Must-Have Gadgets for Dorm Living
Aug. 13, 2005 — -- When college students move into the dorms over the next few weeks, they'll bring the usual stuff -- alarm clocks, dictionaries and family photos.
But to make their lives easier -- and to look cool -- they've got to have the latest gadgets.
Rob Bernstein, deputy editor of Syncmagazine, showed "GMA Weekend" the must-have items that should be on every student's packing list:
Altec Lansing InMotion IM-7, $249.95
These days, boom boxes are out and iPods are in. But with iPods, you can't share the musical experience, which is where the Altec Lansing InMotion IM-7 comes in. There are lots of digital home stereos on the market, but we like this one because it runs on batteries. That makes it portable, which means students can take it to the quad and chill out. Plus, the sound is great and so is the price, compared to others on the market.
Oregon Scientific Hip & Cool Projection Alarm Clock, $49.95
Students don't want to bring an alarm clock that looks like it belonged to grandma. This high-tech alarm clock has lasers built in, so it projects the time onto the wall or ceiling. Tired students don't even have to get out of bed to find out the time. Also, this clock always has the right time because it's set to the U.S. atomic clock. And, it has great radio reception.
Melitta Take 2 Coffee Maker, $19.99
There's no point wasting precious dorm-room space on a messy, traditional-sized coffee maker that will make more coffee than you need. The Melitta Take Two coffee maker brews directly into one 14-ounce stainless steel travel mug or two (for your roommate). It offers auto shut-off after brewing, a great safety feature. You'll save a lot of money making your own coffee instead of buying it at Starbucks.
Franklin Speaking 11th Collegiate Dictionary, $85.49
Forget dragging around a big dictionary. The Franklin Speaking 11th Collegiate Dictionary condenses a 200,000-word dictionary and a 500,000-synonym thesaurus into a portable unit that students can bring to the library or study groups. Disks with foreign languages also are available.
Ceiva Digital Picture Frame, $119.95
It looks like a regular picture frame, but it holds up to 30 digital photos and displays them as a slideshow on an LCD screen. The frame hooks up to the Internet directly through the phone line, so mom and dad can download a new picture for you.
Toshiba Portege M200 Tablet, $2,012.95
Laptops are great, but if it's for something that's more like a notebook, check out the Toshiba Portege M200 Tablet. The screen swivels so that it becomes more like a book. You can type your notes, or using a stylus, write directly on the screen. It has WiFi.