Texas Instruments Nspire CX CAS Graphing Calculator, Frustration Free Package

This is a really fine piece of technology and I'm glad I live in a time when it is easily available to everyone, even though it is somewhat expensive; however I think the price is justified when you consider what this calculator can do.First off I would highly recommend purchasing the Guerrilla Screen Protector. Many other reviewers mention their screen getting scratches or smudges -- the screen protector will make that a non-issue for you. Another thing, the slide cover that comes with the calculator should be sufficient to keep it from being damaged.Regarding the functionality and capabilities of this calculator...wow was my first response. This calculator is well suited for high school as well as university students. Even instructors could use some of its features to demonstrate certain mathematics to the students as the calculator can be connected to a computer and from there a projector may be used.The rechargeable battery is really very awesome imo. You will get many hours of use before you have to re-charge the battery and even when you do it is quick -- the calculator is also smart about conserving energy and it will dim the screen and then turn off if left to idle for a while.Resolution of the screen is such that if you look closely you will be able to see the individual pixels, however the colors are vibrant and add a whole another dimension to a calculator. It is difficult to explain but if you've been using a regular graphing calculator for years and years once you start working with this one you will be amazed.Some of the functions available under each subject section;- Calculus: Derivatives & Integrals (definite and indefinite), Limits, Sums, Function min. and max, normal and tangent lines, arc length, series, Differential Equation Solver, implicit differentiation...and more- Algebra: completing the square, expansion, solve system of equations, polynomial tools, trig, complex...- Probability: permutations, factorial, distributions...- Statistics: stat calculations (just a ton of them), List math & operations, distributions, confidence intervals, stat tests...- Matrix & Vector: determinant, row-echelon form (and reduced), row & element operations, cross and dot product for vectors, conversion a vector to polar, rect.,cylindrical, spherical...- Finance: TVM, amortization, cash flow, interest conversion...That's only a small fraction of what it can do, and it doesn't even include the ridiculous number of graphing features and tweaks. I could praise this calculator and nerd out about it all day.However there are certain things I do not like or find bothersome. Right off the bat, please Texas Instruments include a full and detailed manual along this calculator. I know there are is a pdf online but it would be so much nicer and imo professional to have an actual physical copy I can refer to when needed. The other thing is the touch-sensitive pad in the middle of the directional button; I find it sometimes to be too sensitive and it can make navigation more difficult when I am trying to use only the arrows and keep accidentally swiping over the touch-sensitive pad. In fairness I should also mention that the touch-sensitive pad is really great when you actually DO want to use it. One more thing, pretty dumb and very unlikely a sentiment shared by many others, I do not like the fact that the buttons for the letters are arranged in an alphabetical order. Yes it makes sense; however many people, myself included, are entirely accustomed to the QWERTY layout and it can be difficult to type with the same proficiency when using this calculator to take notes or something like that.As a final note I just want to say that this is a very feature-rich and complex calculator. You will HAVE TO at least skim through their online manual to figure out how to perform certain tasks, but I guarantee you that when you get proficient at using this calculator you will be able to deal with quite complex problems easily. Not only deal with them but also graph and display the results in a manner that can show exactly how your data/numbers are behaving.Do not make the mistake of assuming this is for high-school kids or college sophomores only.

The first one I got was a dud, but Amazon's return policy made it very easy to send the defective model in and get a new one in about 2 days (I had initially ordered 1-day shipping, which helped). Overall, I'm very pleased with this calculator. I'm a Mechanical Engineering undergraduate, and I've used the TI-89 Titanium since my senior year in high school. The main reason I bought the CX CAS is because it allows MathPrint input and output, where the 89 Titanium only outputs MathPrint. It also has a faster processor, from what I've read as well as from experience with both calculators. The color screen is nice, as is the ability to create documents that each have their own settings (like SI versus English units) and custom variables/units. This is particularly nice for when you switch back and forth between homework/test problems and don't want to have to change your unit settings each time.Some downsides, compared to the TI-89 Titanium: The Nspire CX CAS seems to have been designed to be more user-friendly to beginners. It has several buttons that open templates rather than using dedicated shortcuts (using diamond, 2nd, and alpha combinations) for common functions like the 89. Thus, certain actions take longer than they did on the 89.Another downside is that when you scroll up to an entry and press enter, it copies it to the clipboard as it pastes it in the input line. This is different from the TI-89, whose clipboard is independent of this process. This is particularly annoying because it means you can't keep anything copied to the clipboard. On the 89, I was able to keep common symbols or templates on the clipboard and paste them on command, but I can't do that on the CX CAS.My final complaint is the programming. This calculator is severely limited in its programming capabilities, especially in its lack of creating custom menus. The 89 was a breeze to create menus, and I was able to create several useful programs to help keep track of equations as well as solve for different variables of my choice. Because the CX CAS uses documents rather than I/O, graph, and home screens, its capabilities within TI-Basic are significantly lower than any programmable TI calculator I've ever used. Lua programming seems promising, but I have yet to find a reliable way to make a menu that works without a significant lag. Additionally, because of this lack of versatility in programming, there are way more engineering and math programs available for the TI-89 than for the Nspire CX CAS. Most of the traditional TI programmers have been discouraged by its limitations and most of the highly useful programs for the 89 have yet to be converted to a format the CX CAS can handle.Summary:Pros: MathPrint Input, fast processor, documents, bright color screen, lots of memory, full keyboard, battery life (about 2 weeks with heavy use)Cons: Designed for beginners (templates and lack of shortcuts), odd use of clipboard to store entries, severe lack of programming capabilityThis calculator has been a good investment for engineering. However, if Texas Instruments ever makes a calculator that combines the good features of Nspire CX CAS and the TI-89 Titanium, I will buy that calculator.