I never liked the warning on ti's screen. Maybe have it include spares batteries, or only run at 20mhz with a low battery.

I like that last idea,  But how should the user know he's/she's ow on battery?   Have a battery status at top right?

note: look who i quoted.

Quote from: King Graphmastur on August 07, 2010, 08:33:01 pm

I never liked the warning on ti's screen. Maybe have it include spares batteries, or only run at 20mhz with a low battery.

I like that last idea,  But how should the user know he's/she's ow on battery?   Have a battery status at top right?

note: look who i quoted.

There probably will be a battery status, but I would think there would be an option in the menu to automatically change it or not.  EG, if option is set, then calc goes to 20MHZ when on low battery. If not set, then stays at 50MHZ until the battery drains out.

Note: Look who i quoted

Quote from: program4 on August 07, 2010, 08:37:44 pm

You should be able to check your battery in the memory menu or something.

ya but how often will someone if they are working on a big project.

note: we should have a killer lazier defense system to kill all thieves!!! mu ha ha

That's why it should be automatic.
oh, and that's what the claws are for.

No, that's what the link port is for. It spins the cable around at high speeds to fly.
anyway, back on topic, does everyone like the idea to go to 20MHZ with low battery based on an option?

@matthias1992: No QVGA. That's a bit too big, especially for this kind of calculator.
No worries though - you'll get a big screen for the ARM based calc (OTARM)!
@fb39ca4: Maybe, but no one uses HPs these days. Many students use TI, and then seeing a SD card slot will make it look weird. Just my 2 cents.

Also, this will be an 84 sized calc, with a similar build to it.
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In general, some thoughts:

1) SD slots are really not needed. I just can't envision anyone who would really want to do that. And besides, this is a calculator, not a phone/iPod Touch.

2) Mini USB is great. You could also put in a regular USB lead to allow USB devices and such. Of course, that's optional, and we still have to stick to "It's a calculator" rules.

3) Link port works perfectly (with the speaker jack size). I also suggest including a regular link to link cable, USB mini to USB mini cable, and an adapter to work with the TI calcs. (Adapter is optional, you can debate on whether or not to support it)

4) ABCDE is my preference. Not many people know the DVORAK format anyway, so why confuse them with it?

5) There was also a mention of a nice backlight, which would be a really cool idea to use. The OP (matthias1992) might want to include that in the list.

The newer HP-50gs have sd card slots, so even though this is a calc, we shouldn't rule it out.

Yes, they do, and I like this idea. Heck, we could actually use micro sd if we wanted to.
Actually in regards to HP calculators, alot of engineers use and love them from what I've heard.
320x240 resolution is my prefrence, it could still retain a small screen size if we get an lcd with smaller pixels(dpi?). However, 192x128 or 240x160 wouldn't be bad either.
I really like the backlight idea, mini usb, and linkport idea too. Alphabetical order for the keyboard layout works for me as well.

Quote from: fb39ca4 on August 07, 2010, 03:27:28 pm

The processor is going to be fast enough that we can just write an 8x emulator.

IMO this is the only practical way to do any sort of compatibility, and heck if you have enough ram and rom storage of a 83+ rom would be no issue.

I agree with this as well.

Idea:
We don't have a battery slot.  Instead, we have an internal battery inside the device that charges via the mini-usb port.  Then, we can have companion software for the computer for transfers and updates, like iTunes for the iPod.  I can write the companion software, but the hardware should be there to support it.

I really like this idea too(battery needs to be accessible and replaceable), but if we use regular batteries instead, I'd recommend AAs instead of AAAs. AAs are the same price as AAAs and they hold a charge longer. A battery level indicator light would be nice as well.

*Whew* long post.

192x128 then perhaps?

About the whole software issue, why not just have it act like a FAT32 Flash drive? We've been trying to do that to our 84s for years. Just have a file hierarchy something like this:

/boot (for bootloaders, or just an OS)
/sys (for hardware drivers, OS programs)
/usr (for the good stuff)

Or we could make it so that the Flash drive only gives access to the /usr and up, unless you enable a certain setting on the calc. that way, normal users don't screw up their calc because "hey, I didn't put this on there! Deleted!"

Whatever screen size we use, can it be a widescreen-style design? This fits much better for games, graphs + calculations, and better for calc button space (assuming we use the vertical rectangle)

Just my opinions.