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Best Tech Gadgets for Back to School

August 14, 2012 , 1 Frank Gurnee

As our kids across the nation are heading back to school, there are a number of kid-friendly gadgets that have made life easier and have made school an even more conducive learning environment. Many schools are embracing technology and putting technology items on school supply lists, or providing them as part of the curriculum.

1. Laptop $399 – $2499

The laptop or notebook has become an important and necessary part of education and productivity from middle school through to college. There are many brands and types available. Deciding on the right laptop will typically depend on experience, brands used in the home, and applications being used at school. For many, the choice will be between an Apple Macbook and Windows PC clone. Apple keeps things simple with a minimum amount of choices in their product line and a trip to an Apple Store will make for an easy experience and tons of help. If your home is primarily a PC home there are a number of manufacturers that provide laptops including Dell, Lenovo, Sony, Toshiba, Acer, Vizio just to name a few. The key is to look for something with a solid construction, a good amount of ram at least 4GB, and at least 128GB HDD. Expect that the laptop will be dropped, so always get the extended warranty with accidental damage coverage, and purchase a good case or cover to protect the investment.

2. Apple iPad $499 -$899

Apple has created an extremely versatile tool with the iPad, which has allowed hundreds of thousands of applications to be developed for the platform. Education has remained strong for the device and there are over twenty thousand applications that have been created around education. From encyclopedias to reference tools the list is virtually endless for all subject matters. With iBooks, textbooks are also moving into the digital realm and can replace all those heavy books being lugged around from class to class. For many the iPad can replace a traditional laptop, with the list of peripherals such as keyboards, printers, and countless other add-ons the iPad is a versatile and functional tool for any student.

3. Amazon Kindle $79-$199

The Amazon kindle has come a long way since it’s introduction. The latest version the Kindle Fire is a good low cost alternative to the Apple iPad. With the number of applications growing for the Fire, the device is becoming a useful tool for many students. The place all iterations of the Kindle excels is in its book library. With Amazon providing access to most of its catalog of books in the kindle format, the device becomes a definite advantage for students. Amazon has also brought textbooks to the platform and provides either a purchase or rental option making access to information even easier. Your purchased library syncs to all devices and Amazon provides applications for most operating systems allowing you to read on just about every device on the market including your laptop, phone, desktop, or netbook.

Though there are many devices that will help a student better their educational experience, the outlined gadgets are at the top of the list of supplies necessary in a more connected world. Some schools have made things like laptops or iPads required items and many schools are seeing the value of these as educational tools. Feel free to leave us a comment about what is on your kids buy list this school year and what uses you have found with the gadgets outlined in your kids education.