Hi everyone! It’s AUGUST! You know what that means. Counting down the days of summer (who needs them, anyway?), waiting and hoping that the first day of school comes quickly!

 

Wait.

 

You’re not excited for the upcoming school year? What? All of those readings, quizzes, exams, and lectures not getting your head spinning? (Well, perhaps in a bad way… )

 

Maybe these gadgets can help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Powerstick ($49.50)

Your mobile electronics are dying and there’s no electrical outlet in sight. The Powerstick is your lightweight solution. This device can fit in your pocket and hook up to iPods, Blackberrys, cameras and more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Voltaic Backpack ($150-200)

The Voltaic Converter Solar Backpack is a bag for students with gadgets who need to be mobile. With 4 Watts of power and every size converter you can imagine, it will quickly charge all your handheld electronics. A padded laptop sleeve and sizable front pocket keeps everything secure and in easy reach. The bag will stay charged with solar panels and has a number of pockets and compartments for all your school supplies, books and gadgets. It’s roomy and durable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Or for just a cool-looking light backpack, try: LEvertigo 21)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LiveScribe’s Echo Smartpen ($169 for 4GB / $199 for 8GB)

It may not take the notes for you, but Livescribe’s Echo smartpen does just about everything else. The pen includes a voice recorder with up to 8GB of storage capability and includes neat little trick — just tap a word of your notes to replay the corresponding audio snippet of that moment of the lecture. With an infrared sensor that senses the tiny dots on the Livescribe notebook paper to use as reference points, it’s more magic wand than pen. After the lecture, simply connect the pen to your computer using a USB cord, and the accompanying software (Windows and Mac OS X) uploads handwritten notes exactly as they appeared in your notebook. The Livescribe Desktop application then organizes notes — even converting simultaneous note taking and recording into “pencasts” that highlight words in synchronization with audio when played.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hanpresso Wild ($99)

Need a higher-quality caffeine fix than the muddy brew your cafeteria or local coffee house serves up? Handpresso Wild might just scratch that java itch. A handheld espresso maker, the Handpresso Wild only requires boiling water and any E.S.E. Pod, (think of them as espresso tag bags) found in most grocery stores or coffee houses. You can order these from Starbucks. Easy to use and you can get creative with your own flavors.

 

 

 

 

 

Dropbox (Free)

Dropbox protects your digital files from crashed hard drives, frozen computers, and misplaced flash drives. As PCWorld.com notes, the cloud-based service easily syncs documents, photos, and videos across multiple systems, moving them from laptop to smartphone to iPad without so much as a single wire or USB cord. Access uploaded files — free for up to 2 GB of storage — from any computer or Android device. You can get more storage space, but it’ll cost you: 50 GB costs $9.99 a month and 100 GB costs $19.99 a month.

 

 

 And the goofy:

 

 

 

Building Block Calculator ($27)

Does this need an explanation? Just, awesome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Forearm Pain Relief Massager ($49.95)

Hours of typing produces sore wrists – and hopefully that final paper. Ease that tension with Hammacher Schlemmer’s Forearm Pain Relief Massager. The compact massager was invented by a licensed massage therapist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, go out! Have a good school year,

and happy consumerism to you all!

 

 

 

From: http://www.examiner.com/article/back-to-school-gadgets-go-high-tech-for-2012