Students are cash-poor, so anything that makes life easier and more organised is welcome. Our 2011 gift guide series continues with six choices for the student (or office organising fetishist) in your life.
Picture by James
BEST CHOICES
Kindle Keyboard 3G
Cost: $219
Where to get it: Big W
Why it’s a good choice: An ebook reader is a major boon if you’re studying. You may not be able to fit every textbook on it, but even if you only fit a handful, you’ll be massively reducing the amount of stuff you can carry. The top of the line Kindle model offers 3G downloads anywhere you are, and the keyboard is handy for note-taking and annotations.
Telstra Elite Pre-Paid Mobile Wi-Fi
Cost: $99 (hardware only)
Where to get it: Telstra
Why it’s a good choice: Sure, there’s Wi-Fi all over campus, but not when you venture further afield. A Wi-Fi hotspot makes sense as your main connection for a bunch of reasons: you can use it pretty much anywhere, it works on multiple devices, you can go for a prepaid option, and it lets you move house easily without ADSL reconnection hassles.
Apple Wireless Keyboard
Cost: $75
Where to get it: Apple
Why it’s a good choice: On its own, the iPad is an impressive content consumption device. Add a keyboard and you’ve got a great tool for taking notes in lectures, seminars or meetings. (I’d still advise using a computer when it comes to writing essays and the like, but the iPad wins out in the portability and battery life stakes). If your budget doesn’t stretch to the iPad itself, or your recipient already has one, this is a great addition.
BUDGET CHOICES
Belkin Conserve Valet
Cost: Around $50
Where to get it: Shop around online and offline
Why it’s a good choice: I love this product. If you need to charge multiple USB gadgets (and that’s not just the case for technology site editors these days), the Conserve Valet does a brilliant job. You can connect any device that uses a USB cable, and when it is fully charged, the Valet itself powers down. So as well as tidying your desk, it also cuts your power usage.
Signum Cable Trunking
Cost: $19.95
Where to get it: IKEA
Why it’s a good choice: Cable management is a topic we never tire of here at Lifehacker. IKEA’s Signum kit is a great way to keep your behind-desk clutter sorted, and it has other uses as well: you can also deploy it as a game controller holder.[imgclear]
Philosophy Laptop Bag
Cost: $19.95
Where to get it: Officeworks
Why it’s a good choice: You need somewhere to carry your laptop, and it doesn’t have to be dull black or beige. Really.
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