Zero Calculators is back - Could they beat TI? 

I can't speak for certain since I haven't tried one out yet but it definitely appears to perform better!

hi fur

I’d recommend a TI-89 titanium to be honest (or a 92, it’s a TI-89 with a keyboard which makes inputting functions way easier). It has CAS and calculus functions.

You might need one. A tool that specializes in something is often better than one that has it as a feature.

Wish I could go!

they achieved that with free courses for teachers from the very start. And sold the exact same tech for over 35 years for $100+. I'm a little bitter to "love the monopoly".

​@@squirlmysorry I worded that terribly. I meant the monopoly man character around 0:18. I hate monopolies as much as the next guy

I thought there were four, unless the ZGC4 hasn't arrived yet.

@@samconnelly7630 correct, the ZGC4 is in development but not yet ready.

Corporate murder? Wow that’s harsh just because it’s a been a while since they made a decent RPN calculator.

Phone app is your best bet, I think, maybe total emulation.

@urglegurgle5807 , they closed the hp calculator division to my understanding, now there is only one person maintaining it to my knowledge

@urglegurgle5807 I stand corrected, I don't know how I feel about it, but I guess its better than nobody working on it, hp calculators now seems to be licensed by Moravia Consulting, who at least might do something with it.

Thanks!

They only had to backtrack the TI aesthetic because TI sent them a letter when the ZGC2 prototype got sent to a few people, causing a radical shift shown in the ZGC3. One time, I asked the CEO for a prototype of the Zero Calculator, but he said no.

Good to see you too!

Indeed!

Thanks! RIP to your scientific calculator 😢

It's a common sentiment, obviously phones are far more powerful. However, physical calculators will always remain in business as long as teachers need a device which is easy to manage, and almost all tests and exams do not allow phones as they are far more difficult to monitor / manage and can connect to the internet, etc.

@@TInyHackerCalcs well, since I'm the inofficial calculator technician at my school, I've been in contact with most of that. curriculums here basically change on a 3-5 year basis (from non-graphing to graphing calculator and now back, then to a "modular math system" in 3 years where The students either need to buy new calculators (nSpire no longer complies with the rules then) or use something where, for tests, we can define what is available and what isn't - geogebra and its test mode is looking promising in that regard. At University level, most programmable tools are not allowed in most cases since they can't check them and they basically have to get an fx-85 or similar. It's a pain in the butt.

(I wonder why graphing calculators are still being developed) It's the keyboard. When I was an engineer at uni. I put so many miles on my ti 81. My phone keyboard layout for the calculator app would never suffice. And even if it were an EXACT match. The tactile muscle memory is still gone. I want my calculator (stand alone).

Glad you enjoyed it :) I'm excited to see the project moving forward as well!

Yeah, the N0120EX and N0115 models now have USB-C. The older models use the micro B which is probably what you're thinking of.

@@TInyHackerCalcs That's probably what I have then.

Drag and drop is super nice! I believe there's also a program which lets you do this on the TI-84 Plus CE: github.com/jacobly0/transfer

Thanks!

Indeed 😂

Part of the reason that calculators are used still is because they're much easier to manage for tests and exams. However, I think you've hit the nail on the head as to why TI remains so popular in schools, and I think Zero hopes that maybe some students will purchase the calculator and find the system is similar enough to the TI for it to be somewhat successful.

My situation in Germany seems dictated by school restrictions. Some features are not allowed in schools. And the engineers are not enough to buy certain models, they go to less restrictive ones or even pc apps. In America there also are restrictions. So schools concentrate on certain models, and the manufacturers can get away with old technology, since curricula only change over decades.

@@hermask815 In America, years ago TI put out a massive campaign to give teachers training for free, that's how they got a monopoly, killed the "free market" in US higher education. It's very irritating. Hopefully smartphone apps will end this manipulation of market economics.

> How is ... without touchscreens For the same reason that the nSpire has an 'ABC' rather than 'QWERTY' keyboard: vexatious testing restrictions.

It's likely that they would, since without it I don't believe the calculator could be allowed on tests in Europe.

I also doubt them making a big dent, mostly because TI is such a well known name (especially in the US market). However from what I can tell there is a significant improvement in the power of the device, though the software is also less polished in some areas. More likely I could see it being used by a minority of students, but easier to adopt if the layout (especially in the OS) is similar enough to TI for teachers to still be able to help.

It’s hard to see how a small start up could compete in the Education market which is pretty much sewn up by either TI or Casio depending on country. Sharp/ HP have only made a relatively small dent with much greater backing in the past.

Hey I can't judge 😆

Would be amazing. The nspire supports a cut down python which is super nice, but the keyboard makes programming on it painful.

This is a good idea! I have a few videos lined up, but I'll keep it in mind :)

They haven't sent me a prototype but they're still planning to send me the completed version to review when it's done :) I also will be getting a prototype from TI-Planet at some point so that will be interesting to look at!

Pretty much my thoughts as well, hopefully some competition might encourage innovation but we'll see

The biggest reason they're remaking the CE is because that is by far the most popular graphing calculator in high schools in the US, which is their target audience. The CX II is twice as expensive and rarely used, so teachers and students have less experience and the interface is a lot different. What do you find about the monochrome TI-84 Plus that is better than the CE? For most uses the CE is both faster and more suited towards modern classrooms, especially with a colored screen, though obviously there have been some recent developments with blocking of assembly that are annoying.

The main reason that graphing calculators are still in the business with more than capable apps is because smartphones are not allowed on most tests and exams. Otherwise I doubt there would be much demand anymore 😅

@@TInyHackerCalcs That makes logical sense then, I have a nSpire CX II but hardly use it as it's mostly for engineers/students but it's nice to have. 🙂 If only I could add sound to it. XD

They can maintain their rounded keyboard. Except, they gotta change which way the "round" goes. Make those keys have little "pips" in them, like dominoes. I could go for a convex keyboard (or maybe that is called concave, i dunno I mean like a golf ball is). As so, my finger or pencil would stay on the key I am going for.

@@vangildermichael1767 Exactly, I don't think round buttons is the issue (I've seen them on a lot of other calculators and had no problem). It's more the dome shape of the top of the keys that I think people had an issue with.

I haven't used the Nspire's CAS that much (mostly because I find the Nspire a little clunky to get around but that's probably just lack of experience) so I'm not the best judge, but I've found my NumWorks N0110 with the Upsilon firmware to actually do a pretty good job, at least for what I've needed

Also wouldn’t be hard for it to just happen automatically below a certain battery percentage. The problem is that non backlit screens have a mirror behind them in order to reflect light more and idk if you can make an optionally backlit display.

The Zero Calculator and TI-84 Plus CE both have a backlit screen, in fact many recent calculators like the NumWorks, HP Prime, and Casio Prizm line also do!

Sorry, I have a Voyage 200.

Maybe for you but in my experience it's actually improved it across my channel 🤷‍♂️

🧀