Advice to New College Students Using Technology

It is that time of year again where everyone is going mad with exam results, choosing schools and trying to figure out what to study! But what people do not give much thought is the equipment that college students require. I am going to be focusing on the Art and Music side of college but any subject works too!

When doing assignments, the worst and most tiresome thing is writing it out by hand. Which is why more and more students, if not all, invest in a laptop or even a tablet device. I myself recommend a MacBook Air 11" or even the Dell XPS 15". Both machines are small and compact yet pack a hell of a lot of power. But always buy a spare battery or even an external power source, the worst thing that could happen is to lose power when you are right in the middle of a lecture. I myself would recommend the HyperJuice from HyperShop.

Apple also does great deals on Macs and software for students, be sure to check out the Apple Online Store for more information.

I also recommend getting a decent back pack for putting your laptop, books etc. in while travelling back and forth to classes. The Campus laptop Backpack from Targus is perfect for students, I use this myself and I am able to fit a 15" laptop along with an iPad and several books and still have room! It is extremely well padded so you can trust your gadgets in this. But the SXP Denim iPad 2 sleeve is by far one of the most stylish sleeves to keep your iPad in, I highly recommend this sleeve.

But no machine is useful without the right software. For all your word processing, presentations and spreadsheet creating, I would go for Microsoft Office. It is easy to use and is supported on both Mac and PC, so sharing files is a breeze! For all the photography editing peeps, Photoshop CS5 is the way to go, if you don't have the money I'm sure you could find a free programme that suits your needs. For the film makers among us, Final Cut Pro X on the Mac is fantastic! It is a lot more easy to use and there are some great tutorials online. If you don't fancy paying the money for FCPX, iMovie is just as good. And if you don't have a Mac, Sony Vegas is another great video editing programme. iMove and Adobe Essentials are also available on the iPad for a great price! I recommend checking these out.

Security is a big issue with students these days, not just pick pockets or robberies, I'm talking about online security or keeping your files safe. Microsoft Security Essentials is a great security system to install on your machine and it's also free! Students love free things. For Mac I use McAfee VirusScan for Mac, but I always have a password on both my machines. I know this is all common sense, but NEVER have a simple password. Because even if your laptop does get stolen, the vermin will probably not be able to access it. And with programmes like "Find My Mac" for the Mac you can now trace where your Mac is using your iOS device or other Mac.

When on the move or even taking a break from studying, I like to wind down by playing Angry Birds or just listening to some music. The device I use for this is a 16gb iPod Touch 3rd Gen. Obviously you can buy the 4th generation but I myself have no need for an upgrade. 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation all sell for quite cheap on eBay and other places so be sure to pick one of these up if you are in the market for it.  The apps I would recommend are, Angry Birds, Tiny Wings, BBC News, Twitter, Flipboard, Cut the Rope and Words With Friends. If you can't decide, be sure to check out the top 25 on the App Store.

You do not have to buy brand new by any means. Refurbished gadgets are just as good as any! Being equipped for college is a big thing and it isn't just ALL about the education, you have to have fun. So, have fun and good luck! 

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