10 connected gadgets for everyday student life

April 15, 2015

The world is becoming networked, devices communicate with each other more than people communicate with each other, and anyone who doesn't have a smartphone in their hand on the tram will immediately be looked at askance. In keeping with this development, here are 10 affordable gadgets up to 200 euros that every student can use.

Networking is the technology industry's blatant growth trend. In the area of wearables, people should be networked, measured and read - connected to their smartphone or recognized through reception stations in the apartment or the supermarket around the corner. Similar developments are also taking place in the smart home market: The smartphone is intended to become a remote control for roller shutters, washing machines, lighting and sound systems - at least if they do not already recognize when they should carry out which actions. But even far from the “Industry 4.0” movement, more and more networked products are coming onto the market that make our everyday lives easier or at least make them more technically exciting. An overview of ten promising ideas and concepts.

Connected bike lock

No more annoying searching for keys: With smart Bluetooth bike locks such as the Bitlock from Mesh Motion, you can lock and unlock your bike using an app. As soon as you are within reach, all you need to do is tap your finger. The device also remembers the location of the bike and can also allow other selected people access to it. If the manufacturer has its way, this can create a small “bike sharing circle”. With a battery life of around five years and robust workmanship, the Bitlock is currently a clear pioneer in this area. bitlock.co , about €100

iPhone is looking for keys

As is well known, the campus area is not exactly small and offers enough space to lose important things. Sometimes the handbag was left here, sometimes the laptop was left there. The Elgato smart key, which is attached to appropriate things and keys and is constantly connected to the iPhone, provides a solution. The current or last measured position can then be output. An acoustic signal also makes things easier to find. By the way, this also works backwards: The iPhone can play a previously selected sound using a button on the smart key. elgato.com , about €40

Good sound for free periods

With the PUNK Bluetooth speaker from Sol Republic you always have the perfect companion for outdoor music at hand. The pocket-sized speaker is waterproof, dust-proof and well padded to protect against many falls. The PUNK can also be attached to a bicycle mount or tripod using a 1/4 inch thread. The battery life is around eight hours - more than enough for a little music during free time. solrepublic.com , about €60

Projector from your pocket

With projectors specially produced for mobile use, you are prepared for any presentation. Pico Genie is certainly the pioneer here, for example with its A200 for all smartphones, tablets or laptops with an HDMI output. Presentations, images and videos can be played back up to 60 inches. picogenie.com , about €170

Cube-shaped action camera

With the GoPro, action-packed video recordings became mass marketable. Problem: You can only afford the GoPro if you have a lot of money. The Polaroid Cube is a little cheaper. The cube, which is only 35 millimeters small, records full HD videos and can also be made waterproof with appropriate cases. polaroidcube.com , about €100

Printer to go

Six students from the Technical University of Jerusalem invented the handbag printer. They raised over half a million euros through crowdfunding on Kickstarter. The highlight: The device, which weighs only 300 grams, moves over the paper with rollers and gradually prints the desired document on it. Up to 1,000 pages should be possible with one cartridge and up to 50 pages per battery charge - at a speed of 1.2 pages per minute. It is not yet known when exactly the Mini Mobile Robotic Printer will come onto the market. But it can already be pre-ordered.

zutalabs.com , about €180

Work (almost) paperless

With the Neo Smartpen N2, handwritten notes can be sent live to the connected smartphone or tablet and stored, shared and sent in digital form. The connection is established via Bluetooth 4.0 and recognized as soon as you put the device into operation. The pen can not only capture the movements and convert them into digital values, but also write with ordinary ink at the same time. The notes are available in two versions – digital and analogue.

neosmartpen.com , about €150

Smart gloves for cold days

You can also wear other gloves if you wish. The touchscreen gloves from the Dutch company Mujjo, for example, are beautifully simple. These consist of around 67 percent acrylic, 20 percent elastane and 13 percent silver fibers and make not only the index finger, as we know from other smartphone gloves, but all fingers touchscreen-capable. mujjo.com , about €25

Online from your wrist

In addition to the smartphone, we will soon have another linchpin for our technical gaming devices: the smartwatch. At the latest when the Apple Watch makes it onto the market later this year, wrist displays are likely to experience a strong upswing and increasingly find their way into our everyday lives. You will soon be able to manage appointments, messages and contacts as well as run practical apps for to-do lists, calculators or fitness tracking.

apple.com/de/watch

Joking (not) aside

In addition to all the cramming for studying, fun shouldn't be neglected. With the PowerUp 3.0 attachment, paper airplanes can be made remotely controllable. Connected via Bluetooth 4.0, you can zoom through the lecture hall for around ten minutes on one battery charge; the range is around 55 meters. poweruptoys.com , about €50