Texas Instruments TI-89 Titanium Graphing Calculator
by Texas Instruments
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Texas Instruments TI-89 Titanium Graphing Calculator
Customer Review: ti89 is an outstanding piece of geare.But TI-nspire CAS is where education is going.
Summary: 5 Stars
The Ti-nspire Cas Graphing Calc is the calculator for any serious high school or college student. I will be the only calculator through grad school. I have taught at the High School level for 31 yr. Several system developments have converged on this piece of equipment that have to be understood before you can see the length,depth and breadth of this technology. Ti has put together an integrated class learning environment that projects the learning experience at the individual level while the whole class shares on that level. Geometric shapes can be manipulated on screen while the class views the changes that occur in the related formulas from which they come.Plans can be written, implemented on the calculator and projected onto a screen for all to see. The document concept is so flexible that I can not pursue its potential in this venue. Finally, at the graduate level you can bring a level of accuracy to your work in several number systems,not experienced at the calculator level. You can then handshake with your computer to bring presentation objects into and through your work for clarity. This is especially useful when presenting work that is highly abstract where models and examples can make the research values come alive. At the High School level tests for core subjects IE. Geometry, Algebra , Trig and pre calculus.The sophistication of this training at the High School Level is not lost in the transition to college level work, no matter what the major you pick. The document format system lends itself to open ended applications which can be stored on your computer. Fred C WendellCustomer Review: LCD is poor quality
Summary: 3 Stars
This calculator has one of the worst displays that I have seen in a monochrome Liquid Cristal Display. I usually like LCD displays for its sharp image and low power consumption. To me this display looks like mud, no matter how much I adjust the contrast. Comparing it to TI-30XA the 30XA has a bright clear LCD display that is visible from widely different angles it can be placed on a desk with little thought to lighting. The TI89 has to be held just right to get a good image. Although the calculator's LCD does look good outside in the daylight I mostly use it inside. The pixels are also rather large the lower case "e" is made up of only 7 pixels and looks rather odd. The large pixels could be over looked if the screen had a higher contrast and a wider viewing angle. This is a graphing calculator so you would expect Texas Instruments to put a better display in a graphing calculator than in the cheaper TI-30XA. I would be willing to pay more for a good display if they have it. The functions of the TI89 are great but the display to see the functions is in need of improvement.
The cover is rather hard to get off but I found that a drop of oil on the side rails can make the cover slide on and off easily. Actually I used less than a drop. Radio Shack sells oil in a tube with a pin point tip that makes it easy to place the oil in the slot (Cat No. 64-2301A).
The keys have a quality feel to them and I like the way the calculator operates. The Calculator feels like it is built well with the exclusion of the LCD.
I would have given this calculator a 5 if it had a descent LCD.
Customer Review: Great Calculator
Summary: 5 Stars
Before I bought a TI-89 Titanium, I had used a TI-83 Plus for four years. After taking calculus and learning about limits, derivatives, integrals, infinite series, Taylor series, differential equations, and multivariable functions, I decided that I would look for a calculator which was capable of symbolic computation. After analyzing my options, I decided on a TI-89 Titanium. The TI-89 Titanium is able to expand polynomials, factor polynomials, and do all of the calculus techniques that I mentioned -- symbolically and numerically. One of the other things I found helpful was the TI-89 Titanium's ability to plot direction fields using different algorithms (including Euler's method). One of the nicer things about this model (compared to the TI-89) is that it has USB connectivity (cord included) for installing applications and transferring data. Another nice thing is that it also supports connectivity to older model TI-89s via the old I/O port which is right next to the USB connector. I also found the "exact mode" very useful (exact mode will give you exact answers rather than decimal approximations). Yet, the most useful feature of this calculator is probably the "pretty print" feature which displays expressions as you would normally write them on paper. This feature allows you to easily see the expression that you typed in. All these features plus copy and paste ability make this calculator nearly perfect. My only complaint is that the cover does not initially slide on and off easily. However, I'm sure that with more use it will wear in. Overall this is a great calculator -- I recommend itCustomer Review: Texas TI-89 Titanium
Summary: 3 Stars
I purchased this item a couple of weeks ago. I own a TI-84 Plus Silver Edition and thought I would upgrade to the TI-89 Titanium for the additional calculus features. I was disappointed when I received the calculator. The reasons are the display and the input notations on the face-plate. It you are familiar with the TI-84 you will note that the display is crisp and easy to read. The lite grey color of its face-plate combined with the color choices for notations makes it easy to read. This cannot be said of the TI-89 Titanium. The dark grey face-plate with the use of washed-out blue and cream-yellow colors makes it difficult to read the subscript key notations. Worse, the height of the keys themselves cast a shadow over the notations. The display is dark and recessed appoximately 1cm below the face-plate. This is important to note because the rim of the recess casts a shadow onto the display. Since the diplay is dark to begin with, and the font size is small you squint to read the function menu choices that lie right where the shadow falls. Why they (Texas Instuments) did not use a display similar to the TI-84 I do no know. The calculator itself is powerful. It handles number crunching and symbolic notation easily, but you still need to be able to read its output. It is like Texas Instruments designed a car with very strong chassis and powerful engine, then covered it with a Ford Fiesta body and a cracked windshield. I would strongly recommend that if you do not absolutely need caculus functions you look at the TI-84. Altrenatively, look at the HP-50g if calculus functions are necessary.Customer Review: A great product
Summary: 5 Stars
First let me start off by saying this is probably overkill for algerbra and calc classes. If your on a budget, go with the TI-84. You'll also want to make sure your teacher/school will allow these on tests. They are very powerful, so some schools/teachers won't allow them.
That being said I think the best way to determin if you need this or the 84 is to compare them side by side:
The TI-89...
- CAS allows it to add variables (ie x + x will give you 2x)
- Much more advanced in terms of features (I could write a whole page about that)
- 3rd party app support allows you to download applications to add even more features.
- Faster than the TI-84
- Not allowed on some tests
- More expensive
- Very different from the TI-84, so there is a learning curve. Also for school if your teacher is not using it (they tend to use the 84s for Calc and Algerbra) they may not be able to help you with it.
The TI-84...
- Cheaper
- Commonly used by schools, along with the TI-83 (which has the same layout thus, instructions for the TI-83 will work on the 84 as well). Most algerbra and Calc teachers will be able to assist you with any problems.
- Allowed on almost any test
- Like the 89, it has great support for third party apps.
- Less advanced, so there is less of a learning curve.
- Lacks the advanced features of the 89
Both calculators will last you through you college/university years and possibly into your career. The question is do you need the extra features of the TI-89?