Leery of "special edition" products, we regarded the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition with some healthy skepticism. It's silver--so what? As you may have noticed, in the post-iMac era, everything electronic seems to boast cool translucent or glittery casing. However, the features of the TI-83 Plus Silver Edition are substantial, offering useful, powerful extras at a remarkable value. While the mathematic and graphing tools are comparable to the TI-83 Plus, the Silver Edition boasts significantly improved speed and memory. Its processor is 2.5 times faster, and it has over 1.5 MB of memory--10 times that of the TI-83 Plus. These upgrades make the Silver Edition a significantly improved graphing tool, enabling you to work faster and save more of your equations and programs.
Like the TI-83 Plus, the Silver Edition has a large, easy-to-read 64 x 96 pixel LCD that fits 16 characters and 8 lines. Altering the contrast of the screen is intuitively easy, as is the key layout and graphing interface. Mathematic tools are substantial, including viewing equations, graphs, and coordinates simultaneously; advanced statistics and regression analysis, graphical analysis, and data analysis; and tools for engineering, financial, logarithm, trigonometry, and hyperbolic functions. The calculator is ideal for students in algebra, calculus, and statistics, as well as those taking the PSAT/NMSQT, SAT I or II, and AP College Board Tests.
The calculator is also rich in tools for those studying biology, chemistry, or physics, including a pre-programmed periodic table. Other programs included with the calculator include a spreadsheet, organizer for phone numbers, puzzle pack, probability simulation, and CBL/CBR applications.
The most exciting bonus of the Silver Edition is TI-Graph Link, which lets you connect the calculator to a computer and download programs from Texas Instruments' Web site (http://education.ti.com) and from enthusiast sites like www.ticalc.org. There you'll find thousands of programs and games for TI graphing calculators, as well as a TI-83 Plus tutorial, electronic guidebook, programming support, and discussion groups.
The calculator uses four AAA batteries and one lithium battery for backup. All batteries are included, as well as a hard slide cover, the TI-Graph Link software and cable, and a remarkably readable 60-page instruction manual. Overall, the improved power, faster speed, and included TI-Graph Link for a remarkably low price make this a truly special "special edition," and we have to admit that the silver casing does look pretty cool. --Ariel Meadow Stallings
