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High-tech Fills Dorm Rooms
Aired August 14, 2002 - 14:55 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: You know, dorm rooms just aren't what they used to be. As college students pack and head for campus, many will be sporting the latest high tech must-haves.
So what are they, and how much will they cost you parents?
To find out, we are going to turn to CNN's Renay San Miguel -- hi, Renay.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Carol. Yes, we have got some items here for the classroom, the dorm room, and then just something to take with you on the go for students who might be heading back to school. Joining us to talk more about this is Janice Chen. She is the editor-in-chief of CNet Reviews, and "Computer Shopper" magazine. Thanks for coming down to Atlanta, we appreciate it.
JANICE CHEN, "COMPUTER SHOPPER" MAGAZINE: Thanks for having me.
SAN MIGUEL: Let's start off with this -- something for the classroom, the Quicklink Super Pen for around $150. What does this do for you?
CHEN: Well, it is a pen scanner, and what you do is you can scan text into it, and it is great for students because you can scan charts and graphs, and actually have the data input into an Excel spreadsheet. And then the other thing is that it has a 20 language dictionary, so you can on the fly translate words. So, it is great for luggage classes or traveling for students.
SAN MIGUEL: That could put the yellow highlighter out of business, sounds like.
CHEN: Exactly.
SAN MIGUEL: $150 from Quicklink Super Pen. And then for the dorm room, for those who want to manage their audio, and any other kind of data that is coming in, this is a Creative Labs Sound Blaster Extigy for also for $150. What do you like about this?
CHEN: That is right. Well, this is perfect for a student's dorm room, because what it does is it connects to your PC and turns your PC into a complete entertainment system, so you can connect -- you can see all the ports on the front of it. You can connect it to whatever audio device you really want. Like, you can connect it to a guitar if you want to jam in your room. You can connect it to your DVD in your computer and connect it to a TV so you can watch your DVD's, and also play your stereo. So it is really great for a student that doesn't want a have a lot of different equipment, wants to just use their PC to run their audio.
SAN MIGUEL: Exactly. So -- and also whether it is a desktop or a laptop computer, it will plug right in.
CHEN: That is right. It has got a USB connection, so it is really easy to set up, and it gives terrific sound quality as well.
SAN MIGUEL: All right. You don't have to bring another stereo in for those dorm rooms, that are kind of crowded these days. And then for something that is on the go, and of course, call mom and dad and ask for more money while you are in college is the Sony-Ericsson line of phones, the T61Z and T68I. These do more than just -- you know, you can just talk on them, right?
CHEN: Right. Well, the 61Z is actually really inexpensive. It is only -- it is actually less than $100, usually, with the service plan, and it does all that advanced features that students are into, like the short messaging, where they send notes to each other, and you can download ring tones so you can specialize -- you can put specialty ring tones on. And the more expensive model from Sony-Ericsson, which is one of the hottest phones right now, it is about $200. This one has -- actually, a really nice color screen and it has -- you can actually send little clips -- little graphics to each other in short messaging. And it comes -- it doesn't come with a camera. The camera is actually sold separately for $130, and you can take photos and e- mail them to your friends.
SAN MIGUEL: And I have got to ask you -- you are not looking at a Nikon or a Canon digital camera of quality, but how are the pictures that you shoot with these Sony-Ericsson? I see these advertised all over the place now.
CHEN: Right. Well, the pictures are not going to be like a full blown digital camera is, but for e-mailing and especially for displaying on little screens like this, they are perfectly adequate.
SAN MIGUEL: And you can cycle through them to take pictures of mom and dad and show those to the dorm room.
(CROSSTALK)
CHEN: Exactly.
SAN MIGUEL: OK, and I want to make clear that the T68I is $200, the one with -- the camera also comes -- $130 for that. So you are looking at $330, but with all the service plans that are out there, maybe you can catch a break on some of those?
CHEN: Exactly. And actually, the pricing with service plans is often cheaper than your pricing for phone lines in universities, so a lot of students do wireless phones instead of signing up for the university plan.
SAN MIGUEL: And universities are losing money because of that. CHEN: Right.
SAN MIGUEL: Janice Chen, editor-in-chief of CNet Reviews and "Computer Shopper" magazine. Thanks for being with us today.
CHEN: Thanks for having me on.
SAN MIGUEL: Those are some of the latest of the high-tech gadgets for back to school -- Carol, back over to you.
LIN: All right. Thanks, Renay.
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