basilisk4's Full Review: Texas Instruments TI-89 Titanium Scientific Calcul...
In reality, the TI-89 is really more like a Palm Pilot than it is a calculator, given some of the features it has. For example, the TI-89 promises not to become obsolete quickly, due to its upgradability. Even without this feature, however, I doubt the TI-89 would become useless for some time -- after all, I used a TI-85 (which was about 8 years old) for three years of high school and three years of college.
In addition, one can also purchase the GraphLink cable, also manufactured by Texas Instruments. This handy, little tool opens up even more possibilities as it lets you transfer information back and forth between your TI-89 and your computer. I have seen this cable sold for about $12-20 in most stores where you could purchase the TI-89 itself. In addition, there are multiple software updates available for this calculator. Check out the Texas Instruments website for more information about those.
The TI-89 is truly a blessing for anyone who is forced to (or just wants to, for some odd reason which I will never understand) take high-level mathematics classes, especially in college. I was able to use this calculator effectively from Calculus I through Calculus IV as well as Chemistry I and II at a renowned math and science college (Georgia Tech). In fact, I don't know what I would have done without it, considering the fact that even with its help I didn't do all that well in those classes.
There are two reasons why I wouldn't recommend this calculator to everyone. First of all, the TI-89 is relatively expensive -- depending on which store you choose to buy from, I have seen the TI-89 priced anywhere from about $120 to $160. For people who are only going to have to take College Algebra, it's simply not a sound investment to purchase this calculator. If you plan on taking several years of higher math, however, the TI-89 could well turn out to be your life-line.
Secondly, the TI-89 continues a long tradition among Texas Instrument calculators -- specifically, it's a huge pain in the butt to learn how to use it. The instruction manual is about an inch thick, which seems rather large to me for a calculator (and it's even larger than the one for the TI-85 was). Basically, you're going to have to treat this as if it's a little computer in a lot of ways, because that's just what it is.
All in all, this is a great calculator if you have use for it. As has always been with Texas Instruments products, it is cutting-edge and will continue to be so for years to come.
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