Not sure what you mean by shapes ?

Like hand-drawn lines/fills ?
If that's what you're talking about, then yes, it's way faster and lighter in memory than using sprites. (TI's lua image is very bad....).
But some games do use images and are still efficient.

I don't know much about non-TI-calcs. The TI-89 really is the best for school, but it is not allowed on the ACT. You need a TI-84+ for that (best calc allowed on the ACT)

Wrong, the Non-cas CX is the best calc for the ACT.

I recommend a CX Cas.

By now, for developing Ndless on a new OS version, it probably makes more sense to wait for the next OS version.
Granted, we've been awaiting for TI to fix up their bugs for more than a year... but past patterns tell us that they're likely to release a new OS version some time before, or during, the next school year.
By providing a relatively easy way to switch between OS 3.1 and 3.2, the TI-Planet fork of nLaunch, and later the fork of nLaunch CX, have reduced the incentive for making versions of Ndless tailored to the OS 3.2.x versions. nLaunch provides groundwork for making Ndless on any OS version without having to find new vulnerabilities in the OS... as long as a given calculator keeps a vulnerable boot2 versions. In the mid-term and long-term, a majority of calculators will get upgraded, and few users will use the RS232 port to downgrade the boot2... but then, the majority of users which cannot access the power and goodies (assuming no other exploit is found in the meantime) provided native code by will strongly hate TI, and their resent will help fuel new powerful attacks against TI's business model.

Maybe they'll stop or slack down if the Prime is ever successfull.

The Prime isn't less locked down, AFAWCT

And it seems that TI has started shipping a new "3.2.4.1237" version, with (seemingly, although we've seen a single report so far, and we haven't been able to get our hands on the OS yet) a highly unwelcome gift: http://tiplanet.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=12304
I'm not making front page news until we can confirm this.
[EDIT: it's confirmed: anti-downgrade protection enforced by a new boot2 version, which is probably not vulnerable to the nLaunch exploit.]

Sorry to post a year later but, in the end, I didn't buy the calculator. I didn't have enough money to get it and, besides, the topics I was studying didn't require a graphing calculator. But, now, I've started a more complex course.

So, since the HP Prime has officially arrived and some changes have happened, is everyone's view on the Nspire vs Prime the same? Especially, since I'm in the UK, so teacher support is not a major factor here unlike in the US...