From Issue #3 , Page #30 | By Enid Burns

Little upgrades that make the new school season—or the fall—a season of anticipation.

While the prospect of getting back to the books might not seem like too much fun, updating some gear might be just what your kids need to look forward to returning to school. TechLiving checked out a few items that might give them a jump on this season's studies.

Media Masters

For a new school year, a capable computer system is more than recommended. Whether sending your kid off to college, or just upgrading the computer system in his or her bedroom or a family room, space can be an issue. Media center PCs can multitask, packing your computer and audio/video needs into one form factor.

A versatile choice to easily outfit the needs of a family might be the m1050y series from Hewlett-Packard. Coming in at about $1,000, the packed system even includes a DockSpot for the HP Photosmart 8886, or R and M series cameras, so you can easily download photos. The high-school-bound student might benefit more from a more robust system like the Sony VAIO RZ Series, which starts at $1,600. While the RZ runs the media center software, the larger tower case has more power to handle the demands of a teenager's growing needs that, as much as you might hesitate to support, will include a few games. For those heading off to college, dealing with the confined space of a dorm can be tough enough, so the Dell Dimension 4600C (sold direct for $899) combines the power of a larger system with a smaller footprint. The computer runs the media center software as an option, and should be considered so that your student can utilize their PC for schoolwork, but also as a stereo and TV among other multimedia purposes.

Peak PC Performance

If a media center doesn't suit your needs, then a powerful, if not portable, PC might be the best answer. For an all-around family PC, start with the Pavilion series from Hewlett-Packard (starting at $319.99). It's a solid system and you can choose from a few configurations to get the power you need. The high-school student, on the other hand, might want more than a basic plastic computer case. Look to smaller manufacturers like Screamworx to produce competitively-priced PCs in a slick, customized package. A system like their custom-built Pentium 4-based Panic Attack (starting at $1,718.44) will earn your kid cachet with friends and foes alike.

While a desktop system will suffice, the portability of a laptop can be an advantage in many ways from taking notes during class to studying in the library. Again, any notebook will do, but nothing does as well at turning heads as the Sentia (starting at $1,699) from Alienware. Sporting a custom case, the notebook has the manufacturer's distinctive look of rubberized gills for an aesthetic look and an alien-head icon with eyes that light up.

Alienware understands that looks don't make the PC, they just make it look better, so expect the performance to live up to the looks with an Intel Centrino processor for long battery life and performance that can compare to other notebook and desktop systems.

The Upper Hand

Palm Pilots and Pocket PCs have become a part of life for most people—even students. From keeping track of assignments, saving every syllabus, and collecting study group contacts, the right PDA can become an invaluable study buddy.

A device for the whole family—though probably more for the parents—is a wireless touchscreen that can integrate into a home network and handle everything from spreadsheets to home entertainment enjoyment. One such device is the ViewSonic airsync MPlus Edition V210. For about $1,800 (not including installation), this portable touchscreen uses wireless 802.11b technology to access your computer remotely, which means you can surf the Web, call up recipes or work documents, and even play DVDs that you can view right on the unit's screen.

A digital organizer is far better than the paper calendar most parents grew up with. High-school students can benefit from having a PDA to schedule their academic and extracurricular activities. A good choice is the Tapwave Zodiac ($299 to $399). This curvy Palm-based PDA has all the organizer functions like an address book, a calendar and to-do lists, however, it's more geared towards games than your average handheld. The college-bound can get use out of the same device, or drop the gaming edge for a Palm with more features; the Zire 72 ($299) is a velvety blue handheld from palmOne. This model includes Bluetooth functionality like the Tapwave, but adds a digital camera and a voice recorder, which could come in handy for taping lectures for later review.

Look Ma, I'm Learning!

With the big items like computer systems and PDAs out of the way, you can concentrate on a few extras that make going back to school more accessible. These days, most mobile calling plans include free long distance and loads of minutes, and many offer unlimited calls between family members sharing a plan or even calls to users on the same network. This may be the time to choose the best plan for everyone in the household and upgrade everyone's phone. While the most basic models might not have a camera, it could be worth throwing in a few extra dollars so you can see what your kids are really up to as they're living the campus lifestyle.

Also consider upgrading your existing camera to a digital format. Soccer moms will love filming the game on Panasonic's PV-GS120 camcorder ($699.95), which offers vivid colors and a Leica Dicomar lens that will zoom in on the action. Students might just be happy with the basic (1.3 megapixel), yet stylish, Apex Digitrex Funstyle ($29.95). The more serious aspiring photographer might benefit from more classic features in the Olympus E-1 ($1,499). This one is not for the casual shutterbug; it has some professional-style features, such as an interchangeable lens. But for the amateur Annie Lebowitz, going to school with a basic one-shot might be a disservice.

As you get ready to send your kids off this fall, remember that there are plenty of ways to add digital style and function to their lives. For almost every paper-and-pencil task, there is now a wired way to get the job done. Think about what your kids will be doing, and ways to make school really cool.

Homework Helpers

They may be connected, but your kids can learn a lot more by logging onto these sites.

B.J. Pinchbeck’s Homework Helper
www.bjpinchbeck.com
At the age of nine, B.J. and his Dad started this site as a way to keep track of good educational links. Now 17 and a partner with Discovery.com, this destination should be your first stop when researching any school project. It includes a slew of great resources for topics ranging from art, english, science, social studies, and much more.

FunBrain.com
www.funbrain.com
Games and Movie Fun may not sound like a positive learning experience, but that’s one of the things we like about this site. It will almost “trick” your kids into getting a lesson. Ha! With a flashy, fun home page that almost appears like one of their favorite sites, there are plenty of offerings in math, numbers, words, and more.

Infoplease: Homework Center
www.infoplease.com/homework
Sponsored by the search engine Infoplease, this site provides one-stop help in georgraphy, history, language arts, math, and just about everything else on current curriculums. And aside from almanacs, an atlas, a dictionary, an enclopedia and the bevy of biographies on-hand, you can also get tips on public speaking, studying, research and more.

Internet Public Library
www.ipl.org
Need to hit the books right away? The IPL offers almost everything online that your local library has to offer, with a wealth of subjects, reference areas and even a reading room that includes an assortment of magazines and newspapers from around the globe.