I can remember college like it was yesterday. The thrill of higher
learning, the taste of jerky, the smell of bong water, and the
sound of my 56k modem desperately clawing onto the internet.
In this Top 5, we�re counting down the best Back to School tech
gifts, any one of which would have seemed like a miracle when I
went to school.
Starting off at #5: an all-in-one printer. There�s nothing cool
about it, but you just gotta do it. CNET�s top pick is this $80
Epson that can also work as a scanner. Your kid may groan
when they get this, but it�ll save their hide when they�re printing a
term paper at 4am.
#4: get them a real camera. If you don�t, their college memories
will be nothing more than a series of Instagram pics scattered
across Facebook. Our top pick here is the Canon EOS Rebel
T3i. It�s so good, they�ll be earning art credits in their sleep.
{maybe a pic of college kid passed out on the couch}
At #3: give them some mindless entertainment. I know it sounds
counterproductive, but if you want your kid to skip the kegger,
give them a good reason to stay in. At minimum, send them off
with a $60 Roku HD. But if you want maximum vegetation, try
this 50-inch Editors� Choice Panasonic TV and seal the deal with
a Sony PS3 Slim.
Of course, all the real work they�ll be doing is going to be on a
computer, which slides in here at #2. If they already have one
they�re comfortable with, you could throw in an iPad for a little
extra ammunition. But if they need a serious upgrade, the Dell
Inspiron 14z is our top choice for students.
Now before we get to our #1 back to school tech gift, here�s a gift
worth holding off on -- an iPhone. All the rumors are pointing to a
new model coming out in the Fall, which is sure to make the
current iPhone feel very uncool.
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That being said, having a smartphone on campus these days is
so essential that it tops our list at #1. Even if they�re dead set on
getting the new iPhone 5 when it comes out, you need to send
them off something.
Our top pick for students is the Droid Razr Maxx. It has the
battery life to keep up with all-day use and a Kevlar design that�s
very forgiving.
For CNET�s full list of Back to School gift ideas check out
grads.CNET.com, where you�ll find gift ideas for any budget. And
for more Top 5�s like this, try Top5.CNET.com. I�m Donald Bell,
thanks for watching.
