Another new year, another back-to-school tech column.
For those new to the paper, welcome. I'm The Towerlight's resident nerd (well, at least the nerd who writes the column).
Every week I discuss a popular issue in technology or video games or whatever happens to grind my gears at the moment.
This week, I dug up some pretty awesome gadgets to make this semester a little easier.
One of my biggest problems when readjusting my biological clock for 9 a.m. classes is simply getting up in the morning. I just lazily flip open my cell phone, get it to stop blasting Rick Astley in my ear, drop back into bed, and wake up an hour later wondering what I was thinking.
Not with Clocky ($50, nandahome.com). This alarm clock on wheels runs off and hides when it goes off, forcing its owner to track it down to shut off the alarm. Genius.
If you hate lugging around metric tons of books from class to class, Amazon.com's Kindle ($359) might be for you. The Kindle unlocks a library of more than 160,000 e-books. It boasts a sharp display, wireless connectivity over EV-DO (basically, the cell-phone network), all sorts of free blogs and newspapers, and will basically be your best friend.
Keep in mind, however, that while 160,000 sounds like a lot, your college textbook might not be on that list. Paper isn't obsolete just yet.
Another nerd's best friend is the Powermonkey ($50, thinkgeek.com). It's a portable rechargeable battery pack that can be used to recharge devices like cell phones, MP3 players, or handheld games on the go. In between classes, it's a great way to avoid being caught with a dead cell phone.
This isn't a necessity by any means, but get a Nintendo DS Lite ($130). Seriously. Besides being an awesome handheld with tons of great games out for it, there are some brain-training games out there like "Brain Age" to help re-sharpen skills after a long summer vacation.
At last check, the game told me my brain age was 40, so I clearly have some sharpening to do.
Remember to get a USB flash drive. It will make printing trips or other expeditions to Cook Library so much easier. Those can be picked up for very cheap at the University Store or pretty much anywhere these days.
And like last year, Apple is offering massive student discounts. In June, I picked up a new MacBook for $100 off that came with discounted AppleCare warranty service, rebates for $100 off a printer and $299 off an iPod Touch, and several hundred dollars off the already-discounted student price of Adobe Creative Suite. The iPod deal ends September 15, so if you need a new laptop, go for it.
Also, remember, most of Towson's campus (except for residence halls and the Center for the Arts) is covered in free Wi-Fi.
Use it. Love it. Just don't surf the Web in class - as tempting as reading my column online may be, your professor's lecture is more important and engaging.
At least I'd hope so.
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