Texas Instruments TI-Nspire Handheld with Touchpad Graphing Calculator

Rechargeable Battery Notice:The most important thing I want to point out is that the TI nspire --without CAS-- does NOT have a battery compartment for the rechargeable battery. I didn't find this mentioned anywhere, and bought the rechargeable battery at the same time. Unless you are: content with voiding any warranty; have the know-how to tinker with the insides; and are a competent tinkerer, the rechargeable battery will be useless to you. I've got the battery in mine and it's working beautifully, so it can be done. I'm also an engineering major, and how to add it is well beyond the scope of what I want to put in a review.Circuit Analysis/'i' in Matrix Notice:If you're thinking of getting this for circuit analysis, then I want to point out that the TI84+ keypad is no different from a standard TI84+ in terms of matrices. You CANNOT use i in a matrix on the TI84+, so that keypad will not work as-is for alternating current circuit analysis. There are actually enough variables on the TI84 to setup a program that can perform a Kramer's rule solution to a 2x3 or 3x4, however you'll have to program that yourself. The nspire keypad can handle imaginary numbers in matrices, but if you're coming from TI8x's, there WILL be a learning curve. I strongly suggest finding tutorials on the nspire-keypad if that is your goal with it.Ordering and Keypads Notice:I purchased from Texas Discount Electronics, and it came packaged with the calculator, both keypads, a USB cable, inexpensive batteries, and software. I found it to be a good deal. Whichever seller you decide to purchase from, make sure to find out if they include both keypads or not... I found that many only include the nspire keypad, and not the TI84+ keypad. The sellers that didn't include it usually sold it separately, so make sure you are aware of what you're ordering. If you need both, and it's not clear, ask the seller before you buy.Built-In Software:For my class use this semester, I'm running just the TI84+ keypad. For home use, I'm starting to toy with the nspire keypad, but I'm not yet comfortable with it. The TI84+ keypad takes substantially longer to boot up than a standard TI84+. If it times out and shuts off, it'll almost immediately power up again, however if you SHIFT-OFF then it will have to go through a 20-30 second boot process. Due to features of the nspire, it is disallowed in my math course (we aren't allowed calculators capable of symbolic math) so I must use the TI84+ keypad. It only takes a few seconds to swap keypads back and forth, then the boot process, should you have a want or need to jump between them. With the TI84+ keypad, it's instructor approved for no-symbolic-math-calculators.Bundled (PC) Software:The bundled software was fairly out of date, but that's the case with most devices today. Was functional, however I went to TI's website and obtained an up to date copy of everything I'm going to need for easy computer access. It does not have CAS, but being able to download and install programs from the many libraries online is quite a blessing.Construction:I've dropped it off a desk once, and screen is still intact. To swap keypads, you shut it off, slide a release, pull off keypad, and click new one in place. Dead simple. My calculator guts are a wee bit different than stock, due to a mod mentioned above. For those wanting to consider such a mod, there's plenty of room to add the battery where it's goes on the CAS model and the solder points are there, it's just missing connectors and access panel.Overall:Extremely happy with my purchase. Really wish I had seen that the non-CAS didn't take the rechargeable battery sooner, but it's all up and going now. It works great for my classes, and will for future classes. As it's a slide, remove, click to swap keypads, it's easily a calculator you can use most (if not all) of your college career and beyond. I have been and will be recommending it to everyone who asks me about it, just as a math majoring friend recommended it to me.

I recently purchased the Ti-nspire handheld for school. I was very pleased at the quick shipping from the supplier and am very pleased with the handheld. I am a new user of such a piece of electronics but that is why I am going back to school. I found the user interface fairly easy to use. The handheld has tutorials lessons pre-loaded on it to help guide you through using it. I am glad that to get the Ti-84 plus keypad for this device was relatively simple and easy by e-mailing texas instruments after registering. The keypad was shipping and in my possession within a week. My overall impression so far has been very positive with this. I also purchased Ti-nspire for dummies book to help along the way. I hope to at least scratch the potential of this devices capabilities this semester at school. I would certainly recommend this for someone looking for versatility. It's the best option I found in all the Ti-nspire series handhelds at least for me. The color version is fancy but I wouldn't have the compatibility to use the Ti-84 keypad. Looking forward to many different uses for this, algebra, biology and statistics. I would recommend this.

First off, it's ACT and SAT certified, so that means you can use every part of this calculator on it, and trust me, it helped. The initial setup is confusing, because there's SO MUCH programmed in. The manual is at least a centimeter thick, which for a calculator is significant. However, the graphing capabilities is incredibly useful as is the internal notepad for when there's no pen or pencil around and by some chance it's all you have on you. (Unlikely, but it happened to me. Chemistry class was halfway done, the teacher was going non-stop with his PPT, my pen ran out of ink, so I typed atomic equations into this sucker until I got home and rewrote them in my actual notebook.) Take a good hour to two to learn all the little features and this N-spire will serve you well.

I'll make this review short and sweet. While the Nspire is a great deal for the money you spend, I wish I had just gotten the CAS and got it over with. I got this one because you get an 84 keypad for free. However, I used the 84 pad only once and have been using the touchpad ever since. Had I known this Nspire pad would be so easy to use I would have just gone for the CAS in the first place. Sometimes you you have to play catch up in class on how to preform certain functions on the Nspire, but once you get used to it it's far easier than using the 84. I will most definitely be getting the Nspire CX CAS next seeing as how it's only ten dollars more than the LCD Nspire CAS. These are fantastic calculators and I don't know if I'll ever even bother trying any other variety including the TI-89. According to a customer service rep at TI I spoke to the only real difference between an 89 and Nspire is there are a few more engineering apps you can download for the 89. other than that they are the same functionally.

Bought this for my daughter in college. She opened it today and this is what we found. Now praying it works!

This is a very hi tech, complicated piece of equipment! The funny thing is I had to buy this for my daughter who is in the 8th grade! I would have never made it out of 8th grade if I had to learn to use this thing. It has so many different functions for algebra, calculus, geometry, trigonometry, charts and graphs, it's a miracle just learning how to turn this thing on and off. It is put together very well, I have always been a fan of Texas Instruments products and this is no different. This can even be synced into a pc to download your charts and graphs, formulas etc. It has a keyboard on the bottom of it so that you can actually type text.I know this will get her through until her senior year and I just wonder what her kids will have to use in 30 years or so when they are in the 8th grade. This is so far advanced to what I used back in Jr. High school in the 70's.