12 got-to-have gadgets for today's student

Long gone are the days when a college student had only to worry about bringing a stereo and a mini-fridge to the dorm room. In these uber-connected days, students want cell phones, personal data assistants, gaming systems and laptops, and their demands are sometimes even stiffer than those of high-powered business executives.

"Students need things to collapse into a small area -- that's a handy feature for business people, but not a requirement," explains CNET section editor Tom Merritt.

For 2005, the overall trend is toward multifunctional devices. "Music players have more calendaring functions and voice recorders, and PDAs (personal organizers) are packing in the ability to play MP3s (music files)," Merritt says. "Hybridization is hitting home with the college market."

While outfitting a student with high-tech gadgets today costs almost as much as tuition, there are some devices worth the price. We've picked a few that merit a closer look.

PowerBook ($1,499)
The Apple laptop computer is an old favorite, but there's good reason for its continued popularity: It's light, powerful and well-designed. The new Tiger operating system is user-friendly and has clever features to make every project more efficient. A substantial hard drive means that students can store all of their papers, projects, music, games and e-mails with plenty of room to spare. And it's already configured for easy, wireless Internet access. The PowerBook comes with your choice of 12-, 14- and 17-inch monitors. Another big bonus: As a Macintosh, it's less susceptible to viruses than its counterparts.

IBM ThinkPad X41 ($2,399)
The sophisticated, feature-packed ThinkPad is a lightweight, highly functional laptop computer, appropriate for even the most technologically savvy student. Users can expect excellent performance from the ThinkPad, which is quick, powerful and has plenty of storage capacity. Another perk: It has an exceptional keyboard for a computer that is so slim. Its nearly indestructible shell ensures mishaps don't render it useless, and a fingerprint-reader guarantees that no one but the intended user has access.

iPod ($299)
The trendy, ubiquitous music player is slickly designed and extremely easy to use. It's also a cinch to use with the popular iTunes music downloading service. But more than that, the player can be used to download audio books, radio programs and other audio programs to help with language classes. With an optional recorder, the high-achieving student can record lectures for future listening. The 20-gigabyte model includes a color screen and allows owners to store 5,000 songs or 8,000 photos. Other features include a calendar, an alarm and games.

iAudio X5 portable multimedia player ($299)
Though iPods have hoarded the attention for music players, the iAudio X5 packs more features into its player for the same price. Its 20-gigabyte capacity holds 5,000 tunes and also includes an FM radio as well radio and voice recording -- perfect for taping a lecture in class. Not limited to music, the player can also play videos and students will appreciate the 14-hour battery life.