New Technology Reviews!.: Student

Apple revamps Student Jobs page

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Apple has revamped their Student Jobs page, which allows students or recent graduates to find work opportunities with Apple. The newly revamped page offers a simplified layout with job opportunities sorted into two sections:</div>
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<li style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;">"I'm currently in school" lists all Apple Campus Rep, internship, and Retail store positions.</li>
<li style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;">"I have my degree" lists all Apple Retail store, Apple Store Leadership Program, and Corporate openings.</li>
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Each category in those two sections are further broken down into subcategories. For example, "Internships" allows you to search for internships based on your degree level. If you're working on an MA or PhD Apple has different internships available than if you're working on your undergraduate.</div>
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One program which not too many people may be familiar with is the Apple Leadership Program. This has been internally referred to as the "Apple MBA." From the Student Jobs site description:</div>
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The Apple Store Leader Program is a 24-month immersion into every aspect of managing and operating an Apple Retail Store. In this international program, you'll spend time in key store positions - gaining sales skills working as a Specialist, teaching others as a Creative, and resolving problems at the Genius Bar.</div>
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As you progress, you'll be mentored by a Market Leader, participate in training experiences, and help guide and direct store teams. When you finish the program, you'll have distinctive skills and knowledge, as well as the opportunity to apply for a leadership position at one of our stores anywhere in the world.</div>
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The requirements for all Apple student jobs opportunities are listed the the Student Jobs page.</div>
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Apple revamps Student Jobs page

Apple has revamped their Student Jobs page, which allows students or recent graduates to find work opportunities with Apple. The newly...

In Depth: The school that gives every student an iPad

<img src="http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/5273/mac228showfeatipadclass.jpg"> Fraser Speirs is talking about changes caused by his school's radical shift in technology deployment. Every pupil at Cedars School of Excellence, in Greenock, Scotland, is now armed with an iPad, creating an environment a world away from the typical 'computer room', and providing the potential for seamless integration of technology and traditional teaching. The iPad project arose from day-to-day demands within the school. As Head of Computing, a dozen iMacs were fixed in Fraser's classroom, and a dozen MacBooks were available for booking; but with teachers increasingly wanting to provide pupils with web access, pressure and demand grew. "In January 2010, we started looking for answers," recalls Fraser. The school couldn't afford enough laptops to make a meaningful difference, but the iPod touch was considered, since internet access was a big factor. "We realised the iPod touch was cheap enough to give one to everybody," says Fraser, "but teachers had issues with what it couldn't do." At the time, the iPod touch couldn't output to a projector nor connect to a mechanical keyboard, but the school nonetheless continued forming its plans. And then the iPad arrived. Fraser says Apple's tablet dealt with every problem the school had with the iPod touch: it boasted a decent software keyboard and projector connection, and Apple made office apps available for sale. On importing his own iPad from the US, Fraser was sold: "On the first day, it ran and ran. I couldn't make the battery die, and I realised this alone would transform the technology experience in the classroom." With many of the school's teachers being iPhone owners, few needed convincing. A leasing arrangement with the local Apple Store soon saw dozens of iPads winging their way to Greenock. (Fraser notes that leasing was done through the Glasgow Apple Store's business team, and isn't a special school lease.) Even teachers who weren't confident with technology and didn't see a place for their laptops in school started bringing their iPads with them every day, and everyone found different ways for Apple's tablet to enhance their classes. Ultimately, this is driven by the blank-slate aspect of the iPad. "This is a device we bought, but it's not just a textbook or an instrument, or a set of art tools – it's all of those things and more," says Fraser, adding that one teacher's putting together a band, purely comprising children playing iPad apps. <img alt="iPad 1" src="http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/5273/mac228showfeatipadclass.jpg" width="420"></IMG> "The thing is, to do this we're not adding anything to the classroom – it's just more software on the devices." When the discussion turns to specific use-scenarios for the iPad, it's clear Apple's 'there's an app for that' approach could revolutionise the classroom. For infants, the school uses the likes of wood-puzzle-style apps to develop motor skills, abc PocketPhonics for tracing letters, and Math Bingo (which Fraser calls a "sensational hit") for basic maths. Elsewhere, older pupils are immersed in iBooks, which replaces the class's paper books with eBooks, and Keynote for presentations. And with any child aged 10 or older allowed to take their iPad home, homework is sent and received via email; this enables teachers to set more flexible tasks in sensible chunks, eliminates most excuses and has reduced the amount of incomplete homework. Interestingly, many apps are also being used in new and innovative ways. For example, Fraser says Numbers is employed in situations where people may not have reached for a spreadsheet before, such as to create formulae for testing expected output in programming classes, or for capturing live information about experiments as they progress. The nature of the App Store helps, providing countless specialised apps that can be used to teach a particular aspect of a course. In his computing class, Fraser has utilised the game Binary Madness HD, which has you convert random decimal numbers to binary as quickly as possible: "It's not something I use every day, but small apps like this reinforce specific parts of learning." He rightly adds this is something that you rarely find on other platforms: "No-one would write a Mac app like Binary Madness HD, but on iOS it seems to be the kind of thing developers find interesting – creating simple apps for only 59p." iPad for all The benefit of the school's 'iPad for all' philosophy is particularly evident in art. Brushes is popular, as are quirkier apps such as TypeDrawing (where you fingerpaint with letters); most importantly, though, instead of replacing traditional media, the iPad has given pupils newfound confidence in all areas of art. "The iPad is not a substitute for existing media, and it requires artistic skill to master, but in some ways it more effectively helps pupils develop confidence in their abilities and enthusiasm to try," asserts art teacher Jenny Oakley. She says a combination of immediacy, security (due to 'undo') and usability means pupils "do not have to overcome the hindrance of learning to manipulate another tool – rather, they use one they've developed dexterity in since birth". With this newfound confidence, pupils are more willing to try, which Oakley says is "half the battle". The iPad also provides assistance regarding experimentation – pupils can use filters and effects to visualise how something would look in a different medium and then use real-world tools to mimic what they see on the screen. The move to digital While it's clear Cedars School of Excellence has integrated iPads into the learning environment, critics remain concerned; they claim the school's pupils are being denied access to technology that would supposedly prepare them for the real world and that 'everything' is being replaced by electronic content. Such inaccurate statements annoy Fraser: "In reality, we're sometimes using the iPad exclusively and sometimes not. Truth be told, I'd like to move to the iPad more, but we're constrained by resources – some textbooks aren't available electronically, for example. Anyone against such iPad use should bear in mind that society itself is in the process of replacing everything with electronic content – it's happened with CDs, and Amazon and Apple are doing the same with books." <img alt="iPad 2" src="http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/5273/mac228showfeatipadclass.jpg" width="420"></IMG> Fraser adds that a child starting school today won't leave until 2023, by which point, who knows what technology will be commonplace? His thoughts are the same regarding anyone who says children should solely work on Windows PCs – instead, he argues that they should use whatever tools enable them to best learn: "The iPad beats a PC because it removes that whole layer of 'we're doing computers now', and you end up with 'we're doing maths' or 'we're doing music'." The iPad also eliminates some of the menial aspects of schooling: "In traditional teaching, you spend time learning how to write a sum properly, how to lay out a jotter, how to lay out text on a page. You must do that before you can express thoughts and ideas. But with an iPad, open Pages and you can immediately start writing an essay or play." This is why even if a Mac OS X tablet arrived, Fraser wouldn't switch, and he thinks the same regarding the recent slew of iPad wannabes. "There's something about the iPad's size that's just right – make it a 7-inch widescreen and the keyboard would be tiny, but the iPad's screen enables you to have a good-sized keyboard and see your content. Also, the form factor enables you to have a long-lasting battery," he says. And while iPad competitors brag about hardware, Fraser says that's irrelevant: "As good as the iPad's hardware is, it's the software that makes the device interesting in education – and I'm not just referring to big brands, but to small apps as well." User focus The reality of using a platform that focuses on what you can do with it rather than what's under the hood has resulted in focused pupils. Fraser says teachers throughout the school are finding that pupils now just get on with tasks, "because they have some way of working that's not just 'write it down on a piece of paper' – schooling has become more flexible and therefore more engaging and interesting." <img alt="iPad 3" src="http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/5273/mac228showfeatipadclass.jpg" width="420"></IMG> Fraser nonetheless admits that the speed of adoption and the 'invisible' nature of the technology has surprised him: "We didn't think the iPad would become embedded quite so quickly. Already, it's a problem if a child forgets their iPad – in fact, on the day of the interview, one pupil did just that and convinced his mother to drive his device to the school. "It's funny, because we'd had this idea about disciplining a child by taking away their iPad, but doing that would break someone's school day, because we now operate under the assumption that digital technology is as available as paper!" Fraser adds that it's also crucial to consider the technology 'everyday' and not 'special'. "For example, it's important to not use the iPad as a reward. Technology is the way we do business – it's how we teach. It's not a reward for doing traditional education well." Although using an iPad is simple, setting up the school's system was anything but for Fraser, and limitations in Apple's ecosystem soon became apparent. The school currently has an Xserve providing user-login services to iMacs and notebooks, and Fraser's "beloved" iMac suite was dismantled, to enable each classroom to house an iMac. Each morning, pupils log in to accounts to sync their iPads with their class's iMac. Secondary pupils each have their own library, enabling a certain amount of customisation (such as podcast subscriptions); in primary, every iPad is synchronised to the same account. In terms of app purchase and deployment, Fraser buys apps on his computer and copies them elsewhere via Home Sharing. "This doesn't do updates, so teachers have to press 'update all' on some iPads each day," says Fraser. And due to the lack of app volume purchasing in the UK, the system requires a certain amount of jumping through hoops, in order to ensure developers get their fair share. "No iTunes account can buy an app more than once, and it would take too long to create an account for each pupil. Also, no-one under 13 can have an account, unless it's set up by a parent or guardian," explains Fraser. His devised workaround is the use of 'gifts' apps to dummy email accounts at the school, which are not accessed, so the right number of apps is always purchased; nonetheless, it's clear Fraser is hopeful when he says "there are better times ahead" regarding this part of the project. The downside Elsewhere, problems exist. Due to leasing iPads from the Apple Store, faulty units are replaced with ease, and on-site spares ensure pupils end up with just 30 minutes of downtime while their content is synced to a replacement. (Fraser discloses the iPads have so far proven durable, and the only two major faults have been down to commonplace screen failures.) Even the thorny issue of funding never became a block. The school funds the iPads out of its general budget, and with it being an independent school, Fraser says the portion from fees that goes towards iPads is "a mathematically provable trivial fraction"; furthermore, savings made elsewhere (less printing, mostly sleeping iMacs, fewer book replacements) are already starting to offset the relatively small iPad leasing fees. <img alt="iPad 4" src="http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/5273/mac228showfeatipadclass.jpg" width="420"></IMG> Whether there's a wider future for the iPad in the classroom remains to be seen. Fraser thinks many aspects of his project are scalable, to state schools as well as independents, but local authorities and a lack of administration tools are likely to be stumbling blocks. He notes that "magic money" (from election years or companies looking for favours from councils) often pays for school technology, but computers end up being mothballed when there's no funding for a refresh. Also, money disappears into systems that teachers don't ask for, such as interactive whiteboards. Therefore, it's "policy that usually dictates whether something is 'possible', rather than the benefits, drawbacks and limitations of a system". On administration tools, Fraser says Apple needs to devise something for schools with larger classes (Fraser's school has classes with as few as a dozen pupils, rather than the UK average of 25), particularly regarding remote inspection facilities: "With a small class, I can walk around and see what everyone's doing, but that would be hard with twice as many pupils." He'd like to see Apple-enabled iPad administration and access through Apple Remote Desktop, for pulling browser histories over the air, updating apps, locking devices and capturing screens, but without a system administrator having to pay for enterprise-grade infrastructure. Time to relax On the software side, at least, things are better; Fraser says he's having the quietest time he's ever experienced as the 'IT guy' at school, despite having multiplied by five the number of deployed devices he's responsible for. Next he's keen to assist teachers who are less confident about using iPads by figuring out how and why some teachers are speeding ahead and helping everyone get to the same level. "I'm trying to move on the pupils' minds too – in class, someone will ask if they can go online to find something. I'll say of course – as long as it's relevant, use whatever you want." Perhaps it will be a while before everyone's fully comfortable with iPads in the classroom, but then Fraser says that's hardly surprising, given that classrooms worldwide remain largely traditional, and technology is usually prescriptive: "We've done something that's not often tried – we brought in technology and didn't tell people how to use it". Instead of thinking of the iPad as a digital textbook, it's become a research and creativity tool across all subjects; because of this, minds are being expanded and experiences broadened, not restricted. Once, the school focused on iWork, iLife and Safari, but now pupils access dozens of varied apps. "Apple pundit John Gruber once described the iPad as an app console, and I think he's right. It's something for doing work on or playing games – but it's not a generalised platform," says Fraser as the interview concludes. "That's good for me, because I want kids to learn – I don't want them to work through the computer stuff just to get to the learning." We think that should be enough to silence his critics.

In Depth: The school that gives every student an iPad

Fraser Speirs is talking about changes caused by his school's radical shift in technology deployment. Every pupil at Cedars School of Ex...

Buying Guide: The best student laptops for Christmas

<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com///Review%20images/What%20Laptop/WLT%20136/WLT136.rev1.Samsung01-200-200.jpg"> Buying the best student laptop can be a tricky purchase, because it's highly dependent on the needs of the individual. Some students will look for portability, so that they can take their laptop to the library or to lectures, and this means buying something lightweight. Anything less than 2.5kg should be fine to carry around all day, and this isn't a hugely difficult target. However, living the student life means that others will be looking for a big screen and decent performance for watching DVDs, instead of having a separate TV. This is great for the cramped conditions of student halls of residence, but portability and media performance are normally polar opposites. We've found the best student laptops to suit most needs, but before you buy, think about what it's going to be used for so you can make the right decision.?? 1. Acer Aspire 1410-742G25N – £299 <img alt="student laptops" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/What%20Laptop/WLT%20135/WLT135.rev1.acer-420-100.jpg" width="420"></IMG> Performance isn't this laptop's strong point, but it isn't meant to be – instead it offers superb portability. At only 1.4kg, it's a pleasure to carry around and the small form factor makes it very easy to fit into almost any bag, which makes it great for lectures, although not so great for movies and entertainment. The 11.6-inch screen is bright, crisp and clear, and the screen is LED-backlit, which is resource-light on the battery. The Acer Aspire 1410-74G25n sets a very high bar, and the excellent battery life will be a clincher for many buyers.?? <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/acer-aspire-1410-74g25n-675385/review">Read our full Acer Aspire 1410-742G25N review??</A> 2. Acer Aspire 5551-P32G32Mn – £385 <img alt="student laptops" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/What%20Laptop/WLT%20143/WLT143.rev1.Acer01_1-420-100.jpg" width="420"></IMG> Another budget offering, the Aspire 5551-P32G32Mn is built around a 15.6-inch screen, and despite being large enough to watch movies comfortably, the 2.6kg chassis is nice and light for its size. While its 207-minute battery life is easily bettered, it provides adequate mobility for commuting or use in student digs.?? Offering impressive performance, great usability, a stunning screen and cutting-edge connectivity, the Aspire 5551-P32G32Mn is perfect for first-time buyers. Add its surprisingly generous software package and you've got a fantastic bargain on your hands.???? <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/acer-aspire-5551-p32g32mn-901549/review">Read our full Acer Aspire 5551-P32G32Mn review??</A> 3. Samsung R530 – £387 <img alt="student laptops" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/What%20Laptop/WLT%20136/WLT136.rev1.Samsung01-420-100.jpg" width="420"></IMG> Not only is the Samsung R530 a nice looking laptop, it also boasts great usability, performance and portability – and all at a very competitive price. What's more, the line-up has been recently updated to include a Core i3 processor, which makes it an extremely attractive proposition.?? The more we used the Samsung R530, the more we liked it. Performance is above average and the design and usability of the machine really endeared it to us, making it a perfect study companion. <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/samsung-r530-680588/review">Read our full Samsung R530 review??</A> 4. Acer Aspire 5741-333G32Mn – £419 <img alt="student laptops" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/What%20Laptop/WLT%20142/WLT142.rev1.Acer01_1-420-100.jpg" width="420"></IMG> The Acer Aspire 5741-333G32Mn is a budget laptop that combines strong performance and mobility with a solid and highly usable chassis. At 2.5kg, the chassis is a little heavier than many in our round up, but it's still light enough to carry in your bag all day.? The Intel Core i3-330M chip offers more than enough power to comfortably multitask with fairly demanding office software, making this a successful budget entry in Acer's portfolio. Performance is assured by the Intel Core i3 processor and the strong build makes for a robust and highly usable laptop. <a href="about:%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%A8%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%A8http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/acer-aspire-5741-333g32mn-716125/review">Read our full Acer Aspire 5741-333G32Mn review</A> 5. HP G62-a45SA – £477 <img alt="student laptops" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/What%20Laptop/WLT%20142/WLT142.rev1.hp01_1-420-100.jpg" width="420"></IMG> An Intel Core i3 processor provides ample performance for office tasks. The Core i3-350M chip includes integrated graphics, so while there's not enough power for running complex multimedia applications or playing the latest games, watching high-definition movies and basic photo and video editing is fine.?? Overall the G62-a45SA is a good machine that offers strong Intel Core i3 performance at a reasonable price and features such as LightScribe disc burning support and a fast hard drive are a welcome bonus.??? <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/hp-g62-a45sa-716193/review">Read our full HP G62-a45SA review??</A> 6. Packard Bell EasyNote NM86 – £499 <img alt="student laptops" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/What%20Laptop/WLT%20142/WLT142.rev1.pb01_1-420-100.jpg" width="420"></IMG> With a weight of 2.3kg and thickness of 34mm, this is a compact and portable laptop. The 303-minute battery life is a great result and means you can leave the charger at home and work at university without too much worry. With excellent build quality and a sharp and vibrant screen, not to mention strong performance for the price, the EasyNote NM86-GN-010UK offers fantastic value for money. Granted, the limited storage is a let-down, but is forgivable considering the many strengths on offer.??? <a href="about:%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%A8%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%A8http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/packard-bell-easynote-nm86-716215/review">Read our full Packard Bell EasyNote NM86 review</A> 7. Samsung R730 – £515 <img alt="student laptops" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/What%20Laptop/WLT%20143/WLT143.rev1.Samsung01_1-420-100.jpg" width="420"></IMG> Over the past few years, Samsung has impressed us time and again by releasing a range of high-quality laptops at staggeringly low prices. The R730 is an entry-level, big-screen model and proves to be a fantastic home media centre for students who don't want a TV and DVD player.?? Offering bags of style, great usability and stunning big-screen entertainment, the R730 is a fantastic laptop for students looking for a work and entertainment tool for their bedroom. While it's not at the top of the range in terms of power and features of the Acer, this is still one of the best entry-level laptops you can buy at this price and comes highly recommended. <a href="about:%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%A8%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%A8http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/samsung-r730-901575/review">Read our full Samsung R730 review</A> 8. Asus K52F-SX065V – £579 <img alt="student laptops" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/What%20Laptop/WLT%20139/WLT139.rev1.Asus01-420-100.jpg" width="420"></IMG> The Asus K52F-SX065V is a 15.6-inch laptop that packs a cutting-edge Intel Core i3-350M processor and manages to greatly impress with a long-lasting battery and high-quality build. The Core i3 processor is designed to provide impressive performance at a budget price and the results are stunning, no doubt helped by the 4GB of system memory. ?The Asus K52F-SX065V is a great performing laptop at a truly budget price – and it all comes at no cost to battery life. The solid build may be a little heavy for long days on campus, but it offers good protection and great usability.?? <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/asus-k52f-sx065v-697404/review">Read our full Asus K52F-SX065V review??</A> 9. Apple MacBook 13-inch – £849 <img alt="student laptops" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/MacFormat/MAC%20223/MAC223.rev_mbpro17.mb_09macbook1-420-100.jpg" width="420"></IMG> The Macbook can easily be bettered by many PCs in terms of performance and value, but design students and those conscious of looking good on campus, will find the £849 price tag worth the premium. The mid-2010 refresh was useful update for the MacBook and the incremental processor boost and a significantly better graphics chipset makes it good value for money. The Nvidia GeForce 320M is a lot more energy efficient than its predecessor, giving the new MacBook a battery life of up to 10 hours on a single charge, which is enough for an entire day at uni, with plenty of juice yet for burning the midnight oil, or listening to tunes late at night.??? <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/apple-macbook-13-core-2-duo-2-4ghz--694693/review">Read our full MacBook 13-inch review??</A>

Buying Guide: The best student laptops for Christmas

Buying the best student laptop can be a tricky purchase, because it's highly dependent on the needs of the individual. Some students wil...

Buying Guide: The best student laptops for Christmas

<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com///Review%20images/What%20Laptop/WLT%20136/WLT136.rev1.Samsung01-200-200.jpg" /> 
Buying the best student laptop can be a tricky purchase, because it's highly dependent on the needs of the individual. Some students will look for portability, so that they can take their laptop to the library or to lectures, and this means buying something lightweight. 
Anything less than 2.5kg should be fine to carry around all day, and this isn't a hugely difficult target. 
However, living the student life means that others will be looking for a big screen and decent performance for watching DVDs, instead of having a separate TV. This is great for the cramped conditions of student halls of residence, but portability and media performance are normally polar opposites. 
We've found the best student laptops to suit most needs, but before you buy, think about what it's going to be used for so you can make the right decision.?? 
1. Acer Aspire 1410-742G25N – £299 
<img alt="student laptops" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/What%20Laptop/WLT%20135/WLT135.rev1.acer-420-100.jpg" width="420" /> 
Performance isn't this laptop's strong point, but it isn't meant to be – instead it offers superb portability. At only 1.4kg, it's a pleasure to carry around and the small form factor makes it very easy to fit into almost any bag, which makes it great for lectures, although not so great for movies and entertainment. 
The 11.6-inch screen is bright, crisp and clear, and the screen is LED-backlit, which is resource-light on the battery. The Acer Aspire 1410-74G25n sets a very high bar, and the excellent battery life will be a clincher for many buyers.?? 
<a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/acer-aspire-1410-74g25n-675385/review">Read our full Acer Aspire 1410-742G25N review??</a> 
2. Acer Aspire 5551-P32G32Mn – £385 
<img alt="student laptops" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/What%20Laptop/WLT%20143/WLT143.rev1.Acer01_1-420-100.jpg" width="420" /> 
Another budget offering, the Aspire 5551-P32G32Mn is built around a 15.6-inch screen, and despite being large enough to watch movies comfortably, the 2.6kg chassis is nice and light for its size. 
While its 207-minute battery life is easily bettered, it provides adequate mobility for commuting or use in student digs.?? Offering impressive performance, great usability, a stunning screen and cutting-edge connectivity, the Aspire 5551-P32G32Mn is perfect for first-time buyers. Add its surprisingly generous software package and you've got a fantastic bargain on your hands.???? 
<a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/acer-aspire-5551-p32g32mn-901549/review">Read our full Acer Aspire 5551-P32G32Mn review??</a> 
3. Samsung R530 – £387 
<img alt="student laptops" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/What%20Laptop/WLT%20136/WLT136.rev1.Samsung01-420-100.jpg" width="420" /> 
Not only is the Samsung R530 a nice looking laptop, it also boasts great usability, performance and portability – and all at a very competitive price. What's more, the line-up has been recently updated to include a Core i3 processor, which makes it an extremely attractive proposition.?? 
The more we used the Samsung R530, the more we liked it. Performance is above average and the design and usability of the machine really endeared it to us, making it a perfect study companion. 
<a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/samsung-r530-680588/review">Read our full Samsung R530 review??</a> 
4. Acer Aspire 5741-333G32Mn – £419 
<img alt="student laptops" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/What%20Laptop/WLT%20142/WLT142.rev1.Acer01_1-420-100.jpg" width="420" /> 
The Acer Aspire 5741-333G32Mn is a budget laptop that combines strong performance and mobility with a solid and highly usable chassis. At 2.5kg, the chassis is a little heavier than many in our round up, but it's still light enough to carry in your bag all day.? 
The Intel Core i3-330M chip offers more than enough power to comfortably multitask with fairly demanding office software, making this a successful budget entry in Acer's portfolio. Performance is assured by the Intel Core i3 processor and the strong build makes for a robust and highly usable laptop. 
<a href="about:%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%A8%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%A8http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/acer-aspire-5741-333g32mn-716125/review">Read our full Acer Aspire 5741-333G32Mn review</a> 
5. HP G62-a45SA – £477 
<img alt="student laptops" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/What%20Laptop/WLT%20142/WLT142.rev1.hp01_1-420-100.jpg" width="420" /> 
An Intel Core i3 processor provides ample performance for office tasks. The Core i3-350M chip includes integrated graphics, so while there's not enough power for running complex multimedia applications or playing the latest games, watching high-definition movies and basic photo and video editing is fine.?? 
Overall the G62-a45SA is a good machine that offers strong Intel Core i3 performance at a reasonable price and features such as LightScribe disc burning support and a fast hard drive are a welcome bonus.??? 
<a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/hp-g62-a45sa-716193/review">Read our full HP G62-a45SA review??</a> 
6. Packard Bell EasyNote NM86 – £499 
<img alt="student laptops" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/What%20Laptop/WLT%20142/WLT142.rev1.pb01_1-420-100.jpg" width="420" /> 
With a weight of 2.3kg and thickness of 34mm, this is a compact and portable laptop. The 303-minute battery life is a great result and means you can leave the charger at home and work at university without too much worry. 
With excellent build quality and a sharp and vibrant screen, not to mention strong performance for the price, the EasyNote NM86-GN-010UK offers fantastic value for money. Granted, the limited storage is a let-down, but is forgivable considering the many strengths on offer.??? 
<a href="about:%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%A8%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%A8http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/packard-bell-easynote-nm86-716215/review">Read our full Packard Bell EasyNote NM86 review</a> 
7. Samsung R730 – £515 
<img alt="student laptops" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/What%20Laptop/WLT%20143/WLT143.rev1.Samsung01_1-420-100.jpg" width="420" /> 
Over the past few years, Samsung has impressed us time and again by releasing a range of high-quality laptops at staggeringly low prices. The R730 is an entry-level, big-screen model and proves to be a fantastic home media centre for students who don't want a TV and DVD player.?? 
Offering bags of style, great usability and stunning big-screen entertainment, the R730 is a fantastic laptop for students looking for a work and entertainment tool for their bedroom. While it's not at the top of the range in terms of power and features of the Acer, this is still one of the best entry-level laptops you can buy at this price and comes highly recommended. 
<a href="about:%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%A8%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%A8http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/samsung-r730-901575/review">Read our full Samsung R730 review</a> 
8. Asus K52F-SX065V – £579 
<img alt="student laptops" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/What%20Laptop/WLT%20139/WLT139.rev1.Asus01-420-100.jpg" width="420" /> 
The Asus K52F-SX065V is a 15.6-inch laptop that packs a cutting-edge Intel Core i3-350M processor and manages to greatly impress with a long-lasting battery and high-quality build. 
The Core i3 processor is designed to provide impressive performance at a budget price and the results are stunning, no doubt helped by the 4GB of system memory. 
?The Asus K52F-SX065V is a great performing laptop at a truly budget price – and it all comes at no cost to battery life. The solid build may be a little heavy for long days on campus, but it offers good protection and great usability.?? 
<a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/asus-k52f-sx065v-697404/review">Read our full Asus K52F-SX065V review??</a> 
9. Apple MacBook 13-inch – £849 
<img alt="student laptops" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/MacFormat/MAC%20223/MAC223.rev_mbpro17.mb_09macbook1-420-100.jpg" width="420" /> 
The Macbook can easily be bettered by many PCs in terms of performance and value, but design students and those conscious of looking good on campus, will find the £849 price tag worth the premium. 
The mid-2010 refresh was useful update for the MacBook and the incremental processor boost and a significantly better graphics chipset makes it good value for money. 
The Nvidia GeForce 320M is a lot more energy efficient than its predecessor, giving the new MacBook a battery life of up to 10 hours on a single charge, which is enough for an entire day at uni, with plenty of juice yet for burning the midnight oil, or listening to tunes late at night.??? 
<a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/apple-macbook-13-core-2-duo-2-4ghz--694693/review">Read our full MacBook 13-inch review??</a>

Buying Guide: The best student laptops for Christmas

Buying the best student laptop can be a tricky purchase, because it's highly dependent on the needs of the individual. Some students w...

Hack U - How Safe is Your Student Data?

Download a hot new single, order that pair of sneakers you've been eyeing, send your best friend an IM, pay your cell phone bill, check your midterm grade, and chat it up with your philosophy classmates -- all at once. Life as a college student wouldn't be complete without the pleasures and conveniences of high-speed, modern-day technology, available on virtually every campus nationwide.In fact, cyber-centric living has become such an integral part of the college lifestyle that many students don't think twice about entering credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, and other personal information on Web sites regularly, nor do they take safety measures seriously. Unfortunately, your college's computer network may not be as secure and fail-safe as you think. Take a look at just how much information students give out online, and the people who may be peeking in -- and potentially using that information against you.The Reality of RiskDon't think hacking could happen at your school? An alarming number of major universities, including University of Nevada (Las Vegas, NV) and the University of Connecticut (Storrs-Mansfield, CT) have reported hacking incidents in 2005 alone. For these and other schools, servers containing personal data -- Social Security numbers, dates of birth, phone numbers, and addresses -- were illegally infiltrated.But just because a school is unaware of any security breaches doesn't mean they haven't happened. "I don't think any school can say beyond a shadow of a doubt they've never had an instance of unauthorized access," says Jason Wallace, chief information security officer at Norwich University (Northfield, VT). "Higher education is a very different situation than the corporate world -- it's much more difficult to deal with security at a college or university."Open Wide...Why is a university so much more difficult to protect than a corporation or a home computer? "The whole concept of higher education is about openness and the availability of resources," Wallace explains. "I can't imagine a college anywhere that's running a Web site filter."Creativity and exploration are highly encouraged in the academic world, and as a result, there is more potential for hackers to find loopholes in a network that may not be ideally designed. In fact, most colleges still need to step up their security to the rapidly advancing hacker and virus technologies."Schools are trying to play catch up," explains Dave Grant, director of product marketing at Watchfire, a company that produces Internet security software. "I'd say half of college Web sites are exploitable today, and about 75 percent of the hacks that occur are happening because the sites aren't secured as well as they could be. The average Web developer doesn't necessarily know much about security, so the sites get created with flaws."A Human ErrorBeyond the "open" nature of colleges, sometimes people just make mistakes and the situation is simply out of your control. More than 300 City University of New York (CUNY) students were shocked and alarmed to discover that personal information of theirs -- including Social Security numbers, loan information and amounts, and direct-deposit information -- was freely available on the Internet. According to CUNY spokesman Michael Arena, the student info was made available due to a human error. A worker at the school had accidentally placed the file outside the school's protected firewall, making it accessible to anyone. The private data even appeared via Google.com, the massively popular search engine.What Can You Do?If you've ever lost a wallet, you know the stress of having to cancel your credit cards, get a new ATM card, order a new Social Security card, and reconstruct the life that you so conveniently carried around in your pocket or purse. Now imagine if all that information was not merely lost, but deliberately stolen from you, and then exploited."It's only been during the past five or so years that we've been using the Internet for buying things, ordering products, entering personal information," explains Grant. "We have good reasons for doing it, but it's gotten easy for hackers to steal personal information as we're pushing more and more of our lives onto the Web."Whether infiltrating the databases that colleges keep online, or your own personal computer, hackers have a variety of ways to obtain personal information from you.Protect Your PCIn order to prevent this and other cases of identity theft from occurring, there are several precautionary steps you can take."The important thing for students to understand is that protecting themselves from things like identity theft is largely dependent on them," says Matt Curtain, author of Brute Force: Cracking the Data Encryption Standard (Springer, 2005) and frequent lecturer at Ohio State University (Columbus, OH). "Keep personal information personal. On campuses you'll find people with tables set up trying to offer you credit cards or free cell phones, and requiring that you give them your Social Security number -- don't do it. The only time you ever need to give that out is for tax purposes or when dealing with the Social Security Administration."Also, take the time to set up your personal computer to be as hacker-proof as possible. "Using common name passwords -- your girlfriend's or boyfriend's name, no combination of numbers and letters -- is a big problem," explains Grant. "They are easy to crack because hackers have programs that run through millions of simple login names looking for a match."Updated virus protection is a must as well. "There's plenty of free anti-virus and anti-spyware software out there," he adds. "Download it, and keep it current. Software that is a month old is useless, because new viruses are constantly popping up."An Inside JobSo these hackers are big bad cyber-meanies with nothing better to do than steal your personal info, right? Actually, sometimes the culprits are your peers.In March of 2005, approximately 150 applicants to six of the country's top business schools took advantage of a security vulnerability on a widely used admissions database for colleges and wrongfully accessed the site. The schools invaded included Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH), Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA), Duke University (Durham, NC), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA), and, last but certainly not least, Harvard University (Cambridge, MA) -- which wins the prize for this year's Most Over-Zealous Applicants, with 119 intruders. Every school but Dartmouth refused to admit any of the students, calling the infiltration a serious breach of ethics.Hacking 101For those of us who think "encryption" is something you'd see in a horror film, here's a breakdown of some of the ways tech thieves can get at your goods.1. Forceful browsing: Let's say you're on a Web site and the URL address in the browser's top window ends in the digits "444." Sometimes, just by altering the digits to a different number -- like "445," for example -- a hacker can access other pages on the network.2. Testing for holes: A more advanced way to hack is by creating mini applications that poke and prod to find gaps in computer systems. Once the slightest breach in security is found, the system can be wrongfully accessed.3. Phishing: Sometimes hackers create Web sites that look exactly like authentic sites to trick users into entering personal information. For example, a hacker might create a site that resembles Hotmail, or Bank of America, or eBay. Users then enter e-mail addresses, passwords, credit card information, and other personal data, which the hackers can then use.	 	 		 			 				 					 						To find college and career schools near you, surf <a href="http://www.collegebound.net/clickcount.php?id=6963920&goto=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.collegesurfing.com%2Fce%2Fsearch" target="_new">http://www.CollegeSurfing.com</a>.? Copyright 2007 The CollegeBound Network All Rights Reserved NOTICE: Article(s) may be republished free of charge to relevant websites, as long as Copyright and Author Resource Box are included; and ALL Hyperlinks REMAIN intact and active.Paul D. Rosevear is a frequent contributor to The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about <a href="http://www.collegesurfing.com" target="_new">finding a school or career that's right for you</a>!

Hack U - How Safe is Your Student Data?

Download a hot new single, order that pair of sneakers you've been eyeing, send your best friend an IM, pay your cell phone bill, che...

Hack U - How Safe is Your Student Data?

Hack U - How Safe is Your Student Data?

Download a hot new single, order that pair of sneakers you've been eyeing, send your best friend an IM, pay your cell phone bill, che...