MANILA, Philippines — My, my, time does fly!  I was just in Naga recently and as I was touring the towns I noticed that most of the activities in the malls, halls, hotels where already geared towards graduations, proms and parties. This signals final exam week and looming vacation and as I mull over this, I got to think about how much studying has changed from my time to now. For one thing there’s more stuff to learn and what’s nice is that technology facilitates this.  Most noticeable are the “tools” kids now have to work with.

Last year’s trend was convergence: Most everything got smaller, more portable and handier. The must-have gadgets became more prominent, with their features and apps being the major consideration.

These gadgets picked up the pieces where handheld game consoles and MP3 players left off. The iPhone and Android smartphones kicked off the trend, of course, you still won’t use your cell phone to write school reports but with accessories you could get for smartphones, most everything is possible.

This school year, three broad categories came to view - computers, tablets, and smartphones. A student’s dilemma was often the brand or the platform.  Phones - from Nokias it is now, Blackberry or iPhone with the biggest choice for each being  “Apple or non-Apple?” Computers - ?Do I get a MAC or a PC, a desktop or laptop? ??Nearly everyone’s going the laptop route, and with good reason: It can go with you everywhere, even in class.

But the computer you bring to class has to be small, and for many, an iPad or other tablet fits the bill better than a PC or Mac laptop or netbook, especially since it means you can have a bigger screen and a nicer keyboard. ??All-in-one PCs and iMacs make the best dorm-room desktops, because they have less clutter and take up less space.

The iMac is best for people who don’t like to fuss with their computers, as well as art or photography majors who need to use certain Mac apps. PCs are best if your classes rely on Windows apps, if you have a lot of Windows games, or if you’re price-conscious.

Some PC makers even throw in a bonus like a free printer or digicam. ??As for laptops, Apple just recently retired its white plastic MacBook, making the 11-inch MacBook Air. It’s small, lightweight, and fast, but it doesn’t have a whole lot of space to store movies and photos, and the screen is almost netbook-size.

A 15-inch MacBook Pro has a bigger screen, but PC laptops can get you the same screen size for much cheaper. ?Tablets - the iPad is still the tablet of choice, unless you’re an Android fan and prices keep dropping on Android tablets so now’s a good time to pick one up if you want to take advantage of this.

The smartphone field isn’t so completely dominated by Apple. The iPhone is still popular, but some Android phones offer features and connection speeds unmatched by the iPhone.

Samsungs, HTC and even our very own Myphones have become handier and affordable with all the apps and features.

Bottom line is, it comes down to personal preference. Prices are definitely going down on these gizmos so feel free to try out a bunch and see which you like.  You’ll have all summer vacation to pick a good one.

Lemme hear from yah:

techiemommy@gmail.com