Well, I think the market for the fx-FD10 Pro was quite small and it is already well-served with rugged smartphones loaded with domain-specific apps (that may even provide a better user experience) - a solution that may even be cheaper and has the advantage of being able to do messaging and calls...
It was probably also one of the most expensive models to produce, because shock/water/dust resistance comes at a cost.
Unsurprisingly, the software was apparently not up to par:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1KOFX2M9QVPVV/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00JVHNESS wrote:
Problem is, the system has bugs the size of monkey heads (example : selecting the SD Card in the Files section crashes the system half the time), the SD card access is slow as hell, even using class 10 SD cards, but the worst part is its convoluted menu system, literally putting away all the functions and even the Alpha characters behind several layers of menu, making the overall usability of the machine very low. What a waste !


None of these apply to the fx-CG 50, yet - most exams don't let you use a smartphone... For this model, if things go south I can definitely see a price reduction happening before it's discontinued.
AAAAND we have pictures! And news in French! And, apparently, real add-ins!
(even the 3D graphing appears to be a real add-in...)

https://tiplanet.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19624&p=213388#p213388
https://tiplanet.org/forum/gallery/album.php?album_id=504

Note that Prob-Sim appears to be missing from the add-ins.
Also note how all the add-in minor versions appear to have been increased, including the Conversion one, when compared with the latest versions available for the fx-CG 10/20. The add-ins have been recompiled (even if just to update the icons), the syscall table is probably incompatible with the fx-CG 10/20, and possibly the g3a header is too - otherwise people could transfer add-ins to the older models and they would crash the calculator. There's also the possibility they are now signed... hopefully with a RSA key that's not bigger than 512 bits Smile

Still has a 3-pin port, still powered by 4xAAA batteries.

The OS version is quite interesting: 02.94.0202.
It seems they are getting close to version 3.00.

The file manager appears to be as poor as before, but they changed the icons: they now have a "flat design".

The diagnostics mode string is also very different: CY810AY MAIN.
Going from memory here, but I think there's a new option in that mode: press the multiplication sign to turn off.
There are some indications the fx-CG50 is now clocked at 116 MHz.
Quote:
http://www.planet-casio.com/Fr/forums/topic14614-2-Une-nouvelle-calculatrice-Prizm-fx-CG50-!.html
Yes, this is in line with what critor said at CodeWalrus.

It will be interesting to look at the hardware changes made to support the higher clock speed, if any - unless the hardware turns out to be so different we can't even compare. Eventually all the changes are inside the epoxy blob: perhaps these faster CPUs used in the fx-CP 400 and now fx-CG 50 are made with a different process that yields smaller feature sizes, to support higher speeds with less power drain.
Or perhaps the battery life is just worse, like a overclocked fx-CG 20 Smile
The LCD looks nicer. Especially regarding the reds. I believe that Casio fixed that in later version of the Prizm as well. Does anyone with a Prizm that has the new LCD think that this looks better?
Hopefully add-ins are not signed (not much point to worry about add-ins with exam mode enabled but signing would delay developers like us).
Also hopefully g3a structure is still the same and addins play nicely with existing system calls too.
I do remember even on older prizm some newer addins would open with older os but display Info requesting os update.
Given how the series naming is unchanged for both prizms as fx-cg I think Casio tries to provide maximum compatibility between 10/20 and new 50 models especially that usb and 3pin connection are so unchanged.
I still therefore hope new 3d add-in can work on older versions.
I'm surprised that they kept powering by aaa batteries however.
gbl08ma wrote:
Eventually all the changes are inside the epoxy blob: perhaps these faster CPUs used in the fx-CP 400 and now fx-CG 50 are made with a different process that yields smaller feature sizes, to support higher speeds with less power drain.

As far as I know, that part inside the epoxy - called a processor - is absolutely identical on all current Casio calculators. This is mainly a frequency register setting thing plus some PCB component changes to make them more resilient.

ProgrammerNerd wrote:
Does anyone with a Prizm that has the new LCD think that this looks better?

At least since models with OS 1.04.0201 arrived, this is the case. Red is now red and not pink.
I guess we're looking at a decrease in battery life, like a overclocked fx-CG 20. Even with "perfect" overclocking settings, there's no way the processor will consume less power at a higher clock.
Perhaps the screen is now more efficient, to make up for it.
Speaking about LCD - from press release pictures it looked like they hid lcd border's few pixels around the display but real pictures show more similar to old model lcd resolution with extra pixels forming the frame etc
The frame appears to be exactly the same, perhaps even the LCD part and controller is the same.
They need the frame to indicate exam mode on models without exam diode.
Other than that, now that the main menu has a white theme, the frame should stay always white. Until custom add-ins come, of course...

Getting the 3D graph add-in to work on the fx-CG 10/20 would require a series of miracles: that the g3a header and syscalls be all compatible, that add-in doesn't require any new ones, that the function key labels it needs are contained within the add-in and not the OS, same for messages, and obviously that Casio did not put any code to test whether the model is a LY755 or a CY810...
Of course, all that could be fixed with a OS update to the fx-CG 20, or a different version of the add-in. But I don't think it would make much sense to bring the major selling points of the new model to the old one, as then people would have absolutely zero reason to upgrade.
Graph3DP with a better UI would still beat their add-in, which doesn't allow arbitrary 3D functions...
Casio will also introduce a new (ClassPad) fx-CG500 in the US: https://tiplanet.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=213751#p213751

OS 02.01.1000 already contains the necessary strings.
The hardware type will be "CY805A" (fx-CP400+ E is "CY804A").
The new model does not have an LED.

Also, Casio is now installing a special OS 2.10 on newly produced Graph 35+ E models.
This OS contains the Spreadsheet application (for the first time): http://support.casio.com/fr/manual/004/GRAPH35+E_Soft_V210_FR.pdf

Looks like they no longer care about model name and OS version/feature fragmentation.
I wonder what model names will be used for post-SuperH calculators.
And it would have been so simple to have a saner model name... just by swapping the G for a P... it even makes it seem like a typo, at first.

TeamFX wrote:
I wonder what model names will be used for post-SuperH calculators.

fx-CG9000+ E CAS SD Extreme with Exam Mode, but you'll need to watch out as there will be a version for American markets, where two bytes are different in the flash - toggling a protection so that only pictures that pass the obscenity detection test, as mandated by the US government, can be opened.
As Casio designed the fx-CP400 to reflect some smartphone characteristics, the next logical step would be to eliminate hardware keyboard and stylus. And to save costs, there will be a CAS (perhaps called "fx-CG1000 Pro") and a non-CAS version. There will also be no special French versions anymore.
...and it will run a crippled version of Android that uses their "OS" as the launcher. Perhaps the "post-SuperH" processor will turn out to just be a MediaTek phone SoC with modem capabilities unused - Casio in full "made in China" mode. I'm joking, but using such a SoC could be the most cost-effective solution.
At least the pre-release versions of the fx-CG 50 add-ins run on the fx-CG 20. Via TI-Planet:

https://tiplanet.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19749&p=214470#p214470

This means the syscall tables and file headers didn't change much... Very Happy
That's really cool- I hoped and trusted Casio will provide backward compatibility - so this news is really good Smile and hopefully means 3d functionality does not rely on something completely new in the OS... maybe 3d addin will have no problems running on old models with a bit of overclocking and extended language files if necessary

On the aspect of dimensions I was surprised that published dimensions were the same as old model's Sad and when the official manuals became available I rushed to double check... they state slightly smaller dimensions but just a couple of millimetres different so I still don't know if it is due to how hard cover is taken into account - still need to wait until proper comparison with older model when the new becomes available- but it is a pity they opted for aaa batteries, so thickness will be unavoidable...
Very good news!! Very Happy

I was anxious about compatibility of the add-in.

I think, CG50 will be an official overclocked model from CG10/20.

I am interested whether Ptune2 works.

If it works,I will perform the version up that incorporated new setting same as CG50.
amazonka wrote:
maybe 3d addin will have no problems running on old models with a bit of overclocking and extended language files if necessary


It seems the 3D add-in runs well enough to render planes, according to critor:
https://codewalr.us/index.php?topic=1829.0;message=54202
It's just that it's terribly slow. Although that could in part be due to different 3D add-in builds.

In some screenshots, I've seen the add-in using function key labels that I don't think are present in the fx-CG 20 OS. It is however possible that those labels, along with language strings, are contained in the add-in itself. If I remember correctly, this is the case with some fx-CG 20 add-ins as well. Looking at them with a hex editor should confirm or deny that.
Hi,
I downloaded the manual today and have already found out 2 things. One is is that you can install add in languages.Also it says that "You can install add-ins for added functionality" so I take that to mean that you can install 3rd party add-ins.
If anybody has any other questions I will try to find the answers!!
Regarding function keys i think some of the keys of e-con app are not findable in usual table of fkeys so it would not surprise me too much if some of the keys which are not used anywhere else in os would be simply hardcoded in the add-in.

Hopefully old prizm add-ins compatibility with new model gets confirmed soon too.
  
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