The New and Awesome Gadgets for Students
The little things can get you when you’re in college. You arrive fresh and ready to go on Campus, but before you know it, you’re in the new semester for a few weeks and you have a long list of little things that you forgot to pack. You can also think of discreet objects that could make a big difference in the way you work and play at school. To keep them from catching up, we’ve rounded up the best Gadgets for the school so you can cross the most important ones of your List before you even get on Campus.
The Echo Dot is Amazon’s most popular smart speaker for a good reason: it’s small, sounds pretty good for its size, and can play a lot more than just music. Students will appreciate the fact that it does not take up much space on their desks and that they can ask Alexa to play music from Spotify, Apple Music, and other services whenever they want to organize a spontaneous dance party in the dorm. And since it plugs into a wall outlet, you’ll never have to think about powering The Echo Dot like you would a portable speaker. If a task surprises them, students can ask Alexa for help. Do we suggest that you ask Alexa for the answers to all your homework? Not exactly, but at least it will be fun to see how much the voice assistant actually knows about a particular topic.
If you are a student, there is nothing worse than realizing that your iPhone has only 2% of battery left in the middle of a long day of classes, extracurricular activities, and learning sessions. The powered cable that came with your phone probably served you well, but with a second, longer cable, you can turn it on in difficult situations, even if the nearest outlet is in the room. We’ve been fans of Anker’s Powerline Series for quite some time, and this 10-foot USB-C to Lightning cable is worth the investment. Not only is it MFi certified, so it works well with all Apple devices, but its length gives you much more flexibility than your standard three-foot cable. It also supports fast power if you have a suitable adapter to use it. And for those who don’t have iPhones, Anker has a 10-foot USB-C to-C cable that should also serve their phones.
Staying organized is the key to staying healthy at school, and this applies to your digital and body fundamentals. For the latter, Incase’s Bionic Accessory Organizer is just the right size to work as both a pencil cover and an “everything else” bag. It has a number of pen loops inside for those who want to take handwritten notes, but it also has a number of pockets of different sizes to accommodate things like your portable hard drive, an extra phone charger and even a compact wireless mouse. And unlike the inexpensive pencil covers you’ll find in the Dollar store, this one is made from recycled materials, which is equivalent to seven plastic bottles.
Lention 4-in-1 USB-C Hub
Your brand new laptop may be lightning fast and super light, but it probably doesn’t have as many ports as you’d like. This is the compromise that companies make when they develop powerful, thin and light machines that leave us stuck in everyday life. But it doesn’t have to be so painful if you get the right adapter. The 4-in-1 USB-C Hub from Lention is a great option for students. It is compact, measures 3 x 1.4 inches and has three USB-A ports and one USB-C port. This should allow you to connect accessories such as mice and keyboards and even access files on a USB flash drive when working on a group project. The USB-C port is just for powered, but that’s not necessarily a disadvantage – You can use it with your laptop’s power adapter and USB-C cable to power your device while using the adapter at the same time
Anker 335 Power Strip
You don’t realize how much you need a power strip until it’s too after. You have used all the electrical outlets available in your small dormitory and you may have even convinced your roommate to give up one of his precious sockets. And yet, this is still not enough, and you are forced to exchange plugs when you need to turn on different devices. Instead of succumbing to this lifestyle, a power strip and a surge protector like Anker 335 will be more than enough. It has six built-in sockets as well as a 6.6-foot-long cable that allows you to connect it to a power outlet. With such a long cable, you can wrap the power strip around the furniture and place it in the best place in your room where you can create a base for all your equipment. We also appreciate the integration of two USB-A ports and a USB-C port that can provide up to 30 W of power, which is enough to quickly charge your phone or tablet before your next class.
Logitech M350 Pebble Mouse
You may be used to using your laptop’s keyboard and Trackpad for everything, but you can improve your ergonomic situation with a mouse like Logitech’s Pebble. There are tons of wireless mice out there, but we like the Pebble for students because of its compact, colorful design and quiet nature. The oval device can be placed in a back pocket if necessary and has an ambidextrous design that is suitable for both left-handed and right-handed people. Its clicks are quite subtle, so that its use does not distract other students from the library, and it can connect to your laptop via Bluetooth or via the supplied USB receiver. But the best part is probably the AA battery -it provides enough juice for the mouse to work for 18 months, so you don’t have to think about powered it.
Logitech K380 Bluetooth Keyboard
If you want to complete the ergonomic step, the Logitech K380 wireless keyboard is a good Option. While students probably use it most often with their laptops, this keyboard can be connected to three devices at the same time and switch between them at the touch of a button. This means that you can go from writing a domestic job on your laptops to answering text messages on your phone without lifting your finger from the keyboard. The K380 also works with most operating systems, so you can use this keyboard even if you switch from a Chromebook to a Windows laptop or a higher-quality MacBook. We also like the fact that it runs on two AAA batteries, which allows a lifespan of up to two years before replacement is necessary.
1Password Premium Subscription
Students find it quite difficult to remember weekly classes, deadlines, exam dates, etc. when they are at school, so it is a welcome gift to give them the ability to easily access credentials for all their online accounts. A subscription to 1Password prevents you from making a mistake by logging into student portals, personal accounts and much more. All you have to do is remember a master password, and that gives you access to all your other credentials. 1Password’s browser extensions even automatically enter the correct usernames and passwords for the websites you are trying to access, and if the software detects a weak password in your vault, it suggests ways to make it stronger.
Sundance Laptop Stand
It’s all too easy for students to lean over their laptops for hours while they study, but a laptop stand can help them avoid body pain on all levels. We like the one from Soundance because it lifts your machine’s screen to eye level, making it less likely to spend your days in a body meltdown. It has a removable Design, so you can quickly disassemble it and put it in a bag if you want to take it to your next study session. In this sense, this stand supports laptops from 10 to 15 inches, so it will probably work with the laptop that you have now and that you will switch to in the future.