Is your university life a bit hectic? These gadgets geared for students on the go may help ease the squeeze on your life.
Livescribe Pulse Pen ($199)
The Livescribe Pulse Pen not only creates digital copies of everything you write by hand —it records audio too, linking it with the text so you can click on selective part of your notes to hear what you typed. The Pulse Pen also offers built-in applications like a calculator and translator. A big bonus is the 500 mb of online storage that you get when you create your Livescribe account (in case you dont have your laptop with you and need to access your notes on a public computer). Do I hear a sigh of relief? A great tool for those willing to shell out the cash.
Clocky Rolling Alarm Clock ($19.99)
Clocky is probably the worlds most annoying alarm clock. When you hit the snooze button, Clocky will roll off your nightstand and around your room, beeping and flashing until you get up and catch it. For those of us who like to sleep through the alarms, I dare you to go back to sleep after running a marathon in your room.
Dictaphone (from $20-120, depending on the data capacity)
No matter how good notes you take, youre bound to miss some points, but youll never miss anything again if you use a Dictaphone. Pop it onto your desk, simply click record and let it do its magic. What separates it from other recorders is that it only records when it hears something, saving battery life and memory space.
Noise Cancellation Headphones (varies)
Ideal for areas with noise or when you want to listen to some music without disturbing others. There are a lot of choices, so go purchase the one that fits your taste and budget.
Printstik ($200-300)
Library printer on the fritz and an assignment due in ten? PlanOn, the company behind Printstik, knew we lazy students do important things at the last minute, so they built a reliable last-minute, on-the-road solution: The PlanOn PrintStik PS910, a portable printer measuring one inch width, two inches tall, and eleven inches long (the same length as a sheet of letter paper) that prints from a laptop/desktop as well as your smartphone.
As for paper, you dont have to worry about carrying around individual sheets—the Printstik uses its own compact roll of paper.
Wizzcom InfoScan IS1000 Book Scanner ($40-$100)
This device can save hundreds of dollars on photocopying costs over the year. Open up a book, start scanning the text, and itll get stored in the flash memory on the device, where you can plug it into your computer and read again. Now you dont have to worry about scampering for photocopied documents during crunch times. The Wizzcom InfoScan IS1000 can scan up to 500 pages and transfer them via USB to a computer. On that note, be aware of copyright laws when copying fragments of books.
Coral-200-Solar: a Solar Powered Handset ($40)
Like the Samsung Blue Earth, the Coral-200-Solar from Chinese manufacturer ZTE also runs on solar power. Its low price will attract many users to this device, which will ensure that at least the mobile chargers do not suck up energy created by burning fossil fuels.
Philips Wake Up Light HF3480 ($120)
So Clocky is a real pain the rear and you hate an abrupt awakening. Try the Philips Wake Up light. Set the desired wake up time and the light gradually increases 30 minutes before your set wake up time. Light falls on your eyes and positively affects your energy hormones, preparing your body to wake up. This makes waking up a more pleasant feeling. It also comes with a radio feature.
LaCie Rugged External Hard Disk ($120-220)
Flash drives are useful, but they dont offer much in the way of space. I always like to take a good external hard drive with me. If you dont have some sort of drive to back up your assignments on to, youre asking for serious trouble. The LaCie Rugged External Hard Disk isnt very expensive and affords you considerable space and maximum safety. Try dropping this thing and see what happens.
