The Future Of School Is Now–Cool Things For Higher Learning

Perhaps you were like me: all giddy with the anticipation of the first day of school, savoring the sweet smell of fresh paper and looking forward to using the mini-stapler for the first time. No?

Whether you’re giddy or not, going back to school continues to be a tradition of new gadgets to fill your backpack. There’s still a notebook in there, but the newest ones have keys and not coils.

Over the past year, I’ve come across a handful of cool things that would totally be in my school bag should I be hitting the books in the coming weeks. There are still pencils, but these aren’t your father’s HB2s. Read on, and let me know if my backpack is cool or needs a bit more awesome.

GRID-IT! Organizer ($20-$30)

These flat organizers from Cocoon have intrigued me since I ran into them at CES earlier this year. The unique grid of rubberized straps (akin to hair bands) is a versatile and functional way to keep a wide range of stuff from collecting in a cluttered mass at the bottom of your locker. Just choose your own configuration for strapping in gadgets, wires, pens, mice (or whatever you want) and you’ve got a storage system that’s practically custom-made.

The version pictured here is one of my favourites for school–a reinforced, three-hole GRID-IT! that fits nicely into your binder. And the colour (black and pink are also available) doesn’t hurt either. It snugly held onto my iPhone, iPod, a mouse, pens and cords without letting anything fly loose during transport.

And even if you’re not going back to school, Cocoon’s wide catalog of organizers and bags do make for very funky and versatile transport solutions, many of them featuring the GRID-IT! feature. I still use a small sample GRID-IT! (procured at CES) for travel to keep all our cords in one tidy location in the suitcase.

[Cocoon]

Cherrypal Bing ($389)

There’s a lot of good discussion about what type of laptop or netbook you should have for school. To be honest, this depends on a combination of personal brand preference (Mac, PC or Google), the type of work you will be doing with it, how heavy it should be, how long you want to have it and any number of other issues that are important to you. For me, I’d like something that lasts for at least a few years, can be my main computer, that’s portable and that can handle taking notes, building slide shows and even a bit of video editing.

Since I’ve come across the lesser-known Cherrypal Bing, I think this can be that computer. Built by a company with a slogan of “green computing for everyone”, the Windows-powered Bing is something I can get behind. A 13.3″, 1280×800 widescreen display makes it a computer I can work on into the wee small hours and it’s a speedy little thing with 1.6GHz operation and 1GB of RAM. Plus, it’s super-thin at 3/4 of an inch and weighs just three pounds. And for the enviro-fans out there it’s nicely energy efficient being able to run five hours on a single charge.

I’d definitely give this laptop a second look if I were in the market for a school laptop.

[Cherrypal]

Rogers Rocket Mobile HotSpot [aka Novatel MiFi 2372]
(Free with 3-year contract, $250 without contract)

Most schools nowadays provide WiFi for their students–laptops need web access and instructors want to put restrictions on it where they can. So, in many cases, you should be safe with all your WiFi-enabled gadgetry. But what if your school isn’t so helpful or you’re out of a WiFi zone or the WiFi just plain sucks? Yeah, it’s time to make your own.

There area lot of good wireless Internet devices out there now from full out hubs to sticks to embedded laptops, but if you don’t have something like those and you’re looking to provide WiFi of your own to a growing number for wireless devices, I’d suggest the Novatel MiFi (which we’ve already reviewed).

This gadget lets you connect up to five devices via the WiFi network it creates without having to be connected to anything. It’s just the size of a wallet and should pump out the Internets for 3.5 hours on a single charge. I think it’s perfect for an off-site study group or simply enabling all your web devices in one room. (Note: the original version we tested wouldn’t let you connect to WiFi while charging, but the latest versions does.)

[Rocket Mobile Hotspot]

Scosche flipSYNC ($19.99)

So you have a handful of gadgets on you but you’re not interested in carrying around their charging cables? This is where the rather affordable flipSYNC comes in handy.

It is essentially a super-portable USB 2.0 charge and sync cable that fits nicely on your keychain. There’s not much to it other than the USB plug with a micro and mini USB connection to go in many of the gadgets you’re likely to have. This one here won’t fit your iPhone, but it work with a number of MP3 players, smartphones and cameras. Scorsche also makes one that’s specifically friendly for iPod and iPhone, though.

[Scorsche]

Sharpie Liquid Pencil ($1.99)

I told you there are still pencils in my backpack. The new liquid pencil that hits stores in September makes me happy (perhaps unnaturally so) to have a writing implement that bridges the gap between pen and pencil.

The pencil uses “ink” made of liquid graphite. Once you write on a piece of paper you will have three days to decide if you want to make any changes. After that it becomes “permanent”. Not as permanent as actual pen on paper, but much more permanent than normal erasable pencil.

Thanks to this little innovation, I’ll never buy a mechanical pencil again. I may still pick up a classic yellow HB2, but that would only happen in a fit of nostalgia.

[Sharpie Blog]

Inkless Metal Pen ($27.95)

But wait: there’s also another fancy new writing implement on the block. The Inkless Metal Pen’s “ink” is a solid metal alloy tip, and, like the solid graphite in pencils, it deposits tiny amounts of itself on the paper as the pen is moved over paper.

But the trick to the metal pen is that, while the silvery markings might look like pencil, they are automatically permanent and smudge proof. And the makers of the pen claim it will last a “lifetime” without needing sharpening. Not a bad little tool to have handy while taking notes the old fashioned way.

[Vat19]

iPad Apps (variable prices)

I’m not going to suggest you get yourself an iPad for school for a couple of reasons: it’s not as functional as a laptop to meet all your school needs and it’s somewhat expensive if you’re concerned about a budget. That said, should you have an iPad in your arsenal (which would be cool and fun) and you’re looking to set it up with some great apps for school, let me suggest the following:

HelvetiNote
Price: $2.99

HelvetiNote makes taking notes in lectures a breeze with its clean and intuitive interface. The built-in drawing and erase tools let you sketch in graphs and diagrams alongside or on top of your notes in real time, and the hierarchical organization systems makes searching through your notes a snap.

PrintCentral For iPad
Price: $9.99

PrintCentral lets you print all those last minute papers right from you iPad using any Mac or PC printer, either through a USB connection or WiFi. The app can open and print files within other apps, such as Keynote, Numbers and Pages, as well as documents stored online like in your Google Docs or DropBox.

Adobe Ideas
Price: Free

Sometimes the easiest way to convey your idea is through a sketch. Adobe has created a sketchpad app with virtually all the functionality and flexibility of its other products. After you’re finished sketching out your idea with your fingers, you can export your work as a PDR or vector illustration. Perfect for group assignments.

iStudiez Pro
Price: $2.99

Life as a student means rushing from one class or deadline to another. iStudiez Pro is a calendar/organizer designed specifically for students. This one app will keep track of your class schedule, organizes contact information for classmates and professors, and sends reminders for when assignments are due–all to make studying manageable.