Back to School : All your basic tech stuff from Officeworks

When it comes to planning for Back to School it’s never to early to start.  Sure the kids have only just started holidays, but we all know that time will fly and at the end you’ll be running around looking for all the stuff they need!

I’ve been putting together some Tech Trends for Officeworks and in the course of that research found some great back-to-school tech goodies at Officeworks that I think should be on your list.

Headphones:

I was blown away at the price of Bluetooth headphones.  Having reviewed many at $300 or much much more, these QUDO over-ear headphones are just $39.88.  Yep, under $40.

They come in a range of colours and work 100% wire free.  They pair easily to smartphones or iPods and the sound quality is good.  No, it’s not on par with the $300 sets, but there’s no way they “sound” like they cost just $40.

Songs with bass can be a bit much, but pull the volume down to 70% and everything is great.  Amazing for kids who love music while they study, and for you when the kids are in the back seat on a long drive.

For the same price you can also get in-ear bluetooth headphones from QUDO.  These have a single wire between each ear, which can go around the back of the head or hang around the front.

I found them a tight fit, but they come with different ear sizes to make adjustments so should be perfect for all ages.

Again, they aren’t the best at high volume, but when you dial them back a touch the sound is great.

Portable Storage

Never lose a file.  Always have a backup.  A portable hard drive can be where you keep your day-t0-day files or where you back your whole PC up to.

A rugged one like this Lacie Rugged Mini will set you back just $179.  1TB is enough to backup a whole computer.

It’s also enough for storing videos and audio if your kids are into multi-media, or a place to keep their music collection to keep the computer hard drive free.

If it’s not being moved around in a backpack so you don’t need that rugged approach, for just a few more dollars you can quadrupal that storage to 4TB with a Seagate Backup plus.

This slimline device can be used to backup multiple PCs and huge amounts of data.  Peace of mind right through your school years.

Portable Power:

If the kids have a tablet or mobile phone, you’re going to want some peace of mind they can call you anytime.  And kids are good at forgetting things.  Like socks, drink bottles, lunchboxes – and charging their phone.

So a portable battery pack – like this 8000mAh Comsol will charge your device several times.  Perfect solution for everyone.

USB Storage

Perhaps the school book-list is recommending a 2GB USB thumb drive.  Please, that might have been enough a few years ago, but at $23 for FIVE USB drives with 16GB of storage EACH you’re mad to buy any smaller capacity.

Three drives at 16GB each is just $15!

Keep it protected

Finally, if they’ve got a laptop and they’re just throwing it in the backpack or carrying it around – get them a laptop sleeve!

Just $9.50 gets you a soft zipper safe pouch for the laptop which will cover off bumps and scratches and keep the laptop in good condition

Honestly, the prices these days for storage are mind blowing.  So, shop smart folks.

Stay tuned for some tech trends from Officeworks soon!

Trevor Long has a commercial agreement with Officeworks – all EFTM commercial partnerships are outlined on our Disclosures and Commercial Interests page