SEATTLE — Here’s Tech Expert Jenifer Jolly’s list of Back-To-School Tech:
ASUS ZENBOOK S 16 (starts at $1,400)
One of the latest laptops I’ve reviewed — really interesting design — made a mix of ceramic and aluminum mainly used in aerospace and luxury watch industries. Why does that matter? It’s scratch and smudge resistant — super lightweight yet durable — and houses a 3K display, six speakers, and super robust hardware for all the work, study, entertainment and gaming you could ever need. This quick-access Copilot AI Assistant key streamlines your workflow— great for those college-bound students. Great mid-range price. Perfect “grown-up” laptop.
WD MY PASSPORT DRIVE (starts at $65)
This is a world first AND a no-brainer — WD’s My Passport Drive holds worlds of info so you’ll never, ever, ever lose a precious photo, video, or assignment ever again! At 6 terabytes (that’s enough for … around 1.5 million photos, 600 hours of full HD movies … or around 10 million books.) It’s tiny, though — 2.5 inches and helps make your life on the go effortlessly convenient, and the robust construction provides you with a reliable companion for your adventures.
There’s so much new tech to better protect kids 24/7 from all kinds of things. Verkada — uses a series of sensors, cameras, and a combination of temperature, motion, and noise readings - it all works together to be the eyes, ears, and even noses of what’s happening behind the scenes at schools. Of course, there are no cameras in sensitive areas like locker rooms and bathrooms, but the sensors alone can alert staff in real time that kids are vaping in bathrooms. It’s been a huge success, cutting vaping by more than 80%. It’s being used in schools in 49 states nationwide. **
Parents everywhere are looking for a way to keep in touch with kids — talk and text — without access to the internet and even more importantly — to social media. One of the best finds for that is a good old-fashioned flip phone. I found this one in Walmart — This one has 4G LTE, a 5MP rear camera/video recorder, Bluetooth technology, and GPS Capability, and it can run essential apps and popular games – just not the addictive ones.
Kinetic sand is another super trendy, yet screen-free tool for imaginative play — great for sensory and tactile feel, fine motor skill development, and ASMR — you know all those sounds—that totally chill you out and calm you down. This moves like magic and comes alive on this squishy foam sand space. Load the stamper, layer sand & flatten with the crinkle cutter & transfer the shape to the squish space. Press to reveal magical creations. Kinetic sand is never dry and sticks to itself instead of children, making cleanup easier. The unique texture can help children explore their senses.
The SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB A9+ KIDS EDITION is kid-proof and ready to go … with this protective Puffy Cover, three Crayo-Pen styluses for all kinds of art and creativity… and a built-in stand. It also comes with the Samsung Kids app pre-installed on the tablet — super easy for parents to set up and maintain guardrails like screen time limits — and limited access to certain sites — while still empowering children to explore, grow, and learn safely. ($270)
Cruz BlenderCap ($149)
Screws onto most wide-mouth bottles like HydroFlask, Stanley, or you can use the one vacuum-insulated bottle it comes with … and you have an anywhere, anytime, ultra high-powered blender. You just twist it on, turn it upside down, and double click the button to blend until smooth. It’s rechargeable — holds about a week’s worth of battery power depending on how much you use it. I’ve used it for fruit smoothies — even to stir up peanut butter without a mess — the Cruz bottle keeps things cold for up to 24-hours. At 1.5 pounds — the blender itself is a little heavy to just stash in your purse or backpack — but perfect for dorm rooms!
**Correction: In our segment on Back-to-school tech, our guest mistakenly said that the Verkada Vape alerts were being used in the Highline Public Schools. While the district does use the Verkada video surveillance system, they do not use the vape sensors. There are several other Washington districts that use the alerts and we apologize for the error.
Segment Producer Suzie Wiley. Watch New Day Northwest at 11 a.m. weekdays on KING 5 and streaming live on KING5.com. Contact New Day.