More than ever, we are bombarded with gadgets, but very few of them are actually worth the money. These gadgets are campus pocket friendly and can be got around town

The Campus Times sifted through the best latest technology gear out there and narrowed it down to five new gadgets that are not only cool can also assist any campus student in a number of ways while at university.

Apple iPad Air

You’ve heard it many times before, but tablets are useful and assist you on a daily basis in a variety of ways. From checking the weather, stocks, your social networks and surfing the internet, there’s really an app for everything these days and they also can save you a lot of money on books, printed newspapers and magazines if you like to read. If you want the best, the newly minted iPad Air with a new and improved processor and retina display is the way to go. My ranking of Apple might not make me any new Android-user friends, but most critics still put Apple’s tablet on top. The iPad Mini with Retina Display is a smaller less-expensive alternative to the iPad Air for the budget conscious and for an even better deal look at prices of the last generation iPad 2 or iPad Mini.

Pebble Smartwatch

The most successful crowd funding campaign landed Pebble a million dollars in donations and launched it into the hands of consumers this year. While many critics have said the Pebble Smartwatch has it’s kinks, its already more useful than any watch we’ve seen before. And it also functions as a conversation piece. As you might have guessed, the Pebble Smartwatch can save you time by assisting you with email, Twitter and Facebook notifications — and it’s also waterproof. Oh yeah, it also tells the time.

Philips Norelco QT4070 Vacuum Beard Trimmer

Beards are cool when they’re maintained, so getting an electric beard trimmer can assist you when it comes to styling, and is pretty helpful when it comes to the cleanup as well. Cleaning the sink every day can get annoying, so Philips added a vacuum to one of their powerful trimmers to save you the mess, which is really nice of them. Considering how expensive straight-blade razors are, buying a trimmer might not be a bad idea, and this one also saves you a lot of time on the cleanup.

Muse Headband

Definitely the most futuristic product on this list and a gadget that’s not even released until January (fingers crossed), the Muse headband made by Toronto-based InteraXon is a peek into the future of brain-sensing technology. While Muse won’t let you move your cursor by thinking or automatically play songs based on your mood (yet), it gives you a real-time measurement of your brain’s activity.

So how does that assist you? If you are one of the many people who complain that they “can’t turn off their minds,” wearing Muse while focusing on your breathing (mindfulness meditation) or doing brain training games will assist you in improving your focus and give you an opportunity to see your progress. Meditation or simply getting better at letting go of your stresses will help you boost your productivity at work and make a zen warrior out of you. Muse will also be getting new apps that will eventually do the things sci-fi films have predicted for years. However, you don’t have to worry about it ever being able to read your thoughts or control your mind — or so they say.

  Campus, Gadgets, Pebble Smartwatch, Students, University