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10 gadget gifts for geeky students

A look over my top ten gadgets for geeky students: Things you don't need, but really, really want.
By Zack Whittaker, Contributor
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1 of 10 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET

Though digital pens never really took off, the Livescribe Pulse pen combines voice recording and an infrared camera which is an ideal solution for graduate students. Why? Because for post-graduate study, this allows you to write and take notes for your masters degree -- notably a particularly difficult qualification to attain.

Included is a USB connector, to connect to your Mac or PC, and has an in-built speaker so you can write away and covertly record (if your lecturer wants to cite intellectual property rights -- pah!). All in all, it's does the job for quite a cheap price -- with over 200 hours of recording and takes high-definition infrared camera images (over 70 a second).

Available at: Amazon.com for $79.99

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For those who would rather duck away from U.S. law, in particular the Patriot Act which can access EU-cloud data linked to U.S. companies, one could opt for a private cloud solution -- enter Pogoplug.

A hardware solution, it allows you to access your files from any web or mobile browser, as well as streaming content to your TV, Wi-Fi enabled smartphone or games console. Compatible with a number of drive formats, it can be used as a replacement for sending large email attachments, and you can access it from anywhere in the world from a secure login page.

Available at: Pogoplug (direct) for $99

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3 of 10 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET

Everyone needs a jar which can count up the pennies for a rainy day of alcohol consumption. This jar, however, counts up the coppers for you -- so you know exactly how much is in there.

By counting up through an LCD screen on the top of the jar, you can keep track of how much is in there -- without having to take it to one of those dastardly machines at the supermarket, which often takes a cut from your counted coins.

And when you're a student, every cent counts.

Available at: Amazon.com for $12.99

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Students, more than anyone it seems, collect more electronic gadgets, gizmos and devices than the majority of others. Instead of collecting vast numbers of charging units, plugs and wires trailing across one's dorm room, the Chargepod consolidates charging wires into one small, compact and inter-changeable solution for all your devices.

Compatible with over 3,000 devices, you can select and buy specific chargers which are compatible with this charging dock separately. You can charge up to six devices at any one time -- including iOS devices, BlackBerrys, laptops, gaming consoles, iPods and others.

Available at: Callpod (direct) for $59.95

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Perhaps one of my favourite gadgets for all. The Sonic Bomb is an alarm clock like no other -- it not only has a loud blast to wake you up in the morning, but it also shakes your bed to stir even the most determined of sleepers. It flashes, it buzzes, it shouts and screams at you until you get out of bed. 

At 113db, it will be enough to wake you up in the morning -- whether it's for a lecture, a professor's meeting, or even to catch a plane.

Available at: Amazon.com for $29.82

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Thus gooey, sticky camera mount is ideal for those who take crazy photos wherever they are -- and I mean wherever. It not only sticks to trees, masonry, and people's heads, it sticks to virtually everything. It will hold even a heavy DSLR camera for a good five minutes before unpeeling and falling down -- but that should be enough time to get a half decent photo snapped.

Available at: eCrater for $29.00

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7 of 10 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET

"If Apple made a coffee machine, this would be it" -- Jason Perlow.

His extensive review was enough for me to buy one for myself. Though it has not yet arrived (and will not do for the next couple of weeks), his recommendation alone was enough for me to get in on this jittery-inducing action.

Though it uses pods, and not regular ground coffee from the local supermarket, refilling them is cheap overall, and the quality -- I am told -- is beyond excellent. A must buy for any student graduate working through the summer months on dissertation madness!

Available at: Amazon.com for $211.41

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8 of 10 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET

These headphones are without doubt the best headphones I have ever bought. With perfect sound quality, they come with a 3.5mm jack which is compatible with the very vast majority of music devices, phones and iPods on the market.

The bass is incredible, the sound quality is beyond amazing, and because they are packaged with different sizes ear buds, the right size will completely blank out any ambient or background sound. Just, be careful in crossing the street -- and make sure you don't wear them as you sleep; just in case you miss the fire alarm!

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Available at: MacMall for $42.99

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9 of 10 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET

A lot has been said about the Kindle. A lot from me has been negative -- but rest assured, since buying one, I will never turn back.

Granted, there are still a lot of academic books which are not available yet on the Kindle Store, but the range already carries a whole wealth of books available for download. Plus, if you are simply a casual reader, you can reach hundreds of thousands of books at an incredibly low price in the grand scheme of things.

Available at: Amazon.com (direct) for $114.00

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10 of 10 Zack Whittaker/ZDNET

Facebook photos are all good and well, but one cannot keep flicking through them day after day. What one needs is a digital frame -- and this one is perfect. 

It displays high-resolution images in this 7" frame -- which keeps it small but succinct and not hugely in the way. But, it boasts wireless capacity so you can update it over the network, along with its own unique email address. So, next time you are emailing photos to friends or emailing them to Facebook -- cc'in your own private email address and you are good to go.

But who needs to, when it automatically connects to Facebook anyway? It can store hundreds of images with the 512MB internal memory, and the memory is expandable.

Available at: WalMart for $104.00

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