It’s that time of year again, when the lazy days of summer recede into memory and it becomes time to crack the books back open and settle down into the school year. Just how many books you’ll actually physically be carrying is up for debate, though, as e-readers and tablets start to enter more prominently onto college campuses and into lesson plan formats. Now more than ever, college students have an abundance of gadgets to suit their studies—or distract them from what they should be doing. In an increasingly digital world, connectivity to the Internet is a must-have capability for many students, as well as the ability to easily pick up their devices and carry them around without taking up lots of space. And of course, no college student wants to lug around something that isn’t hip. Whether it’s a notebook, smartphone or even an external hard drive, the “cool factor” is never far from their minds. With that in mind, take a look at this list of must-have gadgets for anyone heading back to school this fall.
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Apple iPad 2 ($499)
It doesn’t get much cooler than this. The ultimate tablet device for surfing the Web, checking mail and, oh yeah, playing Angry Birds when you should be studying Plato.
LaCie Rugged All-Terrain Hard Drive ($120.00)
This 500GB firewire hard drive has room to carry all your files, and a rugged rubber casing keeps everything safe from bumps and bangs.
Cooler Master NotePal X2 ($29.00)
The NotePal X2 takes air from a bottom intake and cools down high temperatures with its 140-mm silent fans, dissipating the high temperatures generated by the CPU and GPU trapped inside the laptop housing.
Amazon Kindle DX ($379.00)
The 9.7-inch diagonal E Ink screen is ideal for a broad range of reading material, including graphics-rich books, PDFs, newspapers, magazines and blogs.
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-TX10 ($329.00)
This waterproof 16.2-megapixel camera is perfect for capturing college memories and is packed with cool features like a touch-screen.
Apple MacBook Air ($999.00)
The coolest notebook you can buy, this ultra-portable, super-sleek device sports Intel Core processors and Flash storage.
Shure SE115-K Sound Isolating Earphones ($87.00)
The perfect way to escape the hustle and bustle of school or the obnoxious droning of your pretentious professors. These ear buds block more than 90 percent of ambient noise.
After multiple destruction tests, the Survivor—encapsulated in CNC-milled aircraft aluminum to withstand the toughest abuse—continues to function and protect your data.
Canon Pixma MG5220 Wireless Printer ($98.00)
This printer features built-in, two-sided printing that helps the environment and can cut your paper usage by up to 50 percent.
Harman Kardon Soundsticks III ($164.00)
Annoy your roommate with style while rocking with these futuristic Harman Kardon speakers, which look like something out of THX 138.
Are your systems integrated to share data, make better-informed decisions, and respond to events in real-time? The key to maximizing agility and creating and retaining happy customers is to create an “intelligent, integrated enterprise”.
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It’s that time of year again, when the lazy days of summer recede into memory and it becomes time to crack the books back open and settle down into the school year. Just how many books you’ll actually physically be carrying is up for debate, though, as e-readers and tablets start to enter more prominently onto college campuses and into lesson plan formats. Now more than ever, college students have an abundance of gadgets to suit their studies—or distract them from what they should be doing. In an increasingly digital world, connectivity to the Internet is a must-have capability for many students, as well as the ability to easily pick up their devices and carry them around without taking up lots of space. And of course, no college student wants to lug around something that isn’t hip. Whether it’s a notebook, smartphone or even an external hard drive, the “cool factor” is never far from their minds. With that in mind, take a look at this list of must-have gadgets for anyone heading back to school this fall.