Digital Trends

As we move into August and September approaches, many students are getting ready to head back to school. Though you might have a back-to-school outfit picked out, you could very well be ill-equipped technologically. Let's face it, your 128MB MP3 Player and Pentium II laptop aren't cutting it anymore. Luckily we've got the latest products every student needs packed tightly into a guide for you. Whether it's a new notebook and a bag to go with it or a digital audio player with voice recording capability, you'll be sure to have the advantage over the rest of the class by reading on.

 

 

 

 

For those of you unaware of anything Apple-related lately, the company has broken new ground by switching to Intel-based processors - significantly increasing performance and giving people more options. With the Macbook replacing the iBook, one can hardly call even the basic configuration a "low-end notebook". Users now have the ability to run both Mac OS X and Windows XP (as well as the upcoming Vista), integrated 802.11g wireless, and Bluetooth 2.0. If you're looking to make the switch but still need Windows for your schoolwork, this is the way to go. Read the Digital Trends Review

 

 

 

If you're an artist and an paintbrush makes more sense to you than a mouse, consider the Gateway CX210. This Tablet PC is packed with powerful processing, built-in wireless, and come with a beautiful 14-inch touchscreen. You can either use the built-in keyboard and mouse like a regular notebook, or you can kick it up a notch and unleash your creativity with a stylus and your favorite design programs. Read the Digital Trends Review

 

 

 

 

The most popular portable music player is now in its 5^th generation and sports a thinner design, a bigger display, and video playback. With schools offering downloads of lectures off the iTunes Music Store, students will find themselves with a wealth of information at their fingertips. You can easily go from listening to your favorite band to watching a video lecture in seconds. Plus you can pretend to be rocking out when you're secretly enhancing your creativity and improving your GPA. Read the Digital Trends Review

 

 

 

So maybe by now you've already got an iPod but your school doesn't provide lectures online. Why bother carrying around a portable voice recorder that can't easily export files when you can just record right to your iPod? Griffin's iTalk does just that and does it quite well. You might even be able to swindle your professor into speaking directly into your iPod throughout the entire lecture. Plus at $40, you won't have to break the bank too much either. Check Prices Alterntative for Apple iPod Video: Griffin iMic

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those in the market for a phone that has Windows Mobile 5.0, a full QWERTY-keypad, and plenty of other rich features should check out the Motorola Q. What is the Q? Take one part Windows Mobile, another part sleek, thin design, and throw in a little Bluetooth, mini-USB, and mini-SD and you have yourself a powerhouse of a phone that also doubles as a PDA. Oh did we mention it also comes with a 1.3MP camera for taking pictures of babes? Yeah it does that and lets you fix reports on the go. Try doing that with a Blackberry. Read the Digital Trends Review

 

 

 

Though the Motorola Q is a powerhouse PDA/phone, not everyone needs that. Some people need a phone that does calls and texts right. Samsung's T609 has plenty of cool features to impress your friends like a 1.3MP camera and Bluetooth, but it's designed to be a phone first and foremost. Calls come through crystal-clear and the phone is at an angle when opened to allow your mouth to actually come in contact with the microphone. If your parents want to check up on you constantly, they should throw you one of these to ensure they'll be able to. Read the Digital Trends Review

 

 

 

 

 

Having a durable bag is an essential part of your school year. It has to have enough room for your books, notebooks, pens, papers, and other junk. If it can also carry a laptop, consider it a plus. Luckily, Crumpler makes bags that range from fun and bright laptop sleeves to serious storage bags that could fit a Desktop PC, a chicken dinner, your books, and still have room for more. The best all-around bag they offer is a bag called The Considerable Embarassment. It holds a decent amount of books, a laptop, and whatever else you might pick up along the way. You can go bigger or downgrade depending on your needs, but one thing you won't have to worry about is your stuff getting destroyed. Crumpler Website

 

 

 

 

We all know you'll be in that Library for a good 10 hours pulling an all-nighter, so you better have a quick and simple way to back up your data periodically. The first thing that springs to mind is a USB drive, but which one is good for a student like you? Try the Cruzer Titanium USB Flash Drive from Sandisk out for size – sizes of 512MB, 1GB, and 2GB to be exact. These are affordable USB flash drives that are "virtually indestructable" and have been put through multiple tests to ensure that even a college student with a nasty beer habit can't mess one up. Plus they look great and come with free software that's actually useful. Check Prices