It is that time of year again. Summer jobs and summer loves are in the rear view mirror soon to be replaced with study groups and daydreams of that cute girl in your psych class. Whether you are trekking across town or across country, as you load up your car it is not too late to jump online and pickup one of these pieces of wearable tech. We are taking a look at 5 must have devices for every budget. As you head back to school these are 5 items that should help keep you organized, motivated, and connected!
Misfit Link: $19.99
Space and money is limited in school; the last thing you need in your life are uni-taskers – we hate uni-taskers. Pick up the Misfit Flash and not only do you get a fitness tracker, you also end up with a selfie-friendly camera shutter remote, an easy way to wirelessly control the music on your cell phone, and a wireless remote for your class presentations. All that for the price of a pizza! If you want to splurge, you can spend $10 more for the Flash which also includes a (cheap) plastic wristband. Check out our review of the Misfit Flash / Link here.
Tile: $25
Nothing can make a good day go bad quicker than getting back to your dorm only to realize that you have lost your keys. Did you leave them on the lawn at the Quad, in the dining hall, at your last class, or set them down at the campus bar…who knows!? What you do know is that a replacement won’t come cheap. To keep track of things you hate to loose, we love Tile’s small Bluetooth “anything-trackers.” Simply attach it to your keys, throw it in your wallet, or (if academics are your thing) adhere it to your notebook; basically connect the Tile to anything that you might loose and it will help you get reconnected with it if you misplace it. Using an app for Android or iOS, you can see your proximity to the Tile or cause it to emit a noise if you are within Bluetooth range. If you are further away, you can see the last time and place your phone and the Tile were together or mark your item as lost and all the apps in the Tile community will keep a lookout for it. Pretty amazing! If all that wasn’t enough, Tile can even work in reverse; if you have your Tile, but have misplaced your phone, simply hold down on the Tile and your phone will ring!
Ringly: $195 to $260
Face it, even though we all love the idea of being connected, that guy or girl you are locking eyes with in your 9am class might not love that you are covered in tech. Be a bit more discreet and don a Ringly. The Bluetooth connected 18K matte gold ring features your choice of one of several stylish precious or semi-precious stones. The ring features a small LED on the side which can light up in 5 different colors and the ring can vibrate in 4 different patterns. Fully customizable from your cell phone, you can mix the lights and vibrations into numerous combinations. Ringly allows you to discreetly receive notifications that only you know what they signify; so the next time you are out with your friends and that boy who they all think is “bad news” texts you, they will never know.
Polo Tech Shirt: $295
Classes, reading, studying, papers, presentations, part-time jobs, tailgating, socializing…it is easy to feel like you have no free time in college (haha…just wait!). When you do squeeze in the time to hit the gym to stay off the Freshman 15, you want to be able to make the most of that time. Style icon Ralph Lauren has just want you need – their Polo Tech shirt. The compression shirt, designed through a partnership with OMsignal, is covered with sensors to record everything from steps, to heart rate, to breathing, to how hard you are pushing yourself. The Polo Tech app takes things one step further by guiding you through workouts. The app is able to gauge your effort and dynamically adjust your routine accordingly. It also works for stand alone activities such as spin, rowing, and running. While currently only for guys, a women’s version is expected by the end of the year. So hit the gym with your “smart shirt” and, with a little bit of work, when you run into your high school friends over winter break, your old flame will definitely regret dumping you!
Apple Watch: $349 / Moto360: $150
The world is constantly in flux, once the land of nerds and poindexters, tech is becoming more Madison Avenue and less basement-LAN-party. If you are all about rocking out with your tech out, a smartwatch is where it’s at. We recommend something stylish though (sorry Pebble). With full color, touch responsive screens, smartwatches offer rich experiences beyond simple notifications. Our current favorites are the Moto 360 and the Apple Watch. The Moto 360 is one of the oldest Android Wear devices on the market, but thanks to continuous updates, and continuous price drops, it is still the most compelling Android compatible smartwatch on the market. In fact, even recently announced devices like the Fossil smartwatch are imitating it. If you reside in iOS land, the Apple Watch is the premier option. With tight integration between the phone and watch, the two devices work together better than any other smart-device with the iPhone. Personally we would pickup the Sports version…that way if (by which we mean: when) chaos ensues, you aren’t left with a $600 device covered in something you don’t even want to think about!
