Back to School - The Tech Items Every Student Wants

Its all about reading, writing and technology for back to school.

But once the essentials are stacked up, what else is worthy to be purchased for the school year?

For those heading into the brand new world of post-secondary education, the smartphone, the laptop and a few other tech essentials are must-haves - but what else?

Are there are other electronic items that would make your school days easier or more fun?

According to Future Shop's Elliott Chun, there are several options for the students who have some additional budget money from the summer job to make their dorm life better.

Tablets are the hot item in the tech world. "Last year there were two available - iPad and Samsung Galaxy, but this year there are 12 different tablets from Acer, Lenovo, Toshiba, Motorola and a hybrid tablet from Dell, the Inspiron Duo," explained Chun. He said for students who always want be connected, a tablet is a great option to use during lectures and seminars and is priced between $399 and $750.

To make sure you don't miss a word from the professor, Chun recommends the Livescribe Echo Smartpen, with audio recording via its microphone, a micro USB connector, memory storage of up to 400 hours and the ability to take notes.

Another popular choice is an eBook Reader, especially for those students who are in book-heavy courses. "Instead of carrying around six or seven novels in the backpack, a student can download the text into an eBook Reader, which weighs next to nothing," says Chun. Kobo and Sony are popular options, with Aluratek providing a budget-conscious option for students, with a $99 eBook Reader.

But there's also a need to have some fun - and for the gamers, there's the retro iCade Arcade Cabinet, a mini '80s style arcade game with joystick that connects to an iPad to access Atari games. And for those watching the budget, Future Shop offers the ability for consumers to trade in games for store credit - which could lead those avid combatants to save up for Gears of War 3 Epic Edition or Unchartered 3: Drake's Deception.