HP50g vs. TI-89

I tried honestly to use the HP 50g, and here are a few objections that put me back to the TI-89. The low resolution (blocky/grainy) HP 50g display detracts from its usefulness as a high-end graphing calculator. Low resolution limits length of equations and number of equations on the screen. One of the major reasons for having a high-end calculator is to allow entering long equations on the screen.

That being said, the HP 50g has a dedicated core of aficionados. HP 50g advocates will present a list of counterpoints–and their arguments have merits.

Given the feature set and the inevitable eventual sunsetting of the 15+ year old TI-89 series, a new user considering what high-end calculator to purchase should look to the TI Nspire CX CAS.

In closing, I will give strong admonition to students. DO NOT rely heavily on calculators in math courses. This will only cause suffering in later courses. Even if the last math class in college will be Calculus I or II, you will never gain the true richness of understanding if constantly using a calculator for homework.

A better approach is to do the problems manually, and on occasion check with the calculator.