Again, my biases are going to come out here. I received an email this week from a company and makes an iOS flashcard app called Flash Card Elite (free) and it got my wheels turning. The app’s focus is learning language, but actually it really works for learning just about anything. Which led to a sidebar discussion around the Tech Blog water cooler (aka email) about a post on this topic.

Now, beyond the cool stuff you can find in-store for learning (I’ve always wanted to try Rosetta Stone to improve my German or really learn French) and the cool kits to make a variety of solar-powered vehicles (and bugs!), let’s look at some of the things you can find in the App Store.

While it's tempting to spend a lot of money on tech gear and gadgets during back-to-school season, it's not necessary.  There are plenty of steals and deals this fall on a number of products that work great for students (and parents footing the bill!).  When heading out to buy school necessities, make sure that you're investing in items that will stand the test of time.  Moreover, when you're buying software, remember that the app marketplace is a good bet for simple digital tools that will help students (and their work!) shine.

Thanks to the amazing people at Hewlett Packard and the National Basketball Association, Future Shop had the honour of hosting both Tristan Thompson of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy at the downtown Toronto store recently. 

While you gear up for heading back to school you’re probably considering printers as part of your arsenal. They’re still indispensable tools for students at all levels. If you’re heading off to university then having your own printer can come with an additional bundle of issues though; all centered around size. Ideally you want something small and compact that is easy to pack and cart to school, and something that won’t take up much space in your cramped dorm room, but of course you don’t really want to sacrifice functionality while you’re at it. That's where the XP-400 comes in. It seems like it was designed specifically for such student needs. 

If there's one piece of computer technology that people often neglect to upgrade over the years, it's got to be their printer. If you haven’t checked out the latest in printers for a few years, models like the HP Photsmart 7510 might just surprise you enough to convince you that it's time to upgrade.

Ultrabooks have been around for just over a year now, and when you are looking at Windows based thin and light notebooks today, invariably it will be some kind of Ultrabook. What are Ultrabooks? Well, an Ultrabook is simply an ultraportable notebook that uses an Intel CPU, runs Windows, and conforms to certain standards set by Intel. These standards ensure that all Ultrabooks are no more than a certain thickness and weight, have a minimum of 5 hours of battery life, and boot up in a matter of seconds.

When I wrote about the first generation of Ultrabooks that Future Shop carried, all the way back in September of last year, one of the models that I wrote about was the ASUS Zenbook. At that time they weren’t in stock, so I didn’t get a chance to spend some time with one personally. Since then I have managed to get some hands on time with one. Even though the UX21E model I looked at is now an older model, since it uses a 2^nd generation Intel CPU, rather than the latest 3^rd gen ‘Ivy Bridge’ chip, it is still an excellent choice for a new notebook for back to school. Also, there is the bonus of it being on clearance now, so you can get one for a good deal from Future Shop.

While you’re gearing up for back to school, you’re probably considering printing solutions. These days printing has gotten much more convenient and flexible than it ever used to be. One of my favorite trends in home printing is adoption of Apple’s AirPrint and Google’s Cloud Print. Apple’s AirPrint lets you print from any iOS device on the same WiFi network as your printer while Google Cloud Print effectively allows you to print from any internet connected device no matter where they are. A lot of you are still unfamiliar with these so this is a good time to take a closer look.

There is no shortage of options if you're in the market for an iPad keyboard to take back to school. They're great for turning your ipad into all-day word processing machines and perfect for lectures, saving you the need for a laptop in addition to your already great tablet. There are all sorts of various keyboard docks, cases, and mobile bluetooth keyboards available in a wide variety of shapes and configurations. For a while it seemed like we've seen it all and there wasn't much room for innovation. Logitech surprised us all though, with the new Solar Keyboard Folio for iPad.

Just in time for the Back to School season, Acer's well rounded Iconia Tab A700 features 10.5 hour battery life, 32GB of storage 1080p HD resolution, MicroSD and microUSB expansion as well as Android 4.0 goodness for $449.99 now at Future Shop.

So many students are getting ready to head back to school, returning to a life of studying often for long hours. It can really help to have a healthy, ergonomic study station set up. Not only can this make long study sessions more comfortable, it can also help you keep at it for longer, and dramatically reduce any joint or muscle strain. You won't get tired as quickly, and won't notice time pass as much if you've got everything set up just right.

This year the Nintendo 3DS has built a lot of momentum with a consistent stream of quality games released month-after-month.  Now that we're approaching the busy fall gaming season, I thought it would be important to take a look back at the year to recap some of the best games released for Nintendo's 3D portable handheld.

Digital notes are a fantastic recourse for students to have. They can really help with

review, and studying. They can be easily shared, sorted, and searched. They can
be backed up, duplicated, and organized with ease. Many students get digital notes
by spending all class trying to type out their lessons in real time. The problem is that
you would be better off paying attention to the lessons than worrying about getting
everything typed out at the same time. Luckily there are a few solutions to this problem
for students who find typing to be too much of a distraction.

Kinect for Xbox 360 is a great gaming platform for families looking for fun titles that everyone can enjoy.  From Sesame Street to Disney to Star Wars, there are a range of excellent family games available on Kinect for Xbox 360 no matter what age the gamers in your household are.  Let's take a look at four of my favourite out there:

Lenovo’s latest Ultrabook offering is the IdeaPad U310 which brings a solid set of features and a unique character to the burgeoning segment. Available now from Future Shop for $729.99 (on sale until August 9), the IdeaPad U310 is an affordable, connected and all-day lightweight notebook that is built to last.

Boasting a 7-hour battery life, a 1.7GHz Intel Core i5 processor , a 13.3” HD widescreen display and 4GB of RAM  on a 3.7 lbs notebook makes the IdeaPad U310, which a viable option for students this back-to-school season. 

Living in the dorms of my university changed me forever. It’s a kind of freedom I had never experienced before. That one hundred square foot room filled up quickly with my possessions – a 486 desktop PC, my Realistic 8-channel mixer, and a tube TV I’d procured from a garage sale somewhere. That was my first home theatre system, way back in 1997. Nowadays, gear is slightly higher tech than the stuff I used (and by slightly, I mean very). Here are some tips, tricks, and product recommendations – all to ensure you have the very best home theatre experience in your next dorm room.