10 More Must-Have Back-To-School Tech Gadgets
Back To School (Part 2)
This time of year can be a little stressful for any student, no matter the grade level. Having the right gadgets when the year starts, however, can leave every back-so-schooler a bit better prepared.
Whether it's a new computer to get work done more efficiently, a smartphone or tablet to be more productive while on the go, or the handy accessories that can make life easier, here's a list of tech gadgets that are at the head of the class.
Here are 10 must-have tech gadgets for back-to-school season.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is one of the top e-readers on the market and is naturally a handy tool for students.
Connected to the Amazon ecosystem, users can choose from millions of titles, including books, newspapers, magazines, audiobooks and more.
The sharp 6-inch screen never has any glare, and the crisp font makes reading on the Kindle easy on the eyes. The Kindle also weighs in at just 7.3 ounces and can store more than 1,000 books in addition to free Amazon Cloud storage.
Users also don't have to worry about running out of battery while in the middle of a good book, as the Paperwhite's battery lasts up to two months (eight weeks).
Price: $119
Epson Expression Home XP-410 Wireless Printer
This is a perfect printer for students to use individually or share with their families or roommates.
This Epson wireless printer is competitively priced and has a 2.5-inch LCD touch panel that makes it easy to use. The printer also has easy-to-replace and affordable individual ink cartridges, so users only need to replace the color they are missing. This is perfect for students who don't have the time to set up devices and don’t want to dig too deep into their wallet either.
The printer's wireless capabilities make it very handy for tablet and smartphone users. With Wi-Fi Direct, users can easily print from tablets and smartphones but can still opt to print over a USB connection.
Finally, the color printer also offers a built-in memory card slot, and has photo printing capabilities.
Price: $69.99
Mophie Juice Pack Phone Case
For students on the go, having a protective case for their mobile device is important, as is having extra battery life. Who has time to sit around waiting for a smartphone to charge?
With the Mophie Juice Pack, users knock out two birds with one stone as they can protect their phone while enjoying the extra juice their protective case brings them.
Mophie markets its smartphone case as weighing 2.44 ounces, and adding 80 percent more battery life to an iPhone 5 or iPhone 5s.
Mophie also makes similar cases for iPads, iPhone 4 smartphones, Samsung Galaxy phones and iPods.
Price: $79.95
JBL Pulse
Well, one can't be hitting the books all the time.
This high-quality wireless speaker from JBL gives a multi-LED light show that plays along with user's favorite tracks.
The Bluetooth connectivity features of the JBL Pulse allows users to stream music wirelessly through any device supporting Bluetooth, including smartphones, laptops and tablets.
The portable speaker has 10 hours of battery life, lasting just as long as most high-end mobile devices, and can be recharged through a USB port.
The JBL Pulse is easy to set up and easy to use, making it no problem to stream favorite playlists to celebrate the end of midterms or finals week.
Price: $199.95
Toshiba Canvio Slim External Hard Drive
Students always end up creating a ton of documents and media files, whether it's from schoolwork, their favorite MP3 tracks, or photos they've taken throughout the school year. It's important to have enough storage space to hold on to all these files.
This spacious portable hard drive from Toshiba offers 500 GB of storage space, plus 10 GB of free cloud storage.
The hard drive connects easily to computers and mobile devices through USB, and its lightweight 4.4-ounce frame makes it very portable. The hard drive is just 4.2 inches wide and fits easily in pockets or bags.
Price: $49.99
MacBook Pro
The entry model of Apple's high-end MacBook Pro line is great for getting work done not only for professionals, but for students as well.
The powerful laptop features a 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost technology up to 3.1GHz. It also offers ample storage space with 4 GB of memory.
The 13-inch HD display is backed with Intel HD Graphics and the MacBook Pro has more than seven hours of battery life.
Apple also offers other models of the MacBook Pro featuring Retina displays.
Price: $1,099
Philips Wake-Up Light
Waking up for those 8 a.m. classes can be tough, and this little device makes things a little easier.
The Philips light's brightness intensifies gradually at the time it is set to wake users up. It also can play one of four pleasant sounds or FM radio.
The Wake-Up Light also has an iPhone and iPod dock to charge the devices. In addition to that, users can opt to play tracks from their iPhone or iPod instead of FM radio or the stocked wake-up sounds the Wake-Up Light alarm offers.
Price: $99
The Devotec Fuel Micro Charger
This little gizmo is a lifesaver for those running low on battery and just may become a favorite keychain.
The Devotec Fuel Micro Charger is marketed as being the smallest mobile phone charger in the world.The battery charger gives smartphones 20 to 30 minutes of extra talk time and holds its charge for one to two months.
This mini phone charger is small enough to use as a keychain, and is compatible with the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini, the Amazon Kindle, BlackBerry smartphones, Tom Tom devices, LG phones and more.
It can definitely come in handy for emergency situations.
Price: $24.99
Nokia Lumia 1020
The Nokia Lumia 1020 is a popular device for those who enjoy a good camera on their smartphone.
This device features a 41-megapixel camera and "reinvented zoom" so users can sit back and take perfect shots, even from a distance.
The smartphone's 4.5-inch HD display (1,280 x 768) allows users to enjoy shots and videos they have taken on the device, or get a clear view of the Windows Phone operating system.
The Nokia Lumia 1020 runs on a dual-core 1.5GHz processor and has 32 GB of storage in addition to 7 GB of free cloud storage.
Price: Varies with carrier contract
iPad Mini
The iPad is the top tablet in the world in terms of market share.
Students will enjoy Apple's entry-level model and most competitively priced version of the line, featuring 16 GB of storage and both Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity offered through all four major carriers.
The iPad Mini features a 7.9-inch LED display and Apple's immense ecosystem of apps, music and movies.
Students also may be interested in Microsoft Office now being available on the iPad, so it's now an even more convenient way to get work done.
The Mini is very mobile-friendly, weighing just 0.68 pounds with dimensions of 7.87 x 5.3 x 0.28 inches.
Price: $299