The new academic year doesn’t have to mean panic and doom and gloom. Yes, the long summer holidays might be over but, on the up side, you can finally get your hands on these clever back-to-school gadgets…
SCRIBBLE CLOCK
Those ideas that hit you in the middle of the night, the ones you know will be life-changing; but then you drift back to sleep, the alarm sounds and… what was it again? Thankfully, this clock lets you scribble on it in the middle of the night, illuminating for only ten seconds after you’ve touched it so you can tell it your brainwave then go straight back to sleep. £11.95
BOOGIE BOARD SYNC 9.7”
Using one of these LCD eWriting machines, you’ll be doing more than saving some trees, you’ll be giving yourself a load of credibility in the tech stakes too. The battery-powered device allows you to draw, write or doodle on a screen that’s been cleverly designed to feel like real paper, but with the added bonus that you can ditch all the cluttering piles and just save your work straight to the device. You can also transfer it to the laptop, or beam to the big screen using Bluetooth. Top marks all round. £99.99
MOTO E 4GB SIM FREE
No need to shell out loads on a top-end smartphone, this affordable Android powered handset is more than adequate and utilises the very latest operating system, Kit-Kat. Load up your Moto E with educational apps and study guides from Google Play, then rest safe in the other knowledge that you also have a battery that’ll last a day, a 5-megapixel camera and customisable outer cases. £84.95
STAMPLER
The creators of this next evolution in stapling design have lofty ambitions, making claims that “stampling” might become as ubiquitous as Googling and Hoovering. Perhaps it will, perhaps it won’t. Either way, we’re impressed by this little machine, which not only serves its purpose of keeping a few pages together, but adds a happy message and grin-inducing face too. £12
SANDISK CONNECT WIRELESS FLASH DRIVE
Carrying around some sort of portable storage device is a must these days, and this highly portable keychain-sized device certainly punches above its diminutive size as a storage expansion unit for your iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire or Android device. It’s wireless too, so gives access to all your files while on the move, in the classroom, hanging about the playground – anywhere really. £49.99 for 32GB