Digital Trends

It's time for your kid to head back to school for another grueling, but exciting, year ahead. And, unlike a decade ago, students now look to technology to make their lives simpler, more organized and, let's face it, fun. But with so many gadgets on the market, it's tough to decide which are good and which are absolutely necessary. To that end, we have compiled a list of back to school essentials for your favorite student. Whether they're heading back to high school or heading off to college, the following items are sure bets that will steer them in the right direction.

Laptop

When choosing laptops for students, you need to make sure they're sturdy and reliable, at the very least, as well as powerful, portable, lightweight, Wi-Fi-accessible and with a decent battery life. Because students will be students, you probably don't want to go for the most high-end laptop on the market, but because a fortune is being spent on their education anyway, you might as well give them a great tool that, at the very least, is fast and reliable. Here are two fantastic and affordable options.

Apple MacBook

The MacBook is a cool, blazing-fast and surprisingly affordable notebook featuring a 13.3 inch, glossy widescreen display as well as an Intel Core 2 Duo processor running at 2.16 GHz with1 GB of memory and 160 GB of massive hard drive storage space. The MacBook also allows users to be almost as mobile as they want to be with built-in Bluetooth and AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi and battery life of around five hours. Additionally, every MacBook operates via OS 10 and comes preloaded with iLife '08, a full suite of applications allowing users to view and edit photos, create music, build web sites and make movies in their spare time. www.apple.com, $1099 USD and up.

Fujitsu LifeBook A6030

The compact Fujitsu LifeBook A6030 offers a 15.4 inch display with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor running at 1.8 GHz and is 802.11n Wi-Fi enabled. The LifeBook also sports a point and write pad for note-taking, as well as a dual-layer multi-format DVD writer, spill-resistant keyboard and a hard drive protected by Shock Sensor for reinforced durability. www.fujitsu.com, $1199 USD and up.

Printer

Canon PIXMA iP4500

The Canon PIXMA iP4500 is a small, versatile all in one printer perfect for a range of paper sizes and types, from monochrome term papers to color photo stickers, with 9600 x 2400 dpi color resolution. Standard black ink pages print at a speedy rate of about 31 pages per minute and color is roughly 24 ppm. The printer connects via a USB cable (not included) and is PC and Mac compatible. www.canon.com $129 USD.

MP3 Player

Apple iPod nano

Just get ‘em the iPod. The Apple iPod nano gives its owner the ability to carry 2,000 songs and 25,000 photos with them wherever they go so you don't have to help them lug their entire CD collection up 10 flights of stairs. In addition to CD imports, the nano offers simple integration with iTunes for music downloads, has a 1.5 inch color display and up to 24 hours of battery life. It also comes in a variety of snazzy colors, but if you pick up one of the iPod nano (PRODUCT) Red Special Edition units, Apple will donate $10 to the Global Fund to help combat the AIDS epidemic in Africa. See our full review of the iPod nano, $199 USD and up.

Alarm Clock/iPod Speaker System

Macally TunePro Speaker System

Designed to accommodate any iPod device, the Macally TunePro Flat Panel Stereo Speaker with Charger, offers a great place to park the iPod for the night. In addition to being a snazzy looking docking station for the iPod with a small footprint, the unit features great sound via an NXT flat loudspeaker with SRS WOW technology, dual independent alarms, the ability to wake to tunes of your choosing or an alarm and the option of a gradual volume increase to alarm instead of the blast, unless of course, that's the only thing that will drag them out of bed at 7 a.m. www.macally.com, $129.99 USD.

Headphones

Logitech Premium Stereo Headset

Headphones not only offer privacy and the ability to really rock out, but they also offer quietness for a studying (or sleeping) roommate. The Logitech Premium Stereo Headset features is perfect for students to enjoy movies, gaming, music, as well as talking to the folks back home using VoIP. USB or analog connectors included. www.logitech.com, $59.99 USD.