New Age devices

As the pace of technological change rules us, here’s a look at some of the gadgets for the uber cool.

ArduinoUnoR3

One can, with a degree of certainty, claim that most Indian kids have listened to the tales of how their parents walked to school/college carrying their small school bag. Over the years, times have changed and we now see gadget-toting teenagers. Capitalising on this young market of school and college-going generation are electronics companies that are coming up with uber cool gadgets. After mapping the youth of today, these companies have brought out an aid to help them with every activity that marks their day.

The Consumer Electronics show (CES), held at Las Vegas this year, gave us a glimpse of so many more bizarre, innovative and ground-breaking devices meant solely for students. While these ranged from 3D printers to smart watches, full body suits with motion sensors to crazy cat ears that are controlled by your brain — what we can say for sure is that we all grudgingly wish we could go back to school once again, in today’s times.

Be it studies or social media, travel or portability — the youth’s requirements are matched by a new-age device. Let’s take a look at some of the cool gadgets for the Gen Next:

Time to wake up: Getting up on time has been one of the greatest obstacles students face. Products like the iLuv Vibro I Bed Shaker Alarm Clock cum Speaker Dock come in handy. It gently vibrates on the bed or pillow to shake one awake and also plays music to put one to sleep. For the younger generation that still loves retro styles and old-world themes, the Can You Imagine I Classic Phone Alarm may do just the task of waking one up, albeit classically!

Stream study : Group studies become interactive, and presentations, surprisingly fun, with media-streaming devices like the Google Chromecast and the Roku. All one has to do is simply stream the media on to a Smart TV using this dongle and after the frenetic study, indulge in a film or two.

Read anywhere: Another device that has been extremely popular among the young ones is the e-reader. For the on-the-move generation, the all-New Kindle Paperwhite is a blessing. They can just tuck in the e-reader into their bag and carry on. Of course, it is an entirely different matter that colleges may take a hint and email the syllabus ‘for your convenience’!

Scan on the go : Another device in this league is the portable document scanner. No more painstakingly long hours photocopying reference books in dark dingy libraries. Students can simply use devices like the Doxie Flip-Cordless Flatbed photo and notebook scanner to get their notes sorted.

A really smart pen: Better yet, one can take all their notes using a Smartpen like the LiveScribe and then simply transfer it on to their tablet or computer.

Listen and learn : Although we might get thwacked for this suggestion, for all the real lazy ones, Coby and Olympus have come with excellent voice recorders. Simply record all the lectures and play them again before the exams.

Work on it: For the college student hailing from the geek zone, the industry is bursting with everything from mind control to mobile gaming devices. But what has caught the attention of the youth are microcontroller boards such as the Arduino Uno R3 with which they could develop anything from an LED lamp to a computer and more! Now isn’t this a better way to spend time than liking posts on Facebook?

Don’t miss a charge : Speaking about Facebook, social networking leaves most smartphone batteries dead. And when one ends up missing that all-important call from home, what results are panic attacks and grounded weekends! To avoid this heart-wrenching situation, smart students invest in a USB battery charger (LimeFuel and FluxMob BOLT are some really good ones.) Plug it in and reawaken the phone, and your weekend, of course.

Cool it: Endless hours on the computer may result in that terribly expensive laptop heating up and creating a lot of hiccups. Almost every student now deems it a must to own a laptop cooler like the ThermaPAK’s HeatShift so that the software functions normally and the hardware doesn’t get supernova hot!

Store more : While on the topic of supernovas, with the explosion of media, no amount of storage seems enough — be it on the phone or on the computer. That is when technology steps in with cable-free portable storage that you can plug into your mobile phones and laptops like the Leef Bridge.

For those who want to share data wirelessly with friends — whether it is class notes or the latest Game of Thrones episode (or Sherlock, or True Detective...) — investing in a Maxell AirStash Wireless Flash Drive is a great idea!

The writer is co-founder of ShopYourWorld.