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Gadget corner

Must-have back to school gadgets for college

Are you headed off to college in the fall? While the classes may be tough, your life shouldn’t be. Going to college requires a whole new type of back to school supplies. Rather than a few notebooks and pencil cases, you need to consider everything else that comes with life at college.

Back to school 2019
  • Where can I find the best school supplies? Check out or category with the best of the best school supplies curated by the Gadget Flow team for everyone from K-12 to college students.
  • Which gaming laptop should I buy for college? Gone are the days when gamers had to construct desktop monsters to enjoy the latest titles. Whether you enjoy Minecraft or Fortnite, these gaming laptops should help you defeat enemies and reach the next level.
  • Is there any smart stationery I need to see? Notebooks and pens are often overlooked in the world of tech. But smart stationery can help you get things done, archive your ideas and enjoy the simple act of writing.

When summer is in full swing, it’s the perfect time to figure out what you need for the upcoming school year. Going to college is so much different than the younger school years. You have to consider an entire lifestyle change in addition to the more difficult classes and coursework.

As such, your school supply list is abundantly different. No longer do you need to purchase textbook covers. Instead, you have to pay extortionate rates for them. Plus, you have to take into account getting to and from class whether you live on campus or off. And, don’t forget kitting out your dorm with all the necessities.

However, as tough as college may be, there are plenty of back to school gadgets that can make it a little easier.

Rocketbook Everlast Reusable Smart Notebook

The Everlast Notebook is a connected notebook which means it automatically syncs your writing with the cloud. All your notes will automatically sync with Google Drive, Dropbox, OneNote, Slack, iCloud, or any other service you need. It even works with your email. Working with Pilot FriXion pens, the ink takes just 15 seconds to dry. But, this smart notebook is actually reusable. Take all the notes you want and make all the doodles you need. Then, when you need more space, simply wipe the Everlast Notebook clean with a damp cloth. And with 36 pages, you have ample space to take notes for every class. Visit https://www.orlandomagazine.com/colonbroom-review/.

Moleskin Pen+ Ellipse Smart Pen

If you like to write on a variety of paper types, check out the Moleskin Pen+ Ellipse. This smart pen is incredibly intelligent. It works with Ncoded paper technology which lets the pen identify your writing. For example, as you write the date or time, it instantly recognizes it. Then, it syncs your notes chronologically all on its own. Incredibly, the Pen+ Ellipse tracks all of your strokes and updates the Moleskin Notes app in real-time. Offering endless creativity options, this smart pen will make it easy to keep track of all your notes.

Microsoft Surface Go Tablet

Looking for an on-the-go system but don’t want to shell out money for an iPad Pro? The Microsoft Surface Go is a fantastic tablet. It’s exceptionally slim at just 8.3mm thick. Plus, it also weighs only 1.5 lbs., meaning you can take it everywhere. It’ll fit into any bag, even if you’re tight on space. Of course, it’s a total powerhouse designed to keep up with your work. The beautiful PixelSense Display supports the Surface Pen. In fact, it sports 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity. This lets you be as precise as you need to bring all your creative designs to life. The Surface Go is complete with a 10-inch display to give you plenty of space for all thing work and play.

Tips For Back To School Shopping On A Budget

It’s almost that time of the year again: back to school! Parents can’t wait for it, while kids frown at the thought of it. Whether you’re sending your children back to school or going back yourself, one of biggest tasks on your to-do list is back to school shopping. While back-to-school shopping can be fun, it can also be quite stressful, as there’s a lot you or your child is going to need to have a successful year ahead. The cost of supplies can add up quickly too. Here are some budget friendly tips for back to school shopping:

Ask for a shopping list

Have a game plan before you even start shopping. It’s easy to waste money on things you don’t need. Ask your school or your child’s teacher for a shopping list. If they don’t already have one prepared (and most will be prepared), they can at least provide you guidance on what to buy. It will make things much easier for you and take the guess work out of shopping. You’ll only buy exactly what you need and still be super prepared.

Stock up now

An entire school year can be quite long, but back-to-school deals only last for a few weeks. What about the rest of the year? Stock up now instead of buying supplies for only the next few months. Plan ahead and get what you need now so you can take advantage of the deals. Months from now, the same things will cost more. Take a look to the best mohawk superfine paper deals.

Buy used

Kids might like new shiny things but it makes sense to buy used for certain items. For instance, your child is taking calculus this year and needs an expensive calculator. Does it make sense to spend over $100 on something he or she will only use for a few months? Probably not. Look for cheaper, gently used options instead. This is an especially important tip for college students who will need to purchase their own textbooks. Used is the way to go more often than you think.

Use what you already have

Remember to search your home first before you go out and spend. Many supplies, like notebooks and pens, are sitting in closets and desk drawers forgotten about and unused. Make use of what you already have. You can also reuse and repurpose items from the previous school year, like backpacks and binders.

Back to School After Winter Break

Going back to school after winter break can feel like a let-down to some teachers. The merriment that came with holiday anticipation has evaporated, the days are short, and the weather is cold. You may find yourself pining for the days of sleeping in and binge-watching the latest TV craze.

Remember, you are likely not the only one feeling this way; it’s common for students to feel foggy or unmotivated as well. But it’s important to take this time to set the tone for the rest of the school year and get back into your groove! Here are three tips to help with your transition:

1. Positivity is Key – Although you may not be feeling very positive, remember that students pick up on your attitude and reflect it. Have you ever heard the phrase, “fake it ’til you make it”? Create a pleasant classroom environment by pushing yourself to think and act positively! No matter how you feel, convey to your students that you’re thrilled to be back doing what you love – teaching! 

2. Reinforce Expectations – Take a bit of time to go over your signals for getting students’ attention and review rules, procedures, and expectations. This sends students the message that you’re ready to get right back into the everyday flow of the school year.

3. Winter Break Reflection – If you have extra time, allow students to reflect on their winter break through a productive academic activity like a writing prompt. We found an excellent list of 20 Back from Winter Break Writing Prompts from the Minds in Bloom blog. This post even includes a math activity of creating a pie chart to show how students spent their winter break. 

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For Gstaad read Zweisimmen

Gstaad has that ring of opulence about it, although in truth it is a sleepy town where I have had to wait for the cows to cross the road whilst driving through it. Zweisimmen doesn’t have the same cachet, but for me it gives you access to the very best slopes in the Gstadd Mountain Rides.Gstaad Mountain Rides comprises 6 sectors for pricing purposes and 10 distinct ski areas. Although Glacier 3000 is included in the pass it really is geographically closer to Les Diablerets, whilst the rest of the runs are mostly below 2000m. Getting around these runs in the Simmental and Saanenland is a doddle with a train running from Zweisimmen across the Röstigraben to Châteax D’Oex connecting most of the areas up, and the train is included in the lift pass.
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However the largest ski area is best accessed from Zweisimmen, reached easily by a train from Berne on the BLS service. A useful feature of the service is that, if you have a Snow’n’Rail combined train and lift pass, somebody comes round the train at weekends to trade in your lift voucher for a lift pass. That means you can get straight off the train, walk the 200 yards to the gondola and go straight up to the slopes. How’s that for service!

I had been thinking of going to Lauchernalp above the Lötschental, where this time of year the local carnival is celebrated with people dressed as the fearsome Tschäggättä, even on the slopes. However it is a high resort and it promised to be a cold day, so I opted for the lower runs above Zweisimmen. Even though the runs are low, however, I’ve always found the snow holds well here, with shaded tree-clad slopes and sheltered off-piste.

The snow was excellent after an indifferent January in the Alps. No bare patches and lots of new snow, with powder off-piste. New snow overnight meant that the extensive off-piste here was untracked. There is quite a lot of gentle off-piste around. There’s some on the Rinderberg and above St Stephan, and stuff around Hornberg, but both sides of the valley above Chaltebrunne have wonderful areas that are great fun to explore in new snow. I am always surprised there are not more boarders here, since nearly all the runs are served by gondolas and chairlifts, there are no real flat areas, there’s a park and there is so much easy, lift-served off-piste.
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Anyway, all round a good gig. One of my favourite resorts, especially for mid-winter.

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Black Forest

The Black Forest is relatively low-lying and you cannot guarantee good snow throughout the season, but it is still relatively reliable for the peak season. It is convenient for much of northern Switzerland, including Basel, and is much cheaper than the Alpine resorts for a winter holiday.

We organised a family holiday this month to Todtnauberg, a high valley not far from Feldberg, the highest point in the Black Forest (and in the whole of Germany, outside the Alps).

Schwarzwald
Mazumdars in the Black Forest
Despite the good snow in December the temperatures had risen unseasonably high and even at 1150m, the village had patchy snow. Nonethless, the nursery area near the centre of the village and the larger, connected section across the valley were open.

In total Todtnauberg boasts 6 surface lifts, 12 red runs and 4 trails. There is an excellent high cross-country circuit. Should the snow not be too good on the lower slopes, the runs above Liftstüble can still offer good conditions and whatever the snow conditions, there are some lovely winter walks in the area. Todtnauberg is also situated at the top of what claims to be the highest waterfall in Germany, the Todtnau Waterfall, and there are a number of pleasant walking trails that take you down along the length of the falls.

The setting is spectacular and from various points around the village and the surrounding hills you can see the Alps in the distance. We stayed at the family-run Pension Enzian, conveniently located next to the Kapellenlift. It is a lovely little establishment, very simple but with good food and wonderful hosts and certainly one I would recommend. In our case the party included skiers, non-skiers, pensioners, infants and children and we felt we were all catered for well.

Driving to Todtnauberg is relatively straightforward, with the village being served by a dedicated road running off the main Todtnau to Freiburg road. There is also reasonably good public transport with a direct bus to Freiburg (which is well worth a visit if you have not been there before) and a bus to Todtnau which connects to the service to Basel (either direct, or via the train from Zell im Wiesental). I’ve known people come from Basel to ski here for the day, although most people opt for Feldberg.
Piste Map Todtnauberg
The skiing in Todtnauberg lies between 1021m amd 1388m and probably provides around 20km of ski runs and trails in total. The runs are all graded red but are generally easy enough for people more comfortable on blue runs. There are no particular gotchas for boarders other than that all of the lifts are surface lifts, and mainly t-bars at that. There is a ski school in the village.

Felderg is very close to Totdnauberg as the crow flies, but around 15km away by road. You can get to Feldberg by bus, changing in Todtnau.

I’ve posted details on Feldberg at the companion site here. It is easily the most comprehensive winter sports area in the Black Forest, and Todtnauberg is probably the second largest. There are others, though. Muggenbrun (970-1243) and Brandenberg-Fahl (850-1380) have a handful of lifts. Herrenschwand (Todtmoos), Widen, and Aitern-Multen also have more than one lift. Additionally a number of other villages have basic facilities, perhaps one lift and a couple of runs back into the village.

For Cross-country, Feldberg, Todtnauberg, Muggenbrun, Widen and Aitern-Multen have both prepared trails and Langlauf ski schools. They also have prepared winter trails, often the same ones as used by cross-country skiers but not exclusively so. Which of course, gives you also the opportunity to whistle along to that old sixties classic “A Walk in the Black Forest”. There is also plenty of scope for snowshoe walkers, especially using the extensive summer trails that are not prepared in winter.

All in all the Black Forest is a good choice for winter sports enthusiasts. It represents excellent value for money compared with Alpine resorts and, in general, better caters for tourists than the Jura. The cuisine is delicious and you really should savour a proper, freshly-made Black Forest Gateau and some of the outstanding local wines. There is also plenty to see and do, with marvellous spas dotted around – we particularly like Bad Bellingen and Badenweiler, but Titisee has the most impressive. In addition there are rustic villages steeped in history, quaint little museums, lots of waterfalls, the ubiquitous souvenir shops (for your cuckoo clock) and the wonderful old towns of Freiburg, Colmar and Basel not too far away.

If you book well in advance, you may be disappointed if you have set your heart on perfect snow conditions, but generally Feldberg, at least, is reliable from Christmas through the end of February or later. For a last minute getaway, though, you could do a lot worse.

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Early Season Skiing in Austria

A number of friends have already hit the pistes and have generally given good feedback on snow conditions. There were some good early dumps and cold conditions, although by Christmas a warm front lifted the temperatures alarmingly. However few lift systems were fully open to take advantage of the fresh snow, but with Christmas that has all changed. Many resorts have switched to their peak season schedules since 22nd December and the Oatridge family had their first ski outing.

The venue was Austria, initially Pitztal (with a top run from 3440m) and then Kitzbühel.

Pitztal has its main installations at the head of the valley, with two main areas at Rifflsee and the Glacier which together offer 68km of pistes and 44km of trails. There is also a small beginners area a couple of hundred metres from the Rifflsee base station. Rifflsee is a pleasant area of runs that are largely of similar standard irrespective of colour and connects to the Glacier base station – although to get back to Rifflsee you need to take the bus. The Glacier area is reached by a train service at Mittelberg and, although there is a trail back down, there is currently no pistes back to the base station. However with runs between 2840 and 3440m, this is a great area for early and late season skiing. The valley also has some good cross-country trails.

We stayed in the Seppl Sport & Vital Hotel in Weisswald, just a short bus ride from the valley stations. The hotel is a family-run establishment with a spa, pool, sauna, bowling alley etc and would generally get top marks but for the relatively expensive extras which could significantly add to the hotel bill if you are not careful. It lies conveniently at the terminus of the most frequent bus service, and only a short walk from the main post bus stop.

To get there from Switzerland you need to take the outstanding Railjet from Zurich to Landeck, switch to a local train to Imst then get off smartly to take the post bus connection that runs up Pitztal to Mittelberg. The journey is spectacular although the section by bus takes around 50m and is quite windy.

Like Swiss Railways with Snow’n’Rail, their Austrian counterparts (ÖBB) run a Kombitickets Wintersport scheme. It is nowhere near as extensive as the Swiss scheme and has some strange omissions, but it does include Lech, Zurs, St Anton, Kitzbühel, Nassfeld, Schladming, St Johann, Gastein, Zell am See and a dozen or so other resorts. The Austrians are almost as efficient as the Swiss, so taking the train and bus makes a lot of sense.

Kitzbühel has a rail station with a direct service to Innsbruck, although switching to a local train at Wörgl enables you to get off at the Kitzbühel Hanhenkamm stop, right next to the main gondola lift. There is also a good bus service from the main rail station, which is inclusive of a lift pass.

Kitzbühel actually comprises four sections. The small unconnected Gaisberg area in Kirchberg, the larger unconnected Kitzbüheler Horn area, a large area above Jochberg and the main area between Kitzbühel and Kirchberg which takes in the Hahnenkamm and Pengelstein peaks. From Pengelstein a gondola runs to and from the Jochberg section, although it is not possible to ski or snowboard between them. Although the highest peak across the area covered by the lift pass is only 2004m, the slopes are largely North-facing and have a good snow record. I love the runs of and around Pengelstein, lots of nice cruisy runs with enough variety and challenge and off-piste variations to keep anyone happy.

And then, of course, there is the Hahnenkamm run itself. In practice it is not one run but a series of variations, enabling you to pick and choose whether to take steep or flatter sections. it has stunning views over Kitzbühel and the surrounding areas where the valleys of the Kitzbühler Ache and Inn converge. However, what makes this run so special is that you know that are taking the route of one of the greatest ski races in the world. Truly a unique experience, and definitely a candidate in the “ten runs you should do before you die”.