Texas Instruments BA II Plus Financial Calculator by Texas Instruments
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Digital camera reviews of Texas Instruments BA II Plus Financial Calculator
Digital camera Review: A Business school staple
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been using this calculator since I first went to college in 1993. It was a lifesaver in all of my business courses.
It does pretty much all of the business functions that you would want. The exception to this is it doesn't do some real estate functions.
The awesome protection case that fits perfectly also houses a cheat sheet that guides you through most of the normally used functions. For the other functions an extremely easy to use owner's guide is included.
I am scared at seeing some of these other people's reviews. If this easy to use calculator that is basically a staple in business school is so difficult for them then I certainly would not want them touching my taxes or handling finances for even a lemonade stand
Digital camera Review: A Good Calculator but not a Great Calculator
Summary: 3 Stars
The TI BA Plus II is a better calculator than most of the current TI models.Pros:
It's a nice conservative brown color and not a day glo blue or some other candy color.
The button feel (button feel a critical factor in buying a calculator) is much better than most TIs but it still could be improved. (It is not as good as the HP 12c). One shouldn't have to keep looking at the display to see if the number was keyed correctly.
The different colored keys make it easy to find the various functions.
The display is uncluttered and easy to read.
The alpha characters on the left side of the display make it easy to know what data you are entering and what the resulting number from a calculation refers to.
It has a backspace key.
The manual is well written and very complete.
Cons:
The number of key strokes that you need to do the simplest things is unbelievable. For example, to change the decimal format you have to press 2nd, format, [the number referring to the number of places], enter, 2nd, quit. Compare this to the HP 12c where you just press F and the number referring to the number of places. Six steps on the TI verses 2 on the HP.
The calculator has no weight to it. It seems flimsy. I would be very afraid of dropping it. The HP 12c is a tank by comparison.
The hard plastic slip "case" doesn't fit securely.
There is no way to change the contrast of the display.
Extra steps are required to do TVM calculations as compared to the HP 12c since with the TI you have to press the CPT key to get an answer. If you forget to do that then the display number becomes a new, unintended variable.
It doesn't retain the display when you shut the calculator off.
The arrow on the backspace key points the wrong way. Compare it to the backspace key on your computer.
It's easier to change the battery in your watch than it is in this calculator.
The "cheat sheet" in the plastic cover is only paper and very easy to loose. The HP has it printed on the back of the calculator.
No rubber feet! How much can these cost? That means you have to use two hands with this calculator; one to hold it so it doesn't slide around the table and one to enter data. You can't enter data with one hand and keep track of your place on a list of numbers with the other.
Not noticeably faster than the HP 12c which was designed over 20 years ago.
Conclusion: This calculator is better than most on the TIs in this price range mostly because of the improved button feel and the quality of the display but it would do well to take some lessons from the 80's and incorporate some of the features of the HP 12c. It's the little things that make a good calculator a great calculator. A calculator should be like an extension of you and not something that you have to constantly think about in addition to the business/math problems that you are working on. My first choice for a business calculator is the HP 12c but, if you are short on money, this is a good second choice.
Digital camera Review: A MBA student
Summary: 4 Stars
I am a new user with TI calculator so I find it is too hard to use at the first time. You must read its manual to know how to use. No guessing allowed. For the first time that I used, I must cross check results with MS Excel.
If you want a pocket calculator that no need to calculate complex financial problems, TI BA II Plus Advanced Financial Calculator is product for you. Instead, using speadsheet program it will be the solution to solving complicated problems.
Digital camera Review: A first look at the New Look TIBA2+
Summary: 4 Stars
VALUE PERFORMER GETS NEW LOOK
BA2+ users may like to know that Texas Instruments has released a "new look" TI BA2+ (allow me to call it it BA2+N), which may come with just more than cosmetic improvements over the popular BA2+.
IMPROVED LCD DISPLAY
I was able to observed from a short distant away that the LCD display of the BA2+N,is clearer and more contrasty than the orginal BA2+ which I own. TI gets a thumbs up for doing this improvement quietly plus giving a facelift to this already highly regarded value for money business-financial electronic calculator.
DID TEXAS INSTRUMENT KILLED SOME BUGS IN THE BA2+?
Although I have not yet been able to test the BA2+N, TI may have also incorporated some improvements and killed some bugs on the popular BA2+. It is also probable that some improvements or new functions incorporated on the September 2004 released BA2+ Professional (BA2+PRO) may also have been also incorporated into the specs of BA2+N.
I would like to believe that some small but extremely annoying bugs of the "original" BA2+ has been quietly fixed on the BA2+N. In particular, I wish to see the "Reset" button nuisance which clears all user input formatting on the BA2+ has been done alway with. Most users of BA2+ would know that an accident user soft reset would return to the default Number of Periods per year P/Y to 12, this would upset the results of many TVM calculations when user has set the P/Y to "1" to use the calculator in "number of periods" instead.
BATTERY REPLACEMENT WOES ON THE BA2+
I was not able to exam a unit of the BA2+N to see if end users would still need a screw driver to unscrew and pry open the BA2+ casing just to replace the CR2032 battery. It would be nice if TI would incorporate a user accessible slide open battery compartment for the BA2+N or future upgrades of the BA2+.
MY RECOMMENDATION
Would be buyers should get hold of the BA2+N or buy the BA2+PRO if you have a bigger budget. Budget conscious users could see that for the price of a BA2+ PRO, a screw driver and spare batteries, new users could afford to purchase for themselves two sets of BA2+N.
An advantage of having a spare BA2+N set on hand is that users could free themselves from the trouble of carrying a philips screwdriver and replacement lithium batteries to important assignments or to the examination centre.
HOW DIFFERENT DOES THE BA2+N LOOKS? I have downloaded the BA2+N JPEG picture from TI's calculator site and posted it to the Amazon's picture gallery.
IMPORTANT NOTE:I have commented on the BA2+N as an end user and I don't work for TI, HP or any of the manufacturers for the products which I have used, reviewed and posted my comments on the pages of Amazon.com. It is my pleasure to be able to share my first look at the BA2+N with you, thanks for reading!
Digital camera Review: A superb financial calculator
Summary: 5 Stars
I am currently a second-year MBA student, and I have owned a BAII Plus for about six years. I use my calculator almost every day. I can state that it is easy to use (the HP 12C is much less intuitive) and contains all the features you need in a financial calculator. The time value of money functions are very well laid out and simple, as are the cash flow, NPV, and IRR worksheets. There is an easy to use function for pricing bonds, and many other handy features. Although financial calculators are limited in their usefullness (serious financial modeling is done with spreadsheets), this calculator can handle any finance problem that's appropriate for a calculator.