23 replies to this topic

[BiTwhise]

check out the new "calculator" coming from casio 1st quarter 2003

http://www.casio.co.jp/edu_e/classpad/

I'll buy that one

Too bad my AFX 3D-grapher will look shit compared with the one on the classpad

But then again, it probably sports lots better specs, so we can make lots better games and stuff YEAH!!

[Killer83Z]

This thing sure looks cool - but much more than the pocket viewer (have I already told you that I'm the proud owner of a PV-460?), than one of the cfx/afx calcs.

Let's see if I am going to make myself a nice present before I start with university.

[Henrik]

It looks very expensive. I don't think that I should brougt one when it comes.

[Exca]

Hmm shouldn't 3-dimentional be 3-dimensional?

[Killer83Z]

No! It is the unexpected extra!

[Thunderhead]

so saw it on the french forum 3 days ago and the reactions in general aren't so good. Indeed, we can't say that the screen is too short but as for the other, that's why the memory, the keys...it's not verry attractive !
Anyway as for me, I don't think that I'll buy one !

[BiTwhise]

Well...

I'm really just looking forward to program for it. Considering the feature it sports, such as: touch screen, drag and drop (like with a mouse?), drop down menues, I expect it will be quite a bit more powerfull than previous calcs ... and probably more expensive as well.. or maybe not (it's an educational tool.. I think max 199$).. we'll just have to wait and see

Anyway, as for design.. The long screen might seem a bit odd, but considering the new system of dropdown menus (and onscreen buttons) it makes perfect sense. + It looks quite slim.

If Casio really wanta to kick this product off, I think they should unveil the specs and datasheet, and officially give the comunity support for programming the machine. Maybe learn a thing or two from TI

[Killer83Z]

I believe it will have basically the same OS like their pocket viewers have. And they released an SDK for it! (as mohamed told us some weeks ago). So I hope like you that it will kick off some butt.

[BiTwhise]

I believe it will have basically the same OS like their pocket viewers have. And they released an SDK for it! (as mohamed told us some weeks ago). So I hope like you that it will kick off some butt. 

Sorry, I didn't catch mohamed's comment...

Anyway, do u have any relevant link regarding this information?

[Mohamed]

Well, here's what I think (based on owning both an AFX 2.0 and the PV-S660):

- It looks pretty odd.
- The long screen will give it very excellent ability to manipulate graphs and calculations using text-book mode, I guess finally CASIO will make the ultimate CAS system that beats all the others.
- It probably would have a fast processor (which is good if there would be BASIC language programming).
- I think it would be silly to have such a little number of buttons (using the stylus in writing is quite furstrating), and I think it would take us some long time to get used to all its functions.
- Provided such a big screem (it's larger than the PV's, probably a smaller pixel size), there would be very nice looking visualizations.
- That geometry thing is very cool (but for beginners, I don't study Mathematics any more, I've finished it all )
- I think it won't be for professionals that need fast and copmlicated calculations and fast output and input, it would be perfect for students in school.
- Finally they made a CUT option.
- Hope the add the Laplace and Fourier transforms and so...
- Hope they make a BASIC language with string manipulation available (maybe they could use the OWBasic for PV, it's very fast and have all the QBasic commands and more )

These are some thoughts that just came to my mind, if I have more I'll tell you.
I've been wondering for a while what would CASIO do with the AFX 3.0, but the release this (note the similarity between AFX 3.0 and classpad 300 ), and they surprise me with this, I don't know if it's a good or a bad idea, but for sure it's new and a good step to try.

BitWhise: Probably there won't be programming support for it, 'coz after I saw the support they gave to PV users, I kind of figured why's that.
I think that they think that calculators aren't made for games, so if they support programming and games on AFX for example, maybe they see that's something bad (maybe some parent would sue them that their kids play with the calculator instead of studying ), but incase of PV it's different, it's a PDA, so no problem to let games be supported.

What do you think?

And hey Killer, congrats on the PV, I'm very glad to know you got one, PM me please with what you think and what you do with it, so I could provide you with some help if I can.
May be we should make a forum alone for it. Only you and me.

[dscoshpe]

I think I for one am looking forward to this ClassPad. With that said, I wonder if it will have the normal calculation mode? or perhaps RPN (please let it have RPN!)....

I like the 4mb add-in area and i like the huge screen. the pen interface is a little scary, but knowing casio, it should work great as ive found their calculators interfaces to be designed *very* well through the years. if i did get one, i think i would keep my afx2 right along side of it though because buttons are so much faster at small calculations, and the classpad probably wont be allowed on tests!

anyone know where these will be sold?

and what about this Algebra FX 3.0???? i havent heard about it

- dscoshpe -

[BiTwhise]

BitWhise: Probably there won't be programming support for it, 'coz after I saw the support they gave to PV users, I kind of figured why's that.
I think that they think that calculators aren't made for games, so if they support programming and games on AFX for example, maybe they see that's something bad (maybe some parent would sue them that their kids play with the calculator instead of studying ), but incase of PV it's different, it's a PDA, so no problem to let games be supported.

What do you think?

I believe (or hope) that Casio has finally realized that programming support will increase the popularity of the calculator, not only for the purpose of games, but also for more useful applications. But I'm also afraid Casio thinks this could result in the release of crapy 3rd party maths software, which wouldn't give a good impression of the calc. So it's rather hard to tell what will happen. As for the Add-in area, I hope they have left the old idea of 128kb "drives" and made it completely dynamic. This would make it easier for other software to read and write the flash, say to store gamesettings, notes, etc, so you have more real RAM left for run-time applications. I'm really looking forward to seeing what CPU they are using for it, and hope it's an x86 compatible one (for the eas of use) or a RISC (not very likely, but would be fun to have such a powerhouse in a calc). More realistically I think it will at least be cuopled with a fpu, I don't see why there aren't any fpus in calc yet...
Finally I hope (or expect) that the ROM is flashable.

By the way.. my name... it's not BitWhise, it's BiTwhise

[MathManiac]

...Lets hope their cas system has some new and better functions (and that now they give us a good support)
[and a built in Portuguese language wouldn't be bad! (someone should remember some japanese companies ( such as konamy... ops. i wasn't suposed to say that) that in Portugal we speak Portuguese! NOT SPANISH!!!!!!I prefer bad English to Spanish!!!!)]

[2072]

They saw it too on the French TI forum (yaronet) and someone said it will be less expensive than a TI89... (I don't know where he eard or read that)

I think that the screen will be divided in two parts with a virtual keyboard that we could use with the pen.

The cpu will probably remain a NEC V30 but running at its real speed: 27,5 Mhz and not at 8 like the AFX.

(the cpu of CASIO's PDA is a NEC too, I read that wile looking for information about the V30MX).

[superna]

1st, yea, i think,n casio will keep the v30mx and their rom-dos license !
2nd : I don't think casio will support programming on it, i think their have an idea on the afx2 and they will never do a such fuck protection on the classpad
3rd yes, it will kick the ti-89 and other ti-92 shit !

[dscoshpe]

if you look at the large picture of the classpad you can see a few touch areas at the bottom of the screen, there is one called "resize" and another called "swap", and according to the icons resize expands one part of the screen to the whole screen while swap changes which is on top.

im wondering if they put some place on it to store the stylus?? it could be bad if there is none, or a bad place to put it... id like to see a couple basic pda functions on it aswell, but they havent said anything about that yet

also, this site here: http://www.casio-eur...2/classpad.html has a different picture of the unit, i suppose they didnt get the memo about which picture to use... note that this picture has the cover on it

- dscoshpe -

[Mohamed]

im wondering if they put some place on it to store the stylus?? it could be bad if there is none, or a bad place to put it... id like to see a couple basic pda functions on it aswell, but they havent said anything about that yet

What are you talking about?
The stylus (I prefer to call it a pen that uses digital ink )is already stored at the right side.
What you don't know that it's almost 80% pocket viewer, I mean the OS, the screen, same looks, but it lacks backlight.
And I don't think they'd ever add any PDA functions, maybe just date and time.

[Killer83Z]

The touch areas are also used with the pen. The pocket viewer uses it for shortcut to memo/scheduler... programs.

[Thunderhead]

It's to much different than our graph100(+) or yours algebra. It's totaly a new serie of calculator and I don't think It'll be so usefull for us. As for the games, we somewhere can forget it...It'as more a calculator jsut for calcul unlike ours.

[MathManiac]

Will it run our CFX/FX basic programs?

[Killer83Z]

As the whole layout is different (and I assume it is technically based on the pocket viewer product line), I'd say it won't run the cfx/fx programs. But then again...maybe it does. I haven't read anything official from casio abotu that yet.

[MathManiac]

...that means: we'll have to wait

[BiTwhise]

The calc will most certanley include a basic language, and very likely a new and different one from the primitive language we find in todays calcs. However, since the todays language is token based, and the new language should include most, if not all, of the old functions, it shouldn't be to much of a make a translator

[MathManiac]

well, AFX runs basic from cfx and from several machines made before they made the cfx (if the old code hasn't Defm memories).

It looks like Casio has their calcs (almost) always "basic-compatible" with precedent calculators. ( almost because the 880 is an exception. Basic for that calc looks like ...ZX Spectrum code.)

I asked just because have been making their calcs "Basic-compatible"
(and because i have lots of stuff i made since 1994...- my old 400Byte - fx 6300G computed derivatives, integrals, polar graphics, games....until it was stollen! i have the programs hand written in a small notebook. And several of them work on AFX 2.0 (well i had to replace some "Range" with "ViewWindow" and reajust some coordinates, but just that!))