Special Section

Supplies for the Hyper-Nerd

School supplies used to be simple. Grab a few highlighters and some Post-Its and you were golden. But gone are the days of sharpening pencils and tearing the fringe off your notebook paper. Here in the 21st century, we’ve got a few super nifty gadgets that not only make school easier, but also a lot more fun. Tech nerds, prepare yourself. 


Livescribe Smartpen:
Does your professor talk way too fast? Or is it just that you can’t read your notes after class? Enter the Livescribe pen, which takes audio recordings of your surroundings as you write. Later, you can write down key words, and the pen will repeat the audio back to you, refreshing your overworked brain. It also transcribes your notes into audio format, making it easier to decipher your handwriting. Alas, it only works on special notepaper, so you’ll need a supply of that as well.

Pico Pocket Projector:
If you’re tired of watching movies on the small screen of your portable device, try this super tiny projector, which connects to anything from smartphones to computers. The pint-size gadget transfers your tiny movie to a big wall or screen for optimum viewing, audio included. And it’s perfectly sized to your pocket. 

Universal Gadget Wrist Charger:
It’s exactly what it sounds like. When you don’t have time to sit down and charge your phone or gaming device, just plug the cord into the corresponding port on your wrist and you’re set. It even charges laptops over USB. You’ll never have to stop moving again.


Neon Green Piggy-Back-Up Pack
Here’s a more eco-friendly way to charge those gadgets. This flexible, lightweight bag has solar panels on the outside that capture energy for recharging all those electronics. It can also be attached to any backpack or messenger bag for longer use.

IRISPen:
OK, so the Livescribe requires way too much writing. While this is basically a portable pen scanner. Slide it over the words of any book or paper, and it converts it to a text document on your computer via USB. It recognizes 128 languages, as well as numbers and symbols. But use your powers for good. No plagiarism allowed. 

Zelco Bookmark Dictionary II
Just because you have to read a physics textbook doesn’t mean you can understand it. This paper-thin keypad allows you to type in almost any word (out of 130,000) and find its meaning. It even auto-suggests as you type in case your spelling isn’t the best. It also comes with a conversion function for types of measurement, and a built-in calculator.  

Hydracoach Intelligent Water Bottle
We are way too busy to think about how much water we’re drinking, so here’s a bottle that does it for us. Carry this gadget around, and it will tell you how much water you’ve consumed and how much more you should drink for maximum hydration. It even calculates your specific goal, based on your weight and how active you are. Your body will thank you.