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Besides traditional back-to-school purchases, a growing
number of students—particularly those in high school and college—look for items that are plugged in and
turned on. The National Retail Federation estimates college students and their parents spent 534 billion
during the 2005 back-to-school season—more than double the amount spent on kindergarten through
12th-grade back-to-school supplies. Almost a fourth of the collegiate spending went for electronics.
What kind of electronics? For college students, think small. “Because the typical dorm (room) is
still no larger than a walk-in closet, smaller, sleeker technology is a must,” says Stephen Saint-Onge,
a designer for Philips Electronics. He suggests trading in bulky computer monitors for space-saving
flat-panel monitors, or investing in a laptop computer such as an HP Pavilion notebook (cost: from
$570 to S 1,000), which provides mobility and takes up less room.
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©2006 National Consumer Marketing, 580 South Research Place, Central Islip, NY 11722 BPFO-AA
by MARY
DIXON LEBEAU
Gearing Up for School
ALLURE OF REAL
RETAIL APPRAISED
AT sllß 00
YOUR PRICE
JUST $lO
Precious treasure from the sea.
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In India and Egypt, pearls were so
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Framed by rings of faceted cubic
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with Quiet elegance. Only a limited
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at this price-so hurty and call toll
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Don 't know your ring size? Place a
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Co-eds also might consider purchasing \
a pair of high-quality headphones or small \ \
ear buds, the latest in “conflict prevention” \ \
for roommates. If there’s money left in the \ d HEL \
budget, digital photo display systems such \ \
as the Philips Digital Photo Display (5199) / . 1
and web-cams can keep students connected t\_ -
to family and friends back home.
The days of the shared dormitory telephone have gone the
way of 8-track tapes. According to a recent survey by the
research company Student Monitor, 95 percent of students liv
ing on campus have a cellular phone, making them nearly as
common as textbooks and highlighters.
Younger students have their own back-to-school needs,
which encompass everything from a box of Crayola crayons to
Texas Instruments graphing calculators (around S 150), and the
latest handheld organizers (529 to 5399). For example:
• High school students no longer have to worry about their
note-taking ability—or their handwriting. Digital voice
recorders such as Sony's ICD U-50 “Voice Plus” digital
□§ recorder ($100) allows students to store
hundreds of hours of class notes, which
can be played back in an MP3 format.
Many digital models also are USB-com
patible for high-speed file transfer to the
family computer.
• Remember writing “I love Jack for
ever" on your blue binder, only to have
to cross off Jack's name to add your new
boyfriend? Not a problem with Mead's new three-ring binder
($5). Its cover is a handy board on which students can scribble
down homework reminders, phone numbers or their latest
crush—all erasable using the attached pen.
• Most students would love a laptop computer. But for younger
kids, who don't need the research capabil-
ities (or need to be monitored online),
portable word processors such
as rile Alph.iSm.irt \eo ■ >J‘'t>) lets
skills without of
online distractions.
• Technology also has impacted the backpack. “My daughter
gets an insane amount of homework and must carry lots of
heavy books home on a daily basis,” says Newport News,
Va., mom Mary E. Tyler, who invests in costlier backpacks,
which have proven more durable and ergonomic. This year, a
popular item is the Air Packs Backpack ($55), which includes a
patented ergonomic air transfer system to redistribute weight
from the shoulders to the hips and lower back. And, of course,
it has room for students' back-to-school gear.
Mary Dixon Lebeau is a frequent contributor to American Profile.
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