Omnimaga
Omnimaga => News => Topic started by: DJ Omnimaga on March 05, 2011, 03:34:57 am
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In response to TI and Casio calculators' low specs for their prices, there were some independent calculator designing projects being started in the past 6 months.
Last Summer, there was OTCalc (http://www.omnimaga.org/index.php?board=118.0), which was going to have one lower-end but cheaper model designed to compete against Z80 calcs and an higher end ARM model designed to compete against the TI-Nspire series. Unfortunately, as the project authors are very busy during school time, this project only sees progress during Summer and is still only being planned. However, a forum member nicknamed as Uberspire has recently started his own calculator project too. Like OTCalc, a survey was made to ask members what they want to be included in the calculator and other questions, but his project is in further stages than OTcalc, as a prototype has already been build, despite missing the casing:
Here is an early design mock-up for one of the calc versions below:
(http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/4259/projectparadise2.jpg)
According to the author's project information, it features a 533 MHz ARM9 Advance Multimedia processor (H.264 and MPEG hardware decoding), 128 MB of RAM, 1 GB of Flash storage, a SD card slot, and accelerates towards Earth at 9.81 m/s2. Different versions of the calculator are planned, one being aimed primary at developers and the other one meant for school (still with some development capabilities).
You can find more info in the project topic (http://ourl.ca/8915).
Although this is an extremely ambitious project most likely filled with future challenges before it reaches the market and that it will be hard to break TI's monopoly, this still looks interesting nonetheless. We do hope there will be some teacher modes and a way to disable the CAS so it can possibly be approved in some math tests if it comes to fruition.
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Odd how they suddenly put a ton of processing power and graphical upgrades into calculators.
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Now that looks awesome.
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This looks great and I can't wait to help with development(If I can)
I am definitely getting one of the developer versionns(SO much I can do)
Math class will never be boring again
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Odd how they suddenly put a ton of processing power and graphical upgrades into calculators.
This is an independent project by a member here, so it's meant to be awesome :D
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There is 2-100x more likelyhood that calcs made by independent developers will be better than the ones made by large companies. The large companies do't care for us poor people who want nice things the are programmabe -glares at TI-
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This is great, but I don't think my math teacher would let me use one of these, lol. :P
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<heresy>
If nothing else, I could use it for math.
</heresy>
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How could you say that?
There is supposed to be a school edition that would be okay to use on standardized tests. I don't think your teacher would be allowed to outlaw(ban) it then. Now the developers one is different ;). tat will be the true uber calc. touch screen and everything
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There is 2-100x more likelyhood that calcs made by independent developers will be better than the ones made by large companies. The large companies do't care for us poor people who want nice things the are programmabe -glares at TI-
Well, to be honest, the TI-Nspire has a quite good piece of hardware for a calc, but it's just so locked down and I still think it's a bit overpriced for its hardware.
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I think I will buy the standard edition to use on the math test and the developers edition to use after the math test ;)
And if uberspire can get the standard edition out on time I might be able to convince my school math department to endorse this calc. I'm in very good standing with the math teachers and my school is thinking of dropping the 84+ line in favor of the nspire. If I can convince them that uberspire's calc is better and train the math teachers on how to use it, then there will be an order for 1800 calcs. :w00t:
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Odd how they suddenly put a ton of processing power and graphical upgrades into calculators.
In my opinion, I think the TI-nSpire is overpriced for it's specs. Plus, they don't give you the freedom to do much programming and development. According the survey I gave out for Project Paradise, a lot of people share the same thought. I don't think the problem is whether a calculator is too powerful or not. I think everyone would like a powerful piece of hardware. As DJ said, the TI-nSpire is a good piece of hardware, but if you're gonna place a price on something, it should reflect the value of features the calculator has to offer. I do agree that Project Paradise might seem too much, but for the prices people pay for other calculators on the market, you should be getting something as powerful as Project Paradise with the manufacturing capabilities these companies have. Otherwise, they should lower down their prices. I strongly believe that Project Paradise will have the best features to price ratio out of anything on the market. I know this is an ambitious project, but hopefully people will see this an something more innovative than what Casio and TI have put out. Maybe when Project Paradise starts shipping out, it may finally make TI reconsider how they've been treating the community.
If I can convince them that uberspire's calc is better and train the math teachers on how to use it, then there will be an order for 1800 calcs. :w00t:
Now that would be really awesome. :D By "out on time", do you mean by next school year? Gives more reason why I should get this calculator out there. :)
BTW, thanks DJ for making a news post about this. It's very much appreciated. :)
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For the record, I'm trying to get nerdy people I know to buy one. I don't know that many nerdy people, that haven't invested their money in other projects, though.
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I a nerdy person who will buy one. I might be able to get a few other people to get them also. My school won't because they do not want the new technology. They still have office 2003 no compatibility pack, Ti-82,83+,84+. No Nspires or silver editions. My math teacher would love to be able to get them though if the school let him I believe.
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I strongly believe that Project Paradise will have the best features to price ratio out of anything on the market.
I don't know. I saw a 99ยข calculator awhile ago that was pretty sweet. It had a full 7 digit display and everything. :P
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I a nerdy person who will buy one. I might be able to get a few other people to get them also. My school won't because they do not want the new technology. They still have office 2003 no compatibility pack, Ti-82,83+,84. No 84+ or silver editions. My math teacher would love to be able to get them though if the school let him I believe.
Er the TI-84 doesn't exist. It skips directly from the 83+SE to the 84+. ???
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I said that wrong let me edit my post real quick
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Oh ok, lol. :P
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Haha, At the very least you'll get an entire website of orders for project: paradise. :P
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Well hopefully with all these independent projects and pushes by communities for stronger and more versatile calculators we will see education finally start picking up the ball on technology. A lot of school technology tends to be ten-fifteen years behind (which is in part due to a rapid increase in technological development, but still). I think if education in the US at least embraces technology ten twenty years from now you wont be seeing calculators as we know it know like the ti 83's, 84's. Hopefully we will see more versatile, almost ipod touch type devices, that are interactive, touch screen up to date graphics and ability to easily connect communicate and then in turn learn
I saw this one school plan proposed where ipod touches would be provided free and they would act as the calculator, I mean they even hap a CAS app for it. So i hope these indie project push through and we can start to see these really interesting powerful, modern devices in the educational world.
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The thing I always worried was that eventually they would use PDA's or ipod touch at school to do math, but since these devices are not primarly meant for school, I think it would pose a problem for teachers during tests. If Uberspire adds a feature to Ubercalc that allows teachers to set the calc in teacher mode for a certain amount of time (3 hours, for example, assuming the test lasts 3 hours), where no program can be used as well as some special calc functions, then it would be more suitable for school, as it would be teacher-friendly.
Heck, why not allowing the CAS to be desactivated as well? Then could it solve the no-CAS calc allowed issue?
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well i mean if you have an ipod touch like device, you have an app that acts like a calculator and a teacher has to activate each in testing mode and to get out of it you have to have a password (which the teacher would have) it is certainly possible for pda's and ipod like devices. and i mean what is wrong with that?
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The fact that not all teachers know how to set such devices, not all students have Iphones, and people can jailbreak phones to communicate wirelessly.
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well teachers have to learn how calculators work in their required workshops why not technology? and ok im not saying exactly a ipod touch a device like it (not necessarily wi-fi)
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That could work, although since the iPod allows much more than a calc they would have a lot to learn.
Also an iPod touch is like $199 CDN, so not everyone would be able to afford them here. A TI-84+ is overpriced, but many students will not be able to afford an ipod. It would have to be a cheaper device. (But then Apple would try to get a monopoly in schools I guess)
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I would say that I think the future of learning is game-based learning. Learning through playing games, you know? So the computer industry and software design industry will have a heyday with that.
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Well I doubt schools would like the idea of teaching using gore-intensive games, though. As for math, they could teach some game programming math elements. :P
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Not necessarily M-rated games, but games focused on the things being taught. It might soon be experimented with here in Maryland. But yes, I really wish that the teachers would teach us a bit of programming.
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well some colleges have taught through videogames... the problem is they are more focused on the goal based rewards they want not the actual process and lesson the teachers want to demonstrate.
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I guess that would make sense, but when I lived in western New York, our school had a small math game on the computers that forced you to know the processes behind the mathematics in order for you to advance. Idk if that could apply to say, reading but it definitely has advantages over conventional teaching methods.
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yes that is true but again the education system isnt that great (at least in public schools) in america. i mean yes compared to some countries but still we are behind internationally. most "teaching methods" are lectures/ worksheets at home a test and quiz here and there. so yes id so most things are above conventional teaching methods.