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Gadget Guy Reviews: Back-to-School Computer Gear & Accessories

Gadget Guy Reviews: Back-to-School Computer Gear & Accessories
Toshiba Satellite Laptop - a Gadget Guy favoriteIt’s back to school season. 

Whether your kids are traveling far from home for the first time or the journey is familiar one, it’s wise to arm them with electronics and gear that are portable, durable and offer great value.

Gadget guy Phil Baker rounds up some of his top gadgets for the new school year, from laptop computers and carrying cases to backpacks and notebooks.

Check out his gadget reviews, and you might even find some great backto school bargains.

Toshiba’s Satellite T200 series – This is a useful entry-level notebook computer, and with prices start at $470, it’s not much more expensive than a netbook. I tested a 13-inch model (T235-S1350) that costs $598, which weighs about 3.8 pounds and is an inch thick.

Toshiba Satellite T235-S1350 Side ViewVisually, it resembles my Apple MacBook Pro 13.3 inch; it’s a standout with the lid available in red, gray or white.

But the surprise is what’s under the lid: The deck has a bright chrome finish with a fine pattern that looks as if it’s been engraved. Sounds gaudy, but it actually looks great. The area around the keyboard is a more muted matte chrome.

The keyboard is one of the best full-size keyboards I’ve tried on any notebook under $1,000. The keys are raised tiles similar to Sony and Apple products. Overall performance is very good, running Windows 7 Home Premium edition. Other useful details include a memory card slot, two USB ports that remain live for charging devices when the lid is closed, a Web cam and a 320GB hard drive. However, there is no built-in DVD drive.

Toshiba Satellite T235-S1350 Top ViewThe 16:9 wide display is bright and clear and the battery is rated at eight hours. Toshiba’s software helped the computer start up and connect to my Wi-Fi more quickly than most other Windows notebooks I’ve tried. www.toshiba.com

Apple MacBook 13.3 – For Mac users, this is the least expensive MacBook on the market. It’s more durable than the previous generation and it offers great performance. Other bonuses are its gorgeous display and 250GB drive. As an added incentive, there is currently a back-to-school promotion from Apple that throws in an iPod for free. $999; www.apple.com

Incase Nylon Sleeve – The 13-inch sleeve is slim and well-made that fits both the Toshiba and Macbook perfectly. It’s a slim carrying case that provides padded protection, is constructed of  weather-resistant nylon, and has concealable handles and an adjustable, removable shoulder strap. $59; www.goincase.com

Echo Smartpen –  Livescribe’s newly released model is great for taking notes and recording lectures. While writing, the Echo syncs every penstroke to what’s being recorded, making it easy to play back the lecture by touching what you wrote. Everything is saved onto your computer so you can share it with others or archive it for use later.

For students thinking of doing some backpacking, there’s Backpack Reviews & the Best Backpacks for All Types of Travelers.

Livescribe Echo Smart PenCompared to previous models, the Echo connects directly to the computer, requiring no cradle. It has a standard headphone jack, and overall is lighter and easier to hold than the previous generations. Livescribe promises additional capabilities for the Echo this fall, including one that will provide functionality similar to an external graphics tablet.  $180; www.livescribe.com

Brenthaven’s Expandable Trek Backpack – There’s no going to college without a durable backpack, and this one comes with a lifetime guarantee. It offers a good balance of a well-made backpack in ballistic nylon at an affordable price. This model is designed to hold up to a 15.4-inch notebook padded with walls of 1-inch-thick foam, along with plenty of books and papers as well as special pockets for phones, music players, a water bottle and other small items. t can expand by an additional 20 percent when more space is needed. $100; www.brenthaven.com

Levenger’s Circa Notebooks –  Some students still like taking notes on paper with pen. You can do that nowadays in ways far better than when we went to school. Circa lets you create notebooks that are more versatile than the old spiral or three-ring notebooks, allowing flexibility to quickly add and remove pages. It’s built around pages of varying sizes and plastic discs that all snap together. A sampler kit is available for $40; www.levenger.com

HP All-In-One PrinterHP’s Photosmart C4680 All-in-One Printer – This is a true all-in-one that will print, copy and scan term papers and photos with a resolution of 2400 x 1200. It can print from a memory card without being connected to a PC. It can even enhance a photo within the printer itself. It’s designed to save paper with two-sided printing. Now, if only it were designed to save ink! Overall, the product offers excellent value at just $60; www.hp.com
Canon’s PIXMA iP4820 Premium Inkjet Photo Printer –  Canon’s new entry-level printer is not an all-in-one, but it’s a very good printer that’s loaded with innovative features. It’s particularly good for printing photos, offering 9600 x 2400 color resolution, with an  efficient five-tank ink system. Like HP, Canon has built-in Auto Duplex Printing, which allows for two-sided printing. $99; www.usa.canon.com

LaCie memory drive – One of the most useful gadgets is the thumb-sized memory drive. It lets students backup files, pass digital documents, photos and videos to each other, and move files from one computer to another. LaCie makes a line of memory drives in the shape of keys as well as another built into a rugged cylindrical casing. The key-shaped drives start at $20 for 4GB. The latter LaCie XtremKey is designed to withstand the extremes of temperature, pressure and even 4-foot drops. An 8GB version costs $50. All are designed to fit onto a keychain. www.lacie.com

Pentax’s Optio W90 – Speaking of extremes, a camera that withstands heavy shocks, water, dust and cold should be just perfect for most college students. The Optio W90 is an 11th-generation compact waterproof camera that can take pictures up to 20 feet under water for two hours. It’s a 12-megapixel camera with HD movie capability, an anti-shake mode and a 5X zoom lens. $249; www.pentax.com

By Phil Baker for PeterGreenberg.com. Read Phil’s blog here, and check out his book, From Concept to Consumer: How to Turn Ideas into Money, available at bookstores everywhere and as an e-book on the Nook and Kindle.

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