Last week, we gave you a list of some essential home appliances for a fresh college grad. Following a somewhat similar course, we are going to focus on must-have gadgets for college students. In the good old days, an average college student could survive with a few books and some stationary. Things have come a long way since then. Now, the medium of education has gone largely digital as e-books and PDF’s have become standard educational sources. At the same time, newer forms of entertainment gadgets like gaming consoles and media players have become commonplace among college students.

So, we are giving you a list of the some of the most essential gadgets for college students:

1. Netbook- Netbooks are a miniature version of laptops, they are smaller in size and the range of functions is limited compared to a laptop. In spite of that, a netbook scores over a laptop in several ways. Firstly, a netbook is considerably lighter and smaller in size than a laptop. For a college student, portability is one of the most crucial features in a laptop as he or she has to carry around his or her laptop just about everywhere. This becomes rather unpleasant if you have a bulky laptop. On the other hand, you won’t encounter that problem with a netbook. At the same time, the functions offered by a good netbook are more than sufficient for a college student’s needs.

When it comes to netbooks, the Asus Eee PC 1015PN comes highly recommended. This 10-inch netbook comes with a 1GB RAM, Dual Core Atom CPU, Nvidia Ion Graphics for HD video and gaming and a comfortable touchpad. Asus has also launched the Eee PC 1005PR which comes with an impressive 250 GB RAM. If you are looking for something more affordable, you can also check out the Acer Aspire One Happy 2.

2. Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones- College experience is incomplete without some good music, either at parties or on your iPod. A pair of noise cancelling headphones can enhance the experience of listening to music. Such headphones become a necessity in college where students are surrounded by noise everywhere. After all, there is never a dull moment in college. So, if you want to find some peace in the middle of all the chaos, buy yourself a pair of noise cancelling headphones.

If you are willing to spend a few extra dollars, then nothing can compete with the Bose Quiet Comfort 15. These headphones offer the best noise cancelling feature, the sound is great and they are unbelievably comfortable. Alternatively, Monster Beats by Dr. Dre Studio also live up to high quality standards.

3. E-Book Readers- As a lot of curriculum books are now available as e-Books, it makes sense to invest in a good e-Book reader. The advantages are obvious- one single gadget can carry a thousand e-Books, saving a lot of space in your dorm room. It also makes books more accessible for college students. A particular book might not be available in your library, but you can always find a soft copy version. The Amazon Kindle Fire offers the best reading experience among such tablets. Amazon employs the E-Ink technology which completely transforms the experience of reading an e-Book, making it surprisingly similar to reading a real book.

These are only some of the gadgets that we believe every college student must have in the present day and age. Besides these, a portable gaming console like the Nintendo 3DS can provide that much-needed breather between classes. Add to this a good pair of iPod Dock speakers like the Altec Lansing Octiv Duo M202 and of course, an iPod, and you should be fully equipped for college.