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Based on feedback and a few questions, I decided to do another back-to-school post with a few tips about graphing calculators.

Depending on the students grade level a calculator can be a big a purchase. Most students, by the time they reach high school, will need a graphing calculator.

o Unless your high school student becomes a mathematics major, a good graphing calculator should last a student well through college.

o Talk to the teacher and find out what features are needed. Graphing calculators start around $100, but go up based on features and capabilities.

• If you don’t expect to need the calculator beyond geometry, trigonometry and the ACT/SAT, consider a basic option such as the Texas Insturment-83 Plus, which starts around $100.

• For more memory and a calculator that will survive calculus courses, try the TI-84 Plus Silver Edition.

• If you have a high school student, make sure the calculator you purchase can be used during ACT/SAT testing- otherwise you’ll be headed back to the store for another big purchase.

• Before you shell out cash make sure to check with your local school to see if they can be rented or purchased at group discounts.

• You can also consider purchasing a used item on eBay since the price of calculators’ drops significantly in the secondary market.  Check out our eBay store for high quality used items.

• Want more info? Check out this site for top questions you should ask when buying a graphing calculator.

Nokia has brought the new Linux-based Maemo 5 operating system to a handset for the first time. Meet the new Nokia N900 Smartphone tablet, a new unique device from Nokia that defines mobile computing. Following the success of the Maemo platform found in the N810 and N800 Internet tablets, Nokia has decide to create a tablet/phone with the N900. The device shares a similar form factor to the N810 as a tablet, and the N97 as a phone. The phone features a 3.5 touch screen display with a resolution of 800 x 480. When slid open the device features a 3 line QWERTY keypad for quick and easy typing. The N900 has a fantastic web browser that is powered by Mozilla. This browser is said to replicate a full size PC when it comes to the web. The N900 also sports 32gb of storage space, a Cortex-A8 CPU (like the 3GS), 5mp camera, GPS, Bluetooth, HSDPA, and WiFi. The N900 should hit store shelves sometime this October with an estimated price of around $700. Check out the video below for the spotlight from Nokia

I have a daughter who’s just starting preschool- and I can’t believe how a 1st day outfit, new backpack, markers and crayons are adding up to a real household expense.  It got me thinking about parents of older students who also have to think about expensive technology purchases… beyond the great Fisher Price laptop of course…

Everyday I work in the business of extending the life of consumer electronics. Typically this comes in the form of encouraging reuse by enabling consumers to trade in used electronics for cash and then we help the items get adopted into new homes. But today, I started thinking about how I could take this same principle and pass on some things we’ve learned about extending the life of electronics in your own home, while sharing some thoughts about smart buys and about when it might not be the smartest idea to rush out and buy the latest and greatest laptop.

A laptop is probably the biggest technology purchases parents make for their students during this time of year. When it comes to laptops- here’s what you should know:

•    Laptops should last up to 3-4 years so plan to buy one at the start of high school and again at the start of college. •    Maintaining your laptop is critical to having it perform smoothly. Performing software updates, keeping antivirus updated, and minor system upgrades will insure you get the most from your purchase. •    Students shouldn’t be early adaptors. When it comes to laptops, you don’t need to be the first one on the block to have the new operating systems so don’t rush out to be the first to buy Windows 7 for high school or college.

•    If you have an older laptop, consider small upgrades vs. buying a whole new one.

• Add more RAM. RAM has considerably dropped in price over the years and on most laptops. Adding RAM is as simple as swapping out the old for the new. You first want to check what type of RAM your system handles, and then the maximum amount of RAM that can be added. Shop around and find the best price, then maximize your systems RAM capability.
• Bigger Faster Hard Drive: Now that Solid State Drives have come into the picture, prices on standard hard drives have been dropping. A nice upgrade to an older system is a new bigger and faster hard drive. Most older systems probably have 5400 rpm drives with a size of around 80-120gb. For around $60 you can purchase a 500gb 72000rpm drive to dramatically improve your system. If you want an even faster system try installing a Solid State Drive, you will get better performance but at a higher cost. Make sure you check out Apricorn’s ADW-USB KIT ($30) to move your old hard drive data to your new drive quickly and easily.
• High Capacity battery: over time batteries just tend to wear out. Purchasing a new battery that has a higher capacity can bring new life to your laptop. You can find generic batteries on eBay that can save you 50-60% from what the manufacturer price.
• Clean out your System: Most older laptops probably have a ton of unused files. Try going through your installed programs (in control panel) and removing everything you don’t use. Also look for the useless software (crapware) that ships with a lot of new systems. De-fragmenting your hard drive is also another way to speed up your system. De-fragmenting your hard drive basically organizes all your files and puts your drive back in order (like re-organizing your closet)

Many electronics, including laptops maintain between 10-30% of their value even after a few years of use- so when you’re done with your item remember to trade it in and recoup some of the expense. Part of pricing is based on the condition of your item so investing in a good case and taking good care of your technology purchases really does pay off in the end.

Nikon has unveiled the worlds first digital camera with built in projector. The s1000pj features a 12.1mp camera with 5x zoom and an ISO range 0f 3200 to 6400. The camera sports a 28mm Nikkor wide angle lens with full macro capability. Now to the cool part…all the photos and videos taken by the camera can be projected on any flat surface up to 40 inches in size. This feature allows users to watch their videos and pics instantly right on the spot without the need for a pc/monitor. Other features such as Smile Timer, Blink Proof, Blink Warning, and Red Eye Redcution make this shooter the ultimate package. The camera also has the ability to retouch images on the fly with the Quick Retouch mode feature. The s1000pj will sell for $430, and is expected to ship early September. Check out the demo video below to see this unique gadget in action!

The Gazelle GadgetLab got the opportunity to check out the new Omnia HD from Samsung. This all-in-one media device features a massive AMOLED touchscreen and an impressive 8mp camera. The phone runs Symbian S60 5th edition which we also find on the Nokia N97. The phone is powered by a 600MHz processor and HW graphic accelerator. The most impressive feature is the phones ability to capture video at 720p, hence the HD in the title. The phone will capture HD video at 720p at 24fps and display it on a monitor with the supplied cable. With other features like GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth it gives its competitors a true run for their money. For the detailed review check out the video below. Enjoy

Samsung and Sprint have officially released their newest Earth friendly device, the Reclaim M560. The new Reclaim’s housing is made from 40% bio-plastic which is derived from corn product.  The packaging which is also eco friendly is made from 70% recycled materials. In Sprints effort to become more eco-conscious they have decided to donate $2 to the Nature Conservancy’s Adopt an Acre Program. Now lets get down to the specs: Samsung has kept this phone pretty basic but no too bland at the same time. Some of the main features include a full QWERTY keyboard, GPS, Social Media widgets, 2MP camera, and a microSD slot. The mobile also features a standard headphone jack with volume rocker to give a decent music experience as well. If you wish to get your hands on this eco friendly & stylish handset it is available today for $50 after a 2 year deal from Sprint.

Speculation concerning an Apple Tablet is mounting once again, this time, says Apple Insider, for real. According to Engadget:

Apple is purportedly finalizing its long-rumored tablet for an early 2010 launch (or maybe even a September 2009 launch). AppleInsider claims to have been tracking the device get bounced back to the drawing board repeatedly over the past few years, but says that Steve Jobs is finally happy with the product and there’s an internal go-ahead to get this thing ready for next year, barring any other setbacks. Purported specs include a 10-inch screen, 3G data and a custom ARM processor courtesy of its P.A. Semi purchase — after previously considering Intel’s Atom, as the story goes. Rumors elsewhere point to Verizon data instead of AT&T, but that might just be wishful thinking.

With this potentially game-changing device coming out in just a few months, Apple is showing no signs of slowing down. The age of the touch screen is well underway, so we decided to go through a brief (and by no means complete) run-down of what’s already been happening and what’s just on the horizon.

The Original iPhone

When the iPhone was first announced in 2007, the mobile world seemed to go nuts, with people recognizing the Apple’s latest innovation as a milestone in technological development. This blog post show’s the jump in Apple’s share price on that day: Paul Kedrosky. Well, we’ve come a long way since then, but the iPhone still remains king.

Microsoft Surface

Sure, you’ll have to take out a loan in order to afford the Microsoft Surface (it retails at $12,500), but can you really put a price on a touch screen table? I think not. The surface is basically the same as any other touch screen computer—aside from its large dimensions—with one notable exception: it can recognize and interact with the objects you place on it. For example, have the HTC Dash? Just place it on the table and let the data transferring begin. Pretty cool.

We don’t yet accept ‘tables’ as one of our supported categories (yet), but we’ll keep you posted. For now, here’s a video of the Surface in action: The Surface.

HP Touchsmart

HP did it first with the “The World’s First Multi-Touch Consumer Notebook,” the Touchsmart. This awesome computer brings a futuristic touch screen into your home. Some reviewers aren’t so impressed by its speed and overall performance, but imagine watching a movie on that screen—on airplane. Enough said.

2009 Blockbusters

We’ve already written a lot about the big three phones of Summer 2009 (Apple iPhone 3Gs, Palm Pre, Nokia N97), the Blackberry Storm of early 2009, and the T-Mobile myTouch 3G, but whatever your opinions on these new phones, it’s clear that touch screens are not going away anytime soon.

Samsung have officially released the first 12mp camera phone to hit the market. The new M8910 Pixon 12 is truly breaking the barrier between wireless communications and digital imaging. The Pixon 12 features an impressive 3.1″ AMOLED Touchscreen display with a resolution of 800 x 480. The M8910 runs the latest TouchWiz UI 2.0 version which is both faster and smoother than previous versions. Other features such as a Accelerometer, WiFi, GPS, and TV out make this phone a true multipurpose device. Now to the good stuff, the 12mp shooter. The camera features a 28mm lens with LED and Xenon dual flash (first of it’s kind). Some other bonus camera features on this device are: object tracking auto focus, automatic lens cover, geo-tagging, image stabilization, Smart Auto mode, face detection, Beauty Shot, Smile Shot and D1 video recording at 30 fps with auto focus and face detection. That is a just ton of features for any digital camera never mind a phone.

The “Handy” hits the UK today and will reach online retailers in the following weeks. Price is said to be around $699 for an unlocked unit. For those looking to upgrade or free up some pocket room you can pretty much trade in your old phone, GPS, and digital camera to Gazelle to make room for this all-in-one monster.

T-Mobile has released the latest addition to the BlackBerry Curve lineup with the new 8520. This new Curve parts way with the traditional trackball for a new optical trackpad. This new type of trackpad is said to perform smoother and is less likely to cause problems like trackballs have in the past. The 8520 features a fast 512MHz processor, 2.64-inch 320 x 240 TFT pixel display, EDGE and WiFi data connectivity, and Bluetooth headset and stereo headphone support. A 2.0 megapixel camera and a microSDHC card slot make this geared more towards the everyday consumer. The 8520 is also the first BlackBerry to feature dedicated media keys and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The 8520 is available now at T-Mobile for $130 after a 2 year contract. It has also made it’s way into Walmart for a limited time (once they sell out) for only $48.88 after contract.

Remember the year 2000? When the PlayStation 2 came onto the scene and blew our Sega Dreamcasts out of the water? What about 2005, when Microsoft released the Xbox 360 and ushered in a new generation of game consoles, thus starting the latest round of console wars.

The only thing gaming fans love more than games is to argue about which system is superior. . .

“The Xbox 360 rules!”

“No, the PS3 is so much better!”

“Xbox!”

“PS3!”

“Aren’t you two forgetting the Wii?”

. . .(sound familiar?)  But the numbers never lie.

For Sixth Generation consoles (PS2, Xbox, Gamecube), Sony blows the others out of the water, with almost 140 million consoles sold.  Microsoft’s Xbox had 24 million by late 2007, and, despite the lack of recent sales data, still probably trails Sony by more than 100 million consoles. The GameCube clocks in at a lowly 22 million (as of last summer).

The tides turned, however, with the Seventh Generation of gaming consoles. To date, the Nintendo Wii has sold more than 50 million, the Xbox 360 more than 30 million, and the PS3 almost 23 million.

But even though these sales figures are great indicators of a console’s performance on a global scale, they do not necessarily reflect a gaming system’s worth to individuals. Resale values are much more important to users. Just take a look at these numbers:

As you can see from the above price trend, a perfect 20 GB Xbox 360 is worth a cool $70.

A perfect Wii can be sold for $108.

And a 20 GB PS3 in perfect condition is $119 in your pocket.

Considering that the 360’s original price was $399, the Wii’s was $249.99, and the PS3’s was $499.99, it looks like the Wii has won this round of the gaming wars. But we could have predicted this outcome—without even knowing Nintendo’s massive sales number.

Look at the trends: the average Gazelle offer price for the Wii has stayed remarkably constant, falling only $21 since last October. The PS3 and Xbox 360, on the other hand, have each lost $49 in value. Clearly, time is a gamer’s enemy when it comes to selling those old systems.