Wish to HP - Make a TI-68-like HP calc ;)

[sergey]

As an EE student, I'm a big fan of the TI-68 calculator. Except for lack of RPN and real (non-formula) programmability, this is THE engineer's dream calculator. Not just because it's attractive during studies, as it's permitted at us where graphing calculators aren't but because it has almost anything a non-CAS calculator could have.

The complex number support is seamless and complete - there is no mode switching involved, every function on this calculator will return complex answers, if there are any, including all transcendental functions. Then comes the linear solver, up to 4x4 and the polynomial solver, up to 4th grade - again both return complex solutions. A keypress and i can convert from/to Rect/Polar and there's no mode switching - i can just as well enter something in polar coordinates if i'm in rectangular mode.

If HP re-issues a HP35s successor, i'd buy it if it includes this "seamless" way of handling complex numbers and the solver features like the TI-68. Until then, i'll stay with my TI-68 and my newly aquired HP-11C (i'd wish it was a 15C)

So far no current non-graphing calculator has complete complex number support, most scientific educational handhelds can only perform basic complex arithmetic and i've yet to see another scientifc calculator that can solve 4x4 systems.