It's hard to image that the summer is on its last legs. While we are left wondering where the time has gone, we are also mentally preparing for the upcoming school season that lies upon us.
While many college kids dread having to purchase expensive textbooks required to get through the fall course schedule, there is one perk to back-to-school shopping — getting your hands on the coolest tech gadgets that won't break the bank.
It's never easy going back to school, but at least these gadgets will get you excited for starting the next chapter in your academic career.
Here are the eight best back-to-school gadgets you need this year.
Luckies of London Ltd Smartphone Projector
We all know that dorm rooms give students very little space to fit all their home essentials. That often means that college students decide to leave their TVs home, giving parents high hopes that you will spend less time in front of screens and more time in the books. While watching shows and movies on your preferred streaming services might do the trick on your laptop, you can still have a movie night with roommates and friends with this smartphone projector.
Luckies of London's smartphone projector is compatible with iOS and Android and can fit any phone up to the size of 8 cm by 14.5 cm and 3.2 by 5.7 in, so it will fit your iPhone 6. It retails for just $21.99 on Amazon and comes with the cardboard and lens — all you need is the glue.
Misfit Bolt Smart Bulb
Now that you have the entertainment covered, you might want to decorate your dorm room with colors that reflect your personality. However, it's not like your school is going to let you paint your walls, and you may already have too many posters and photos hanging on your wall. Misfit's Bolt wireless smart bulbs will let you set the mood with lightscapes that can be controlled right from your smartphone when using the accompanying app.
The smart bulb has over a million different colors, with the ability to simulate sunrise, making running over to class in the early morning a little less stressful. The Misfit Bolt retails for $49.99 — not bad at all for a smart bulb, especially if you spilt the cost with a roommate — and will soon be able to be controlled using the Misfit Flash wearable.
Impecca PowerIt Portable Charger
Every student's worst nightmare is having their mobile devices turn off because of low battery while they are in a three-hour lecture class. Who knows, you might actually have been taking notes on your tablet. Now, you can charge your tablet and smartphone at the same time when using the PowerIt Portable Charger from Impecca.
Equipped with a dual USB output, the user can charge two devices simultaneously, providing 10,200 mAh of power when devices are connected to the detachable microUSB cable. The PowerIt Portable Charger retails for $59.99.
Sony PSP go
If you aren't planning to dorm this semester, then you might be facing long and tiresome commute to your college. While your bus or train ride probably seems like the best time to get last-minute assignments completed or study for that test, you may already feel prepared for class and need another way to kill the time.
Enter Sony's PSP go, the latest portable gaming console that has a 3.8-in. LCD display screen, slide-out controls, built-in Wi-Fi and 16 GB of memory so that you can download all the games you please via the PlayStation Store. However, the PSP go won't be released until October 1. Still, you can start saving now since its retail price will cost you $249.
Jamstik+
Music lovers don't have to regret leaving their guitar at home thanks to this smart guitar gadget that teaches you how to play and allows experienced musicians to use it as MIDI controller while on-the-go. The Jamtik+ connects to your smartphone via BLE technology and has finger-tracking sensors to monitor your chords in the app. The device doesn't create sound (only when your headphones are connected to your phone), perfect for when your roommate is up late studying. It weights only one pound and is 16.4 by 3.5 by 1.8, making it ultra-portable.
The Jamstik+ retails for $329.99.
Samsung USB Flash Drives
Between saving notes, papers and powerpoint presentations — along with new music and movies — students are also in need of some internal memory. Samsung recently announced a new family of USB Flash Drives that come with a five-year warranty.
The new line comes in three different forms: the Bar, FIT and DUO, which are both durable and have a subtle key ring so you won't lose them. The FIT option is the most compact USB, perfect for those with slim notebooks, and DUO is designed for smartphone and tablet users.
The USB devices come in 16 GB (only the Bar), 32 GB and 64 GB options, allowing users to download a 2.4 GB video in HD or save up to 40 hours of music to the device in less than 20 seconds. The 64 GB Bar and 64 GB FIT drives both retail for $49.99, with the 32 GB costing only $24.99 and $29.99 respectively.
HP Envy 4500 e-All-In-One-Printer
Probably the most annoying thing about getting assignments done is going to the library of e-cafe to get things printed. Hook your room/study space up with this all-in-one printer, copier and scanner from HP.
The HP Envy 4500 combines all these functions into one sleek device and is wireless so you don't have to worry about the messy cables. Users can also print right from their smartphone or tablet. The printer retails for $59.98, and for an additional $2.99, students can sign up for the HP Instant Ink service that orders ink when it detects its running low, so you never have to worry about running to the library when printing your essays.
Adonit's Jot Script 2 Evernote Edition
Are you that student who never comes to class with a pen? Ditch taking notes the old-fashioned way and bring your tablet to class, using Adonit's Jolt Script 2 Evernote Edition to jot down everything you need to know for that exam. This stylus comes with six months of Evernote Premium, allowing the student to access offline notes and the ability to attach PDFs and scan business cards from all the connections you meet at the career fair.
The Jolt Script 2 has Pixelpoint technology for smooth and fast note-taking, with a tip that resembles a ballpoint pen. It has a battery life of up to 20 hours and is compatible with many note-taking and illustrating apps. The stylus retails for $74.99 on the Abonit website.
Photo: Ryan Tyler Smith | Flickr
