Serious and silly student gadgets

As the spring semester begins, students are busy adjusting to new schedules and preparing for another 15 weeks of higher learning. 

Luckily, technology offers our generation a variety of ways to make student life more manageable. Ranging from the practical to the novel, The Oracle plugs into the latest must-have gadgets for today's student on the go. 

Gear for serious students: 

Smartphone charger case — $40-$80

Those stranded in classes all day no longer have to fear a dwindling phone battery. External battery cases such as the Juice Pack Air allow for extended battery life built into a sleek case. 

Make your smartphone case multifunctional by investing in one that charges on the go. The price tag is pretty steep, but getting those extra few hours of YouTube time between classes might be worth it. 

GadgetTrak — $20

A college campus can be a dangerous place for valuables such as smartphones and laptops. Luckily, there's an app for that. GadgetTrak helps you locate your lost or stolen technology using GPS,Wi-Fi and cell tower triangulation to track its location. 

Other functions let you wipe or back up data remotely as well as set off alarms on the device. Now if only there was an app that blackmailed the gadget thief into handing over the goods.

Noise-cancelling headphones — $35-$300

Are you one of those people who can't help but eavesdrop on every conversation within a 10-foot radius? Invest in something that will keep you focused on the task at hand. Noise-cancelling headphones can do wonders in eliminating the chatter that echoes throughout the halls of campus. 

Cnet.com describes them as "headphones (that) hush ambient noise by creating antinoise that obviates the noise at your ear." In other words, these headphones create a faint, less-distracting noise that keeps your ear from picking up on your neighbor's juicy gossip. Prices vary based on style, sound quality and comfort.

C-Pen highlighter — $70 - $140

You've probably heard of smart pens made to enhance note-taking with a variety of features. The C-Pen highlighter is a somewhat simpler form of electronic writing utensil. This device scans lines of a textbook for easy quoting and cataloging on your computer. 

Doodles in the margins of textbooks lower their resell value and clutter your reading space. Easily find that important quotation by scanning notable lines as you read. Though this is a rather pricey highlighter, students who see lengthy thesis papers in their futures might want to invest now. 

Gear for goofballs:

Study Ball — $115

Some of us need a little help when it comes to being disciplined studiers. This device will ensure we stay true to our goals. The Study Ball locks around a student's ankle and does not release until a preprogrammed time expires on the device. 

With a 20-pound weight around your ankle, chances are you'll just stick it out and study rather than drag your expensive anklet to the kegger down the hall.

Anti-Theft lunch bags — $8 

This might be most suitable for the workplace if you have co-workers who like to prey on unsuspecting lunch bags in the breakroom fridge. 

These bags will definitely make thieves think twice, with fake mold spots meant to gross out even the most desperate of offenders. 

Quirky alarm clocks — $10 - $50

Gadget makers know that students love sleep. This has opened up a market for all sorts of unique alarm clocks. Those looking to save power can buy a clock that runs on water or any other electrolytic liquid, such as beer or coffee. Students who too frequently hit the snooze button will surely be awakened by the time they catch their Tocky — the alarm clock that rolls away from you when it goes off. Prices vary with features such as MP3 capability.  

For those who can't even be convinced to chase their clock, check out the alarm clock that shocks you when you go to turn it off. You'll have an interesting decision: slowly get up to the chime of your clock or risk slight electrocution.