[split] TI-84 new Python announced -- Was --- What would you like to see in a future HP Prime II? (HP Prime², HP Prime 2

[Liam Hays]

Maximilian Hohmann Wrote:It is actually a small clear plastic box that connects to the calculator with a cable. The price is around 25 Euros. I think I have seen it on Amazon.

Nice. I looked it up and it looks pretty neat. This forum has a picture, and it has an ATSAMD21 ARM processor, the same chip used in a lot of MicroPython development boards. Arguably the oddest part about the Python box is that, as that poster says, TI didn't go with MicroPython as Casio (and now HP) have done, but built theirs off of Adafruit's CircuitPython. Why?

Dave Britten Wrote:Silicon is cheaper than programmers, so rewriting the whole firmware to run on ARM is probably a lot more expensive than just keeping the Z80 and adding a cheap ARM coprocessor.

Plus, keeping one calc on an old architecture means that there's an obvious difference between that series (TI-84 and friends) and the n-spires and CAS machines. Who knows if that's good for sales, but it clearly defines the low end and the high end.