Essential Student Gadgets
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 by KatAcross the country, freshers are packing up textbooks, gap year souvenirs and enough clothes so they won’t have to do any laundry til Christmas. If you - or your son or daughter - is in this situation, be sure to leave enough room in the car for the electronic kit that’s indispensible to student life. You’ll need a laptop and a kettle, of course, but it’s the other stuff that will really make your time at Uni.
Here is our list of the top 5 gadgets you can’t do without:
iPod/MP3 Player Speakers
There isn’t enough room in most halls of residence for a big hi-fi system, but a set of iPod speakers will fit in perfectly. An added advantage is that any visitors can plug in their mp3 player, and most ipod speakers are small enough to move around - perfect for parties.
There are options to suit any budget, but the pick of the crop are the Sony SRSGU10P, from £55, rated at 9.6/10 by people who actually own it, and the top-of-the-range Bose SoundDock, rated 9.2/10 and costing £128 upwards.
Digital Camera
Whether it’s for recording your best memories or working out what you did last night, a digital camera is essential. Ideal student cameras are small enough to fit in a pocket, with a flash and good battery life. Remember that megapixel count isn’t everything - see our Digital Cameras Buyers’ Guide for an in-depth guide to getting the best camera for you.
Nintendo Wii
It’s very important not to overwork yourself during your first few weeks at Uni - or for the rest of the time. The energetic games are almost as good as going to the gym (especially if you get the Wii Fit as well) and will come in handy breaking the ice with your neighbours in halls.
Memory Stick
As surprising as it seems, students are required to do some work. Make this part of student life as painfree as possible with a large-capacity USB stick - 2GB should be enough for all your notes and essays. Not only can you keep all your work to hand, but this also acts as a back-up if anything ever happens to your computer. Keep your work doubly-safe by backing it up online with a free service like Google Docs or Dropbox.
Insurance
Once you’ve bought the gadgets you want to take to uni, be sure that you’ll still be able to bring them home by buying some insurance. Student accommodation is frequently a target for opportunistic burglars - and most students don’t have enough available money to replace a broken laptop or a lost mp3 player. The National Union of Students recommends Endsleigh Insurance, whose special students contents insurance covers laptops, phones and other gadgets as well as everything from your bike to your winter coat. It even covers your possessions on the journey to Uni and when you leave them in your student accommodation over the holidays.
Learn how to cook with Cooking Mama - refer back to point 1 after use
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