alternative does he have...
The keys are noisy and spongy compared to the HP (which has a nice soft and crisp "tick" sound).
I have a blue calculator (my son likes blue) and many of the labels are a lighter shade of blue printed on blue plastic -- what human factors genius came up with *that* one. You spend 5 minutes trying to read the button labels just trying to find the function you want.
The TI is lacking many of the native "math" functions which make the HP so attractive. If you are doing statistics, doing permuations and combinations on the HP is a built in function. You can program them on the TI but that takes time and another level of skill that most students won't have.
And while Algebraic calculators usually have the advantage of having the more intuitive "=" sign, this calculator doesn't even have that going for it -- you have to hit <ENTER> just like an RPN calculator. If you want to have an algebraic mode calculator, great. But why make it as counter intuitive as an RPN calculator?
The HP 35S, which does so much more from a functional standpoint, can operate in both RPN and Algebraic mode so you, in essence, get 2 calculators in one and much more flexibility.
The upshot: If you have a kid in school, you probably will have to buy one of these. The schools don't really give you a choice. However, if you are buying this for yourself and want a calculator that is going to last awhile and do what you really need it to do, go for the HP 35S
[NCJAR]
Customer Review: As the only electronic device allowed in class, it's good
Summary: 4 Stars
My high school is...rather restrictive, when it comes to electronics. Or anything, really. The only device allowed is a graphing calculator; the TI-83/84s are the ones highly recommended by our math dept. because they know them in and out. I went ahead and got one and it is a godsend. Programming in class? Yep!
It's got a bit of a learning curve for the advanced features like graph functions or BASIC programs--there's no manual on the functions, so you have to Google it, guess, or ask someone who knows what they're doing.
Texas Instruments is stuck in 1996, with a 96x64 BLACK-AND-WHITE display (which looks and feels cheap), 24KB of RAM, and 480KB of flash storage. And this thing regularly sells for over $100. I would bet you that $100 that it's at least 75% profit. Highway robbery, but I'm not complaining. I didn't pay for it, and look, programming! IN. CLASS.
So I'm guessing most TI-84 owners are high school students. There are a metric ton of games available, as well as several programming languages for flexibility if you'd like to write your own. Frankly, as a programmer myself (as if you hadn't figured that out already), I find it more interesting/exciting to write my own, but it's very much a preference.
If you play those games in class, you're gonna miss stuff. Well, that's covered too. For every 2 games, there's a program that automates some math function, formula, or method. Not that I advocate that.
Conclusion: most people won't care about features, because it's a required item in math classes across the country. Regardless of the price, it's a solid little tank that keeps on chugging. I play games and program every school day since I got it at the beginning of the '10 school year, and I have yet to replace the batteries.
Customer Review: Easy to operate, does what it needs to do
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought my first TI graphing calculator in 1993 (the TI-85) and used that for several years until I was required to upgrade to an HP 48G+. Since those calculators had carried me through the past 16 years of college and work, I was wary when this year's "school supply list" required us to spring for a TI-84 Plus.
Since these calculators are often "required" for middle school through college these days, I understand how the manufacturer can get away with its exorbitant price tag. That being said, we were persistent bargain shoppers and pounced the day we saw the price take a nose dive.
The calculator is fairly straight forward to use, and batteries are included. We have found that school textbooks tend to have step-by-step tutorials on certain subjects, and that the teachers use the calculator daily in class (whatever happened to graphing with pencil and graph paper?). Because I have used a very similar calculator before, I have been able to instruct my student in every issue that has come up so far. We have not had to use the manual.
Overall, I have no problems with this calculator, which does what it needs to do. I do know these are a prime target for thieves at school (often turning up at pawn shops, where you can buy your own calculator back for about $45), so we are protecting the calculator as an investment. If your school gives you the option of using a TI-83, however, you can get essentially the same functionality at a lower price. (Go for it.)
Customer Review: TI-84 plus: a graphing calculation device
Summary: 5 Stars
In this review i will be focusing on two major points pertaining to the monetary exchange usage and overall quality of my calculating machine which is a TI-84 plus manufactured for Texas Instruments of Dallas, Texas by an outsourced factory located in the Peoples Republic of China.
The machine is well suited to meet professor recommendation for just about any math, or physics work (aerodynamics in my case). I could even go as far as saying "if one were so inclined they could put forth effort by entering data into the machine which is required in order to complete equations and the machine will accurately produce an answer to said equation."
The machine itself is of relatively high quality, not that materials used are anything too extravagant for example the device and is case are constructed of plastic but the complete assembly and rigid construction are testament to a well designed piece of equipment as far as I would expect a calculating device manufactured by an American company outsourcing to China.
From an economical standpoint I was expecting such a machine to cost me in the neighborhood of one hundred dollars and i was of course able to order one from this site for a reasonably lesser sum of around eighty five.
Customer Review: It's a nice calculator
Summary: 4 Stars
I needed a good graphing calculator for my Geometry class, something that I lacked for the coming school year. I looked on Amazon in hope of finding a good, cheaper calculator tat would be able to fit my budget. As soon as I saw the price of this one, I immediately set out to purchase it.
The delivery arrived on time; in fact, it came about a day earlier than expected, which, is very good. So thanks to the seller for that. However, the calculator I received was the same kind that the school had purchased, which was rather awkward for me to explain to them that no, I did NOT steal from their supplies.
Also, there were a few kinks with the calculator; the cover was scratched with a doodle, and it didn't fit very well. However, I only needed a working graphing calculator, and that was good enough for me.
So all in all, four stars for the speedy shipping, and for the usable calculator.