Texas Instruments VOY200/PWB Graphing Calculator

Plain and simple, I love calculators. Yes, I have both Matlab and Mathematica running on my multiprocessor workstation but calculators have always had a special place in my heart. Since high school, I've firmly been in the HP camp and like many, I think the HP41C remains one of the finest calculators ever made. But the HP legacy started its sad decline with the 28C and the bottom fell out with the HP48G, perhaps the worst calculator HP has ever made. (It literally can take seconds to add two numbers... what could they have been thinking?) All of that being said, I decided to venture into the TI camp, if only because they still take calculators seriously. I was dubious, however, because their machines seem designed for high school students rather than professional scientists/engineers, and this is reflected in the lack of high-end software packages available for them. Nonetheless, I don't think since the HP41 line have any calculators attracted so much interest or had so large a community built around them as have the recent TIs. The Voyage 200 is something of a tour de force. It is based on the Motorola 68000, the same processor found in the original Macintosh and many other popular computers. It is programmable both in TI Basic and in 68000 assembly, the latter of which has lead to a rather impressive library of available games and applications that all run amazingly quickly given their platform. This whole software world is somewhat muddled by the fact that TI has released a series of operating system upgrades and patches for this calculator and wading the compatibility waters is very confusing for the uninitiated. (For example, for HP aficianados, it is quite possible to run an extremely well done RPN interface on this calculator, but it requires that you find & download both the RPN assembly program and HW2 AMS 2 TSR support (h220xTSR) if you're using the latest version of the operating system, AMS 2.09. When was the last time you worried about what operating system your calculator was running??) Another troublesome point about this calculator is the documentation is shockingly bad. Really, it is just plain awful. It comes with a thin, almost useless manual, and you'll have to read through 20+ pages just to find out how to add 1+1. Haven't they ever heard of a "getting started quickly" guide? There are several hundred pages of manuals on CD and on the web, but in general, there are written very poorly indeed. Coming from the world of professionally written documentation for systems like Mathematica and Matlab, I realize just how lucky we are that those companies take documentation very seriously and write far simpler manuals for much more complex systems. All in all, however, I think the Voyage 200 is the best thing going in the calculator world today. It's wonderful to once again have a calculator whose capabilities are as much fun to discover as it is to use. I doubt I'll ever find time for assembly programming on this beast, but it warms my heart to know that I could.

I am not a calculator expert but I know a great thing when I see it (and use it). It took a little while to get used to but the setup is similar (but better) than the TI-89 (and of course the predecessor TI-92 PLUS). The cable up-link is nothing short of COOL. Upgraded my OS (and OS HA!) as soon as I got it. The installed TI-Connect did all the work. Downloaded more free applications and the manual for the TI-89. There is no manual for this besides a brochure because the platform is almost identical to the 89 and 92 - just order it for $5 or download it for free at TI's website. But anyways the software is cool. The querty keyboard and the graphic platform make is so much easier to navigate. You can even organize what applications you need for different subjects. 2MB or ROM make this thing even better. The processor is nothing special. The main features of why you would want to buy this calculator compared to others is the available software (prior versions compatible of course), computer up link, bunch of free applications available, 2 MB ROM, fantastic navigation, and of course the QUERTY keyboard. Only down fall to this: the QUERTY keyboard defines this beautiful machine as a computer which is truly against all standardized tests and even college tests (most professors are ok with it thogught - since it's basically a slight upgrade to the TI-89 which is acceptable. I LOVE IT!

This is a wonderful calculator, regardless of whether or not you're a student. It is essentially a TI-89 repackaged with a larger display and a large QWERTY keyboard. Or you could say that the TI-89 is a Voyage 200 repackaged with a smaller display and a small non-QWERTY keyboard. For Calculus operations, you'll benefit from the built-in Computer Algebra System (CAS) and the ability to do symbolic operations (for example, enter an equation such as A=B/C and ask the calculator to rewrite it for you in terms of C [C=A*B]), as well as solving indefinite integrals. Calculus and Trigonometry operations both benefit from things such as the fact that the calculator can present answers in terms of Pi and not just the decimal approximations. All operations benefit from the calculator's "pretty printing" functionality, the large display, and the QWERTY keyboard. For an example of "pretty printing", imagine you enter in 5/(4*3). The calculator would echo this back to you as a 5 with a division bar over 4 * 3, on two separate lines. As you can imagine, this is a life-saver with complex equations where it can get very difficult to mentally follow all of the nested parenthesis and to be sure that the calculator properly interpreted what you were trying to tell it.

The voyage 200 is the finest calculator that I have ever had. Its performance is remarkable and it is a user-friendly product. You do not have to remember in which button is the function that you need, or deal with buttons that have impressed three or more function in different colors. Just type the function and that is it. That is simple, is not it? It is also outstanding the main menu and its easy navigation. You can customize it by adding software applications from the texas instruments web page. The "Computer Algebra" application can solve equations, integrals and much more. "Organizer" mades a nice calendar to schedule activities, classes, and keep track of the important business of you life. "Notefolio" and "Cell sheet" are applications that work as interface for text and data between calculator and computer. The operative system can be downloaded to the calculator via USB cable with out problems. In conclusion, I believe that is a great product. Just be careful, so many features are not allowed in most of the standardized test and courses.