xThink Products Feature Comparison
xThink products differ as listed below. Choose the product that meets your needs for pen-based math:
Note: The newest features of MathJournal 2.x make pen-based math even more easy and efficient. See Enhancements in MathJournal 2.1 and Unique features offered in MathJournal Multimedia.
Windows only: Currently xThink products run on the Windows operating system only. Specifically, xThink supports all pen input modes on Windows XP and higher (digital pens, USB touch pad, electronic whiteboards, and Windows for Tablet PC). Nonetheless, no technical limitations prevent deployment of xThink technology to non-Windows platforms. For example, see http://www.xthink.net/calc/.
| Trait | xThink Calculator | MathJournal Classic | MathJournal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Generate numeric solutions; equivalent to a basic scientific calculator. | Generate all solution types, including numeric, symbolic, and plots; equivalent to a graphing scientific calculator. | Provide all the functionality of MathJournal Classic, plus a greatly expanded function library (including matrix operations), expanded symbol recognition (including Greek letters), the Console control for keyboard-based math, and much more. |
| Function library | About 20 basic scientific functions, such as log and sin. Numerical outputs only. | About 20 basic scientific functions, such as log and sin. Numerical, symbolic, and plot outputs. | About 150 basic and advanced functions. Numerical, symbolic, and plot outputs. |
| Keyboard-based math (to supplement pen-based math) | No. | No. | Yes. See the Console control. You can run more than one Console control in the MathJournal workspace, for intensive keyboard-based mathematics. |
| Gestures | Check and scratch out enabled by default | Check and scratch out disabled by default. Select Gestures in the Options menu to enable. Gestures are also available in 2D Plots. | |
| MathML output | No. | Yes, in the MathML tab. | |
| Text Logging | No. | Yes, in the Text tab. | |
| Ink color |
Input: black Output: blue Annotations: red Highlighting: yellow |
User defined. Note: Configure the pen and highlighter settings to custom values. |
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Memory (In other words, defining values to reuse in multiple mathematical expressions.) |
Copy and paste any existing expression into a new expression. Save an xThink Calculator (.xtc) file that contains expressions that you want to remember and reuse. |
Same. In addition, formally define constants, intervals, and functions. Also, save a MathJournal (.xtm) file that contains expressions that you want to remember and reuse. |
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Enhancements in MathJournal 2.x
- Easier installation for Windows Vista
Simplified installation for administrator and non-administrator users. - Support for Pegasus Mini-Note Taker
Brings pen-based math to desktop and laptop computers! - Export as Web Page option (not in MathJournal Classic)
Post your MathJournal work to the Internet or email to friends and colleagues! - 2D Plot Grid (not in MathJournal Classic)
Better visualization of plots! - LaTeX output (not in MathJournal Classic)
A second option (besides MathML) for rendering your hand-written math in typeset format!
Unique features offered in MathJournal Multimedia
Note: MathJournal Multimedia 2.1 is a special version of MathJournal 2.1 for distance learning and distance working.- Sound control to embed audio messages in a MathJournal file
- Movie control to embed videos in a MathJournal file
- Export to Microsoft Outlook to send an HTML version of the MathJournal workspace directly to email.
- "Open" item in the popup menu of the Text control to open Web pages, file paths, or launch commands directly from the MathJournal workspace.
