4 Great Technology Gifts for Recent High School Graduates

Modern high school graduates will appreciate getting one of this year's coolest gadgets as a gift, but when buying for a new graduate, parents and relatives have to remember that it's important to think about the future. A good gadget should help a teen tackle the next phase of his or her life--living away from family, managing college life, and dealing with new friends and roommates.

Here's a look at four awesome technology gifts that are sure to delight any recent graduate.

Boogie Board Writing Tablet - The Boogie Board is basically a small blackboard for the 21st century. It cuts down on paper waste when doing math problems, leaving notes for roommates, or even taking a couple of quick notes in a class, so it's the perfect choice for a high school graduate heading into his or her first semester of college. It's also very light and incredibly cheap at about $40, so over time the Boogie Board pays for itself.

iRobot Roomba 560 - A robotic vacuum can be a college freshman's best friend. It's a good technological way to get a high school graduate to start picking up after him or herself, and apart from that, robotic vacuums work really, really well, especially in small environments like dorm rooms. The Roomba 560 is one of the least expensive iRobot vacuum cleaners around at about $300 and should be more than capable of cleaning up after your graduate.

iHome IH41BR iPod/iPhone Clock - This charging station for iPhones and newer iPods is compact, stylish and can get loud enough to wake up any snoozing high school graduate. It's designed to work with the iPhone's alarm clock feature, but it's also a great stereo and standalone clock. At around $50, it's a good gift that won't take up too much room in a small dorm or apartment.

Barnes and Noble Nook Color - The 8GB version of this popular eBook reader only runs about $250, half the cost of an iPad, but it's got a lot of the same functions, including games, Internet access via WiFi, and a brilliant touchscreen that's great for viewing books. The Nook Color is a downright cool gadget, but it's also functional for new college students, as Barnes and Noble's online store can help them to cut down on the books that they're forced to drag from one class to the next.

When buying any technology gift, be sure to make sure that the teen doesn't already own a similar product and try to choose something that will really come in handy for day-to-day use. Remember how crowded a dorm room or apartment can get. Tech gifts should be fun, useful and intuitive to really serve their purpose.