8 Back to school tech gadgets you need
The student in your life will be back to school soon if they aren’t already. Here’s a lists of eight great gadgets from Steve Greenberg, Gadget Nation author, to help them make the most of this school year whether they’re studying at school or at home.
The Soluna Light Alarm Clock from La Crosse Technology — ensures there’s a glow for every day and every mood with a variety of light settings. Choose to illuminate your room with your favorite color or pick one of the vibrant color gradients. If you find it’s hard to choose you can set the clock to cycle through all the color options. This slim profile alarm clock offers all the features of a traditional alarm clock, but also with the added settings you can use Comfort Mode to achieve an ideal sleeping environment, if you are looking to unwind and relax use the Guided Breathing Mode or the Morning and Evening Modes to stimulate the rise and fall of the sun to help you reset your natural circadian rhythm to wake up feeling recharged. $32.99 www.costco.com
Portable Laptop Stand & Lap Desk — Get the perfect working position in any seat with an ergonomic portable laptop desk. It’s height and tilt adjustable to suit standing, sitting, or even lounging with a laptop without causing unwanted neck and back strain. It can extend up to 18 inches high and collapses flat. Bonus—the aluminum panel naturally helps keep a laptop cool. $39.95
EarFun Air True Wireless Earbuds — have all the best features of the other leading wireless earbuds—but EarFun is about one-third the price. EarFun has the LONGEST battery life and 4 microphones with noise-cancelling top-quality sound and perfect for hands-free calls. Other features include Bluetooth 5.0 Earbuds Touch Control, USB-C Quick Charge with Wireless Charging, Deep Bass, in-Ear Detection Headphones, 35H Playtime, and IPX7 Waterproof (“Sweatshield technology” makes EarFun perfect for exercising). If you’re running low on battery, they fast charge for two hours of playtime in just 10-minutes. When fully charged, they offer 7 hours of playtime and 28 hours of battery life the charging case. Wirelessly charge them or plug via a USBC, use Google Assistant or Siri voice control, and enjoy simple touch control. Furthermore you can use one earbud at a time if you prefer, and they offer all-in-one volume control. With a secure and ergonomic fit, they’ll be comfortable for hours. EarFun Air has been honored with the CES 2020 Innovation Award. On Amazon, EarFun is only $59.99 — BUT if you use the coupon on the site it’s only $49.99. You can check it out at:
The 10 Device Desktop Surge Protector — This is another great item for “back to school – from home” this is the power/charging station with surge protection that supplies power to 10 devices via six AC outlets and four 4.8-amp USB ports. It simultaneously supplies power to desk lamps, computers, and alarm clocks, while recharging smartphones, tablets, and other electronic devices, all while keeping your existing power cords off the floor. It has a unique C-shaped design enables it to clip around cubical walls or table/desk edges and EMI/RFI noise filtration that prevents interference from electronic devices. With a 15-amp capacity and a surge protection rating of 1080 joules for its six AC outlets. $79.95
Stasher Silicone Bags — These reusable silicone bags cuts down on waste by replacing throwaway plastic baggies. Each is completely plastic-free, and seals up to keep food fresh. Eco-friendly, too, the bag is lunch box-ready, and can go from the pantry into the freezer, microwave, or dishwasher without worry. Silicone is free of PRC, BPA, phthalates, byproduct, and latex. $11.95.
Insta Studio from WeCool Toys — Thanks to smartphones, our children have become video mavens, but as more and more kids begin to emulate their favorite YouTube creators, they need and want to learn how to make the best videos possible. That’s where the Insta Studio from WeCool Toys comes in. The new Insta Studio has everything that future YouTube stars need to learn how to easily shoot quality tabletop demo/tutorial videos and hand-free videos right at home. Equipped with an adjustable base and rotating head to record at the best angle possible, this device allows kids of all ages to shoot viral videos hands free using their very own smart phone. The best part is, kids can use their Insta Studio to shoot all types of viral videos. From cooking, crafting, and sliming, the possibilities are endless and so are the endless hours of entertainment. It’s also an excellent tool to help with virtual learning on a smartphone. At only $19.99, parents love the price point. Rather than spending a lot of money on professional equipment, the Insta Studio allows kids to enjoy all the perks of high-end equipment at a fraction of the price. The Insta Studio includes fun and trendy backgrounds, mixing tools, various slimy compounds, and sparkly mix ins. Perfect for kids as young as 4 years old and up and available at Target.com.
Learning Resources — has put together a selection of pre-school and kindergarten supportive learning toys that will be a great addition to home schooling or e-learning. Designed to promote learning through play, Learning Resources products include Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog ($14.99) that boosts fine motor skills and the Learn-a-lot Avocados ($16.99) that builds social-emotional skills. The Puzzle Globe ($34.99) encourages kids ages 3-10 to practice geography skills, build fine motor movements and engage in tactile play. Coding Critters ($39.99) are a child’s first coding friends – a series of interactive toy pets that introduce preschoolers ages 4+ to early STEM concepts through 100% screen-free coding activities – no phone or tablet required. These and many others from Learning Resources are available at select Target stores and Target.com. In addition to the wonderful products, Learning Resources also offers over 3,000 fun & free Learning@Home essentials such as DIY activities, games, worksheets and product bonus content for kids 2-10.
Silly Poopy’s Hide & Seek™ — is a singing and talking toy that makes any hide-and-seek game hilariously entertaining. With a suggested retail price of $12.99, Silly Poopy was created for ages 3+, but fun-loving, silly adults will likely want to get in on the fun too. Silly Poopy’s Hide & Seek™ features a colorful rainbow design in the shape of a Poop emoticon that plays off one of the most popular and ever-green play patterns of all time—hide and seek. With Silly Poopy, it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3! Just HIDE Silly Poopy, LOOK for Silly Poopy, and FIND Silly Poopy to hear the reward song that will make you want to dance. Silly Poopy’s Hide & Seek™ is great for keeping kids entertained and can be played at home, or with groups of children. It’s a fun non-screen game. it also promotes active play, cause and effect and following the rules. All very important for kids going to preschool and kindergarten. Silly Poopy encourages fun goal oriented play, positive sportsmanship, problem solving skills and so much more. With a suggested retail price of $12.99, Silly Poopy’s Hide & Seek™ is available now at Wal-Mart, Target, Amazon as well as other retailers.
Greenberg also has a new virtual Gadget Game Show called, “WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?” It airs on Youtube, and it’s sort of “Shark Tank” meets “What’s My Line?” Panelists to try to identify a mystery gadget.
You can check out the show here. For more great tech tips and products, visit Greenberg’s blog, Instagram and Twitter.