Ready, set, upload

Back-to-school gear-heads have plenty of options

Roger Fillion, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 13, 2007 at midnight

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Rocky Tech checked with experts and trolled the Internet to see what's cool - and practical - for preschool-through-college kids going back to class.

We came across everything from an alarm clock that requires a little extra effort if you don't get up quickly to a digital pen that speaks Spanish - not to mention a laptop and a calculator.

Still included in most students' must-have lists: iPods, MP3 players and cell phones. Wireless carriers and phone makers, in fact, have pulled out the stops with ads touting why the younger set needs the newest cell phones.

Jason Leist, sales manager at a Best Buy on South Colorado Boulevard in Denver, confirmed that iPods, MP3 players and cell phones are hot back-to-school items.

But we wondered what that gear had to do with learning?

"Right. Exactly," Leist said, a bit taken aback. "That's a great question."

That said, Leist did point us to a Hewlett-Packard laptop computer that's popular with college kids.

Robin Raskin, a Yahoo! Tech contributor, said now is a great time to buy a computer.

"You've never been able to buy so much processing power for so little money," said Raskin, noting that desktop computers go for as little as $400. Praising H-P and Dell laptops, she said to be prepared to spend $1,000.

Raskin suggested college students should check their school's Web site because colleges often recommend a specific manufacturer and minimum configuration for a computer.

The campus bookstore, she said, also might offer a heavily discounted price on computers.

For the 10-and-up crowd, Raskin liked Leapfrog's Fly Fusion high-tech pen. It uploads handwritten notes to a computer, making homework and assignments easier to organize or share.

It also translates Spanish to English and plays an album's worth of music.

Raskin also recommended the V.Smile TV Learning System, an educational gaming system for preschoolers and kindergartners.

Noting that college students these days turn in homework in the form of Web sites, DVDs and you name it, Raskin singled out a simple-to-use camcorder known as the Flip Video.

Shopping for school items isn't cheap. According to a recent National Retail Federation survey, families with school-age children are expected to spend $563.49 on back-to-school merchandise, up 6.9 percent from last year's $527.08 average.

Electronics are forecast to post the biggest gain in sales this year, with families spending 13 percent more on electronics than last year - $129.24 vs. $114.38.

With that in mind, happy shopping.

H-P Pavilion dv2500t series notebook

Hewlett-Packard bills this for "students who want high-performance computing and digital entertainment." It has a 14.1-inch screen and up to 2 megabytes of memory. The 5 1/2-pound computer will handle DVD movies, music, photos, video and, we're guessing, term papers.

Price: Starting at $1,099

Web site: hp.com

Clocky

This alarm clock is for anybody who can't wake up. When the alarm sounds, Clocky also will beep. You get one chance to snooze. If you don't get up the second time, Clocky will beep and scram. Clocky is designed to jump up to 3 feet. It will work on wood and carpeting. Not recommended for thick carpeting.

Price: $49.99

Web site: nandahome.com

Flip Video

For the aspiring filmmaker. Robin Raskin of Yahoo! Tech recommended this pocket-size camcorder, saying it's simple to use. The Flip Video can be hooked up to your computer for speedy viewing of your video. Built-in software is designed to allow you to share your work instantly. You also can edit your video.

Price: Starting at $119.99

Web site: theflip.com

Fly Fusion Pentop Computer

Here's a high-tech pen for ages 10 and up. Using special "Fly" paper, you can upload written notes and drafts to a computer. There, they can be put on Microsoft Word or e-mail. A translator allows you to write certain words in English; the pen will say them in Spanish and spell them. Has built-in MP3 player and calculator.

Price: $79.99

Web site: flyworld.com

V.Smile TV Learning System

This educational gaming system is intended for ages 3 to 6. The console is designed to help kids learn numbers, letters, shapes and music. It comes with a joystick for gaming and navigating, a microphone for sing-alongs and a writing stylus for learning to write. Separate software features characters such as Elmo and Shrek.

Price: $49.99

Web site: vtechkids.com

TI-84 Plus Silver Edition

Best Buy's Jason Leist put in a plug for Texas Instruments' various calculators. TI says this one is geared for middle school and high school math. It comes loaded with 20 software programs, including college entrance exam test prep questions and software for algebra, geometry, biology, chemistry and physics.

Price: $139.99

Web site: ti.com

fillionr@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2467

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