wave3.com-Louisville News, Weather & SportsDorm room gadgets for the ultimate college pad

By John Brandon
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You're heading off to college soon or already en route. Or, maybe you're a parent of a college student and you want your son or daughter to be as comfortable as possible. There's no need to leave your high-tech gadgets at home, and you can pick right up where you left off in L.A. Noire or whatever game you're into these days. This gear is intended for adding some pizazz to your dorm room in terms of quality audio gear, a wireless router, and even a smart energy meter.

Booq Mamba Shift L ($150)

Booq is known for making durable bags with tons of extra compartments. The Mamba Shift L is a new slimmer model that's designed for carrying one notebook and a few extra gadgets. The important spec: The bag is made from a nylon material that is waterproof both inside and out. There's an extra zipper pouch inside and a compartment that is sized for the iPhone. Airmesh liners protect your computer with extra padding that softens drops.

Belkin Conserve Socket ($10)

You might not care too much about utility bills in college ... after all, most students pay a flat rate for a dorm room. However, if you care about the environment, consider using these simple "smart meters" that will shut off after 30 minutes or up to three hours. You plug the socket into a wall outlet, then plug in your device. Once your phone is done charging or the coffee is brewed, the socket shuts off automatically instead of continually drawing power.

Asus-Automobili Lamborghini VX7 ($2,300)

Most colleges provide minimum specs for a laptop, such as a specific GHz rating and "approved" OS. However, few dictate that your laptop has to be boring. The Asus-Automobili Lamborghini VX7 is one of the sleekest notebooks around, created in a partnership between Asus and the Italian automaker). The specs provide more than enough power for taking notes in Lit class: Windows 7 Ultimate, Nvidia GeForce GTX 460M graphics, 3GB of video memory, an Intel Core i7 2.0GHz processor, up to 16GB DDR3 of RAM and a USB 3.0 port.

Sony NEX-5 ($650)

This hybrid camera operates like a point-and-shoot digital camera, but uses interchangeable lenses to accommodate unusual shooting situations, including a wide-angle lens for sports scenes and even a fisheye conversion lens that captures a broader view around a scene. The 14.2-megapixel camera is no slouch, capturing high-res images with deep color detail. A special panorama mode allows you to move the camera continually for a widescreen photo.

Check out our full Sony Alpha NEX-5 Review.

Roku 2 HD ($60)

College students love streaming video, whether it's Netflix, Hulu or YouTube.com. The new Roku 2 does all of the above, lets you play Angry Birds, and is priced for those who have mounting tuition bills. The device connects to an HDTV using an HDMI cable and doesn't take up much space (it is just 3-inches square) or suck up much power (about 2 watts).

iHome iA17 Clock Radio for iPhone/iPod ($100)

The iHome clock radio has carved out a niche in bedside wake-up radios that work with your iPhone or iPod Touch. The iA17 is iHome's most unique model so far. When the alarm goes off, the radio displays a rotating series of soothing lights. You can configure the radio to play an FM station, or tracks from your iPhone or iPod. The colors can fade in and out or even change in time to the music you play. An app shows the time on your device and makes it easy to set an alarm.

JVC Kaboom RV-NB70 ($300)

Every dorm room needs a stereo, and this new 40-watt JVC model has more inputs than just about any other model we've ever tested, including a dock for your iPhone or iPod Touch, a 3.5mm input for other MP3 players, a USB port, CD and FM radio, and a quarter-inch guitar input. The unit comes with a shoulder strap and can run off of batteries or a wall outlet. Sound quality is outstanding with a rich bass you can adjust using a large dial for more oomph.

Digital Storm: ODE ($1,500)

A laptop might be required for school, but no dorm room is complete without a high-powered rig for multiplayer PC gaming. The Digital Storm ODE is powered by an Intel i7 2600K processor that is overclocked to 5.0GHz. The system has four GTX 5700 graphics cards that are linked together using SLI, which increases graphics throughput for higher frame rates in games. The white and black design stands out at a LAN party, and glows neon-red from inside the case.

SuperTooth Disco ($150)

Bluetooth is a smart way to stream music from your phone because you don't even have to get up from your desk. The SuperTooth Disco streams from about 30 feet away and pumps out 28 watts of sound using a driver geared specifically for streaming clarity. The rechargeable battery lasts for about 10 hours of moderate usage during the day, so it's also portable.

Kodak ESP C310 ($80)

Every dorm rooms needs a printer, and this low-cost all-in-one can print, scan, and make copies. A key feature: the C310 connects easily to a Wi-Fi network so you can print from across the room. Ink cartidges cost about $18 for color and print 275 pages, but the black cartridges cost just $10 and last for almost 350 prints. There is a new Kodak app for iPhone and BlackBerry that lets you print directly to the device. A 1.6-inch color screen shows you a preview of images, which you can load from camera cards using the SD, MMC or MemoryStick slot.

Microsoft Mobile Mouse 3500 Artist Edition ($30)

You might not think of a mouse as a collectible item, but the this new 3500 series from Microsoft comes in six different designs from famous artists like Linn Olofsdotter, a commercial illustrator from Sweden who makes intricate (almost hypnotic) patterns. Each mouse comes with a desktop wallpaper in high resolution you can use with your computer. The battery lasts for 10 months. There's a small USB stick that stays flush with the side of your notebook.

Nescafe Dolce Gusto Circolo ($150)

This unique coffeemaker is multi-talented: It can make a strong dark blend, various hot cocoas, chilled teas, and mixed drinks like cappuccinos. You load small cartridges into a slot (say, one for the coffee and one for the milk), load water in a rear compartment, and then move a lever left or right for cold or hot drinks. One of the coolest features: the farther away you move the lever, the colder or hotter your drink will turn out, so you can customize drinks to order.