When it comes to studying, students need all the help they can get. Whether you’re doing a part-time course or a full-time degree, we’ve rounded up some handy gadgets for students heading back to university that can help lighten the load a bit and give you a bit of a boost in an area you may need help with.
A tablet keyboard
While touch-screen devices have revolutionised the way we type, sometimes a good old fashion keyboard can’t be beaten. A smart tablet device is an essential gadget for any student and a tablet keyboard is an ideal way to turn your touchscreen device into a high-functioning tool for doing work on-the-go.
We love the Kanex EasySync Keyboard. It is compatible with iOS, Android, Windows, and almost any Bluetooth 3.0-enabled smartphone, so you can type up your notes instead of having hundreds of loose pages or typo-ridden notes on your smartphone. It also comes with a stand that supports up to a 9-inch tablet, and its internal battery can last up to two months on a single charge.
A portable hard drive
Safety and security for your work are paramount, especially if you’re a post-grad student with a mass of research for a thesis, or a graphic design student with a portfolio filled with colossal-sized images or videos. Losing this important data is not an option, so having a backup hard drive in addition to your cloud storage copies is a necessity.
This Seagate 1TB expansion hard drive is one of the most compact portable hard drive options available. Rather than run the risk of damage or theft (which means goodbye to your valuable academic content), take the safe route and keep a backup of all the essentials. It even includes 200GB of cloud storage for 2 years with OneDrive – so that even your backup has a backup!
A power bank
As smartphone displays have boomed in size, so has their thirst for battery. As a result, and considering most students spend long days (or nights) on campus, having a power bank is now a must. The Sense4 power bank is a lightweight, 10400mAh power bank with a high capacity charge that will give you that much-needed access to extra power on-the-go. On top of its impressive capabilities, it even has a second USB port so charging two devices simultaneously wouldn’t be a problem.
A good backpack
It’s the new year, and if you’re heading back to campus, make sure you do it in style with a durable, functional, and versatile backpack. Commuting to campus will be so much easier with the Thule Indago Backpack 23L. Designed specifically for students and constructed with recycled materials, this environmentally friendly design has you covered from the classroom to weekend events. Choose from stunning colours that include black, blackest purple, olive, and Aegean blue.
All the boxes are ticked as you can keep your laptop protected in the elevated padded pocket, store folders and textbooks in the large main compartment and keep pens secure and easy to locate in the zipped interior pocket. The two side pockets also make it easy to access water bottles, power cords, and other accessories. Custom details include interior lining with a printed geometric pattern, tri-coloured cord puller accent, and an embossed pattern on the shoulder strap and handle.
A new laptop
One of the most important tools for any university student is a good laptop. Of course, laptops don’t come cheap and most students don’t have a limited budget when it comes to shopping for university supplies.
When looking to buy a laptop for varsity you don’t necessarily have to worry about getting a powerful machine with the latest processor and a huge amount of RAM as you would if you were looking to buy say a gaming laptop or a laptop for more technical design or computer programming work.
That being said, you will need to make sure the laptop you choose has good enough specifications to run smoothly and offers all the ports and media connections necessary for your study needs. Most students will do just fine with a laptop that has at least 4GB of RAM and 3 or more USB ports. If you’re hoping to store larger files on your laptop you will also need to consider buying a machine with sufficient storage space and anything with a 250GB hard drive should give you the capability to store documents, videos, and any other software you might need on your computer.
