The 5 Best Back to School Gadgets for Students

Students need great gadgets for a few reason: they can help with school work, they're convenient and they're cool. Here's a look at a few types of gadgets that all students should look into, and the best options for each category of gadgets.

Cell Phones - Every student needs a cell phone for staying in contact with family members. Smart phones have a ton of extra features that can really come into play during a school year, like calculators and

Ebook Readers - Textbooks costs are one of the biggest costs that students have to deal with, and an eBook reader can help ease the burden while providing an intuitive, fun way to read.

The best eBook readers for students are black-and-white readers like the Barnes and Noble Nook and the Amazon Kindle, because black-and-white readers have long battery lives and can be read in direct sunlight. Color readers are more in line with tablets, which we'll get to in a minute, but they're inferior for reading. A black-and white reader like the Barnes and Noble Nook runs about $149.

Tablets - Tablets aren't the most essential tool for school, but they're awesome for unwinding after a day's studies and can handle some of the duties of the other gadgets on this list.

The most popular tablets are the iPad, of course, and Android offerings like the Motorola Xoom. These usually cost about $500, but there are cheaper options available like the Asus Eee Transformer, which is only $400. They can play videos, display eBooks and more, but they're no substitute for a full computer.

Netbooks - All students need a computer these days, but they don't need to be overpowered gaming PCs and laptops. Netbooks are simple PC laptops without optical drives.

They're usually very small (hence the name) and pack enough power to handle simple computing tasks, so they're perfect for papers and web browsing. Many netbooks like the Toshiba NB505 have built-in webcams, so they're also good communication devices. Netbooks can cost anywhere from $200-500.

Smart pens - Smart pens are a relatively new type of gadget. They work like normal pens, but with extra features like voice recorders that make note taking much easier. Some smartpens like the Livescribe Pulse actually save written notes as they're made, so a full lecture's worth of notes can be easily transferred to a PC for later access.

They're great for students who have problems with organization, and as they're kind of a spy-like tool, they're also just plain cool. The downside is that a good smart pen can be expensive. The Livescribe Pulse costs about $200, and most similar products aren't much cheaper. Still, they're the only pen that a student will ever need--just don't loan a smart pen to a classmate.

Know of any other great gadgets for students? Post below.