Back-To-School Gadgets

Earlier this week I was in Washington D.C. for 2 segments about Back-To-School gadgets. That city is so beautiful it made me want to move there.  When you fly out you can see the whole layout of the land and you can't help but feel patriotic when you spot all of the landmarks.  I felt really ...American :-)

This time around I tried to mix things up a bit and give some suggestions that were a little more creative than the usual computers and cameras and blah, blah, blah.  Here's the video for the CBC hit .  Take a look at what my picks were:

1) Belkin Voice Recorder for iPod ($50)
Taking notes in class is old school.  The new school of kids can capture lectures with this voice recorder which turns your professor's chalk talk into an MP3 file on your iPod.

2) Vtech WizKid Learning System ($50)
Kids will never get bored, even on road trips, with  this portable learning system.  It comes with over 20 different activity pages that interact with the pad and pen to teach all sorts of valuable learning skills.  Hook it up to the PC and watch and it takes on a 3rd dimension allowing kids to  explore the Internet on a contained site as well as print out more activity pages. Want more? There's a  parent function which keeps track of kids progress and shows you a report so you can help your child improve.

3) Creative Live! Cam Optia ($80)

This is a great webcam that's super easy to install.  It comes with cool software that allows for parental control, remote monitoring and all in a cool design.  Perfect for using with the free communication software , Skype.

4) Clocky Rolling Alarm Clock ($50)
Never be late for class again!  This alarm clock will jump off of your night stand and roll around beeping until you get up and turn it off.

5) Egg Calculator ($20)
Add a little flavor to your boring calculations with this calculator that's shaped like a carton of eggs.  How cute!

6) Mimoco USB Drives ($50)

Taking files from your home  computer to a school computer can be an ugly hassle.  One of these cute little USB drives can make the process fun and easy!  Mimoco USB drives are shaped as different characters from The Happy Tree Friends to the lovable Star Wars gang and will transport large files with Death Star speed.  They come in 256MB, 512MB, 1GB and 2GB.

7) MacBook ($999)
Of course you need a computer, and one that'll last.  MacBooks are my choice because they're so versatile, powerful, and cool. They come packed with the iLife suite that allows you to make blogs, create videos and play with your images.  Score one before Sept 16 and receive a free iPod nano, as well as amazing financing for students.