It's more important than ever to equip your college kids with the right tech tools for a leg up this semester. Here are some of our picks for the best back to school tech gear.
COMPUTERS
Compaq Presario X1000
Compaq’s new widescreen Presario X1000 notebook computer allows you to do more, see more and carry less. The X1000 features Intel Centrino mobile technology for wireless connectivity, a bright and clear widescreen display, and the lightweight (6.5 lbs) and thin (1.3”) X1000 provides superior battery run-time for life on the go. Priced from $1324 (after $100 rebate).
www.hpshopping.com
Gateway $399 Desktop Computer
Gateway’s entry-level 310SE includes an Intel Celeron 2.20GHz processor, 128MB of DDR SDRAM, 40GB hard drive, a CD-ROM drive, Microsoft Windows XP Home, Microsoft Works 7.0 and Norton Anti-Virus software.
The 310 series have additional external bays and three PCI slots for adding new devices and cards. Computer users can also connect their digital cameras, printers and other devices to the PCs with six USB ports (two conveniently located on the front and four in back) and all the necessary legacy ports.
The new computer, which is sold standard without a monitor, is priced at $399. www.gateway.com
HP Media Center PC
Most college dorm rooms today are Internet ready, what they aren’t for the most part is spacious. That’s where the HP Media Center PC 200 fits the bill on both accounts. Rather than having to buy separate components like a PC, TV, DVD, VCR, stereo, CD burner or to create and watch photo slideshows or movies to send home, it has it all. And, worry not parents, the PC component is terrific for all their school, Internet and e-mail needs. It is supported with a faster processor, larger hard drive and more RAM than most high-end PC’s, for a fairly reasonable price. Comes with a 15-inch or 17-inch flat screen monitor. $1299-$1999. A slightly updated model will be in stores mid September. www.hp.com
COMPUTER ACCESSORIES
HP All-in-One Printer/Scanner/Copier
Print term papers, copy class notes or scan images easily with the fast and easy to use 3-in-one device. The world's smallest flatbed all-in-one fits to the wall of your shelf
to save space (dimensions are approximately 17x10x7 inches). The psc 1210 also comes with a
fun, customizable cover so you can match it with any dorm room
décor. A great value for back-to-school - it retails under $150. Available online at www.hpshopping.com or at most major retail outlets.
Canon i70 Printer
Canon's new printer -- the i70 -- is a portable document printer that you can take anywhere: the classroom, ballgames and even the beach. The i70 measures 12 inches wide, by 2 inches tall and is just under 7 inches deep. It weighs less than 4 pounds. The i70 has great image quality, almost laser on text, but the key here is that it's a great photo printer as well. So you can take a pix and print it on the spot, a 4x6 in 90 seconds. For you DPI aficionados it’s 4800x1200. It also has borderless printing for your 4x6, 5x7 and 8.5x11 glossies. The optional battery lasts for over 450 pages on a single charge! $250. Battery option: $99 for Portable Kit and $139 for Cradle Kit. www.usa.canon.com
Kensington WiFi Finder
More and more colleges are putting in WiFi networks which means they’re going wireless. The WiFi Finder is the only one that finds internet access instantly. Just press its button and it will find a ‘hot location’ in the dorm, library or common room. No microwave signals, no plugs, software or computer needed. $ 29.99 Circuit City and Best Buy. www.kensington.com
HOME THEATER GEAR
Gateway Home Theater Systems
Gateway's new home theater systems are complete
with DVD player/receivers, powerful speakers and subwoofers that replicate
live concerts and movies with realistic
sound. With satellite and center channel speakers for vibrant sound and
advanced Hsu Research-engineered subwoofers for powerful amplification and
superior mid- and deep base performance, these home theaters with 5.1
receivers intensify special effects for movies and music. These
audio-visual packages range in price from $499 to
$699. www.gateway.com
Panasonic Home Theater with DVD Recorder
The Panasonic SC-HT1000 Recordable DVD Home Theater Sound System is the next step in home theater. The 5.1 channel home theater system plays back DVD-Audio, DVD-Video, CDs, and also records TV programs and dubs recordings from a video camera onto DVD-R1 or DVD-RAM discs.
The system comes with two Tall-Boy front speakers with an adjustable stand, OmniCast surround speakers, and a powerful subwoofer with a built-in 240W power amplifier. The front, center, and surround speakers are able to reproduce frequencies reaching up to 50 kHz, and the subwoofer has a frequency range from 45 Hz to 120 Hz.
The home theater receiver has a built-in DTS3 and Dolby4 digital decoder, Dolby Surround Pro Logic II, and Quartz synthesized digital AM/FM tuning system.
The DVD video recorder can play discs in DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-Audio, DVD-Video, CD-Audio, Video CD, and CD-R/RW5 formats. It is able to record discs in DVD-RAM and DVD-R formats using XP, SP, LP, and EP recording modes.
Other DVD features include a dialogue enhancer, picture mode—cinema, fine, soft, normal, and user settings—and picture controls for brightness, contrast, sharpness, gamma correction, and color. In addition, it is a progressive scan player, which doubles the scan lines of an interlaced signal (from 480i to 480p) by scanning all 525 lines in 1/60 of a second for each pass. The SC-HT1000 Recordable DVD Home Theater Sound System will be available in September 2003 for $999.95. www.panasonic.com
Gateway 46-inch Plasma TV
Perfect for college dorm room (but not the pocketbook), the new 46-inch Gateway plasma TV can fit in most living areas because of its small size (measures less than 3.5 inches thin). The plasma TV delivers a clear picture with 852x480 resolution, which is enhanced by a brightness of 700 nits and a contrast ratio of 800:1. The Gateway 46-inch Plasma TV is HDTV compatible. $3,799. www.gateway.com
MUSIC ON THE GO
Portable Satellite Radio for Home and Car
The new Audiovox SIRIUS Satellite Radio Shuttle (model SIRPNP1)
is great gift idea for a student going off to college…it costs just $160 and the cost of the SIRIUS subscription is $12.95 a month-- less than the cost of a CD.
SIRIUS satellite radio broadcasts 60 streams of 100% commercial-free music and 40 streams of sports, news and entertainment such as A&E, E! Entertainment, ESPN Radio and NPR.
With universities cracking down on students using the school computers to download music illegally, you can have peace of mind with SIRIUS and Audiovox which allow your son and daughter to listen to their favorite music, without getting in any trouble. Yeah, right! www.audiovox.com www.sirius.com
Rio Nitrus
The new Rio Nitrus is one of the first MP3 players to feature the new Cornice technology --a storage device thinner than a flash memory card and priced at about half the cost of the IBM Microdrive. The Nitrus features 1.5GB of memory and plays back over 25 hours of MP3 or 50 hours of WMA music (over 375 MP3 or 750 WMA songs). Its rechargeble LiON battery features 16 hours continuous playback, and with the expandable slot add up to 512MB additional memory using SD or MMC cards. Features a 5-band adjustable equalizer with pre-sets and comes with ear-buds from Sennheiser. $299.
Rio Chiba 256
Rio’s new Chiba 256 features 256MB of memory for playback of over 4 hours of MP3 or 8 hours of WMA music (over 60 MP3 or 120 WMA songs), an FM Tuner and adjustable EQ. The expandable slot can add up to 512MB additional memory using SD or MMC cards. Get 18 hours of continuous playback using one Energizer AAA battery. Also allows for transfer connect between multiple PC's and features a 5-band adjustable equalizer with pre-sets. Ships with carrying case with belt clip and Sennheiser earbuds.
$199. For more information on the new Rio MP3 players visi www.rioaudio.com
Creative NOMAD MuVo
The Creative NOMAD MuVo is the world’s smallest MP3 player and USB storage device in one. About the size of a Bic lighter, this tiny device connects to the USB drive found on all computers. To transfer a music file simply drag and drop (it holds up to an hour of songs) plus there is no software needed. But that’s not all, the MuVo can also store your data for transferring files from your laptop to desktop -- Its 128 memory holds up to 44 floppies on your key chain. The MuVo plays for up to 12 hours on one AAA alkaline battery. It comes with headphones and a carry handle. Interchangeable faceplates and armband sold separately. $150. www.muvo.com/products/MuVo.
KEEP IN TOUCH
AT&T GoPhone
Parents and students are looking for an easy, convenient way to buy a wireless phone and stay connected throughout the school year. It’s simple with GoPhone. With GoPhone, there are no credit checks, no annual contracts, and no activation fees.
Just in time for back to school, you can get the GoPhone for $70 or less with a $30 mail in rebate when buying from select retailers. (The mail in rebate offer is good through 9/13.)
Activate the GoPhone by providing a credit card, debit card or bank account number to set up the automatic recurring billing every 30 days (or when the balance is depleted whichever occurs first). GoPhone comes with free nights and weekends, free nationwide long distance and roaming plus it’s packed with hot features like text messaging, ring tones and more.
You can buy GoPhone in Targets, CompUSA, Staples and many other national retailers as well as at any AT&T Wireless store or dealer. www.attws.com/gophone.
Samsung SGH-X400 Java Game Phone
Samsung’s new SGH-X400 Java Game phone features great LCD display capabilities with 65K color.
It is also a game console, allowing you to enjoy games based on the JAVA platform. The phone features a
wide screen which displays up to 15 letters per line and 10 lines of text per message, 40 polyphonic sound, and has a unique gaming keypad with its functional arrow keys. The SGH-X400 comes with 7 embedded games. More games can be downloaded from WAP. (More downloadable games: Snowball Fight, Pocket Boxing, Hot Blooded, Snowboard, Evil Hunter, Move Move). Pricing: TBA. www.samsung.com
HOMEWORK AND SHOPPING HELP
AOL Keyword: Back To School
AOL Keyword: Back To School has lots of good resources, from online homework help, tips etc. AOL also has a feature called "Ask a Teacher", where students can send e-mails to retired teachers on homework issues. For more information visit AOL Keyword: Back to School.
PriceGrabber.com
Save time and money by using PriceGrabber to buy all your back to school products online without any of those annoying pop up ads. With PriceGrabber's BottomLine Pricing, you'll see the tax and estimated shipping charges before you even order. The consumer driven product and merchant reviews ensure you won't get ripped off.
Do you have your school’s shopping supply list? Enter it into PriceGrabber's ShoppingList feature and get a good deal on everything in no time! Is that graphing calculator a little expensive? Using PriceGrabber's product tracker, enter the amount you want to pay- and you'll get an e-mail alert as soon as one drops to that price or less. www.pricegrabber.com
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