College Crunch

iPod Touch or iPhone

The iPod Touch and iPhone are both more than just an MP3 player or a cell phone. They are almost like the personal data assistants (PDA’s) that people used to run around with.

They can help you organize your study schedule, track appointments, keep in contact with your friends, as well as a dozens of other tasks due to the application store that allows for expandability only limited by the hardware of the device. While the prices are rather high for the higher capacity devices, most people will be more than fine with the bottom end ones that include less storage, but otherwise all other features.

Cell Phone

If you decided to be one of the many that didn’t end up buying the iPhone due to the costs of data rates, or the fairly high up front cost compared to other devices, then you will want to pick up a cell phone. This need only grows if you are commuting from off campus in areas where the seasonal weather can make driving hazardous.

If nothing else, a cell phone can help with organizing your study schedule with your peers. Do your research in buying a cell phone though as there are many plans, and most companies offer discounts for students.

Digital Camera

There is nothing worse than going to a party and not having a decent camera, and while cameras on cell phones are getting better, they are still very limited in performance and quality. I would recommend that students pick up a reasonable point and shoot digital camera to archive various things.

For me, having a digital camera allowed me to take images of the school layout, making it easy for me to have a quick way to find out where I was and where I had to go without pulling out the school map and looking goofy.

A digital camera can be useful in the most interesting ways if you are a creative person.

HD Television

With the old tube based televisions quickly becoming obsolete, heavy and hard to find or repair, it is definitely time to get buy a LCD or Plasma television if you plan on watching movies, cable television or playing video games on a console. For most residence rooms, you won’t need larger than thirty-two inches of screen real estate, which is getting less and less expensive to afford. While this is a little bit of a luxury, it can be quite useful. Some schools have a video feed of lectures, or if you subscribe to various learning channels, it can benefit you in one way or another.

If not for educational purposes, having a television can definitely help you unwind after a hard day of learning.

Current Generation Game Console

There are three major players in the game console space, but I really only consider the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 are the two I would consider “next generation”.

This is something that not everyone needs, but for people like myself, it can be one of the best tools to unwind and is a decent DVD player, and in the case of the PlayStation 3, a decent Blu-ray player.

Not to mention the great online services that allow you to download television shows or movies as needed for a marginal cost.

Nintendo Wii

There is nothing better than getting a small group of friends together and playing some of the great games on the Nintendo Wii. While not the most advanced gaming console, and not easily converted to play DVD movies, the Nintendo Wii just brings together people in a new and fun way, and if you have one, you can be the party hub for your friends and it also has the ability, when connected to the Internet to allow you to check your e-mail, facebook and other things through the web browser.

Wireless Router

If you want to share your internet connection with your Wii, other game console, computer, and even your iPod or cell phone, you will want to pick up a wireless router. They can be had for very cheap these days, but make sure to take into account all of the ins and outs of the technology before you purchase one though.

Laptop

I have become a much faster at typing than I ever have been at writing with a pen and paper for the simple fact that I can write with two hands on a computer, and so I highly recommend picking up a laptop over a desktop computer for school. The portability, current feature set and even pricing on laptops these days is only getting better and better, and a middle to high priced model will most likely suit all of your needs for writing reports, browsing the web, and much more.

I recommend looking at the offerings from either Apple or Lenovo, while a bit more pricey than some other brands, they have a very high build quality, and are highly ranked in customer service if you do have any issues.