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Hottest Back-to-School Technology Trends

Consumer electronics expert Robin Liss has spotted the hottest trends in technology available just in time for the back-to-school season. The latest products make starting a new school year easier, study breaks more enjoyable, and fall more fashionable than ever before.
   
Digital cameras are becoming smaller and more travel-friendly, according to the product testers at DigitalCameraInfo.com, which is good news for the thousands of students who will take them on field trips to zoos, historical sites and museums.

Budding photographers will appreciate performance enhancements including near-instantaneous start-up, longer battery life, faster writing to memory cards, quicker exporting speed with USB 2.0, and reduced shot to shutter lag.

Video gets an easy A

CamcorderInfo.com reports that the welcome news for proud parents is that many telephoto zooms now exceed 20x optical - with one model boasting a 30x optical zoom - making it easier than ever to document a shy kindergartener's first day of school, or an embarrassed freshman's move onto campus. More compact and affordable than in years past, the new camcorder models also produce crisper images and more intense colors.

"As technology has evolved, back-to-school shopping has come to include more than just choosing new backpacks, jeans and sneakers," says Robin Liss, founder of CamcorderInfo.com, EasyCamcorders.com and DigitalCameraInfo.com. "Consumers must now rely on experienced guides to help them decide among a diverse array of new products and improved features to find just the right electronic devices for every member of the family."

The next generation of cell phones

Liss reports that the commute to school and soccer practice passes more quickly thanks to a new range of MP3 players designed to work with a variety of online music stores. Meanwhile, most teenagers will be begging parents for the next generation of cell phones, looking for improved picture-taking functions to trade homework help for images of the cute new boy in Algebra I.

Portable video gaming systems are also hot this season, with many manufacturers offering increased functionality and appealing not only to kids, but to women and older gamers. Continuing the gaming trend, laptop computers keep getting smaller and yet more powerful, enabling them to offer advanced gaming features.

also see in Shopping -> Office & School Supplies | Electronics

More about back to school gadgets around the Web:

PC Magazine's Back To School Report

Back to School Electronics - Teens Possess Purchasing Power