The new school year is around the corner, so it's time to start thinking about some of those back-to-school gadgets that may be useful to students.
Here are a few standout recommendations from Andrea Smith, executive producer of the website livingindigitaltimes.com.
Quirky's Power Pop is a colorful outlet that bends to fit any size plug or adapter. "That item now comes in five colors and has a 4-foot extension cord with a flat, 45-degree plug to put power in hard to reach places," Smith said.
At $20, the Power Pop costs a bit more than any standard power cord that can be purchased on Amazon for $11, but it has a more attractive look and bends around furniture so that it doesn't get in the way.
Another popular purchase for the new school year are backpacks. Now, there's one with a mobile charging station.
The Tylt Energi + Backpack is designed so that users can route the cables to any one of the five external or two internal charging stations. However, the backpack doesn't come cheap, Smith said. It's $200, but the backpack's battery can last up to eight hours.
It also comes as no surprise that tablets are a must-have item for school.
Smith likes the Toshiba Encore 2 tablet, which is powered by Windows 8.1 and comes in two sizes. The 8-inch version is priced at $200 while the 10-inch version is available for $270. "The tablet features a thinner and lighter design and has a 10-hour battery life span," Smith said.
The Toshiba Encore series will have to compete against some of the most popular tablets on the market, such as the Apple iPad Mini and Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 this year.
—By CNBC's Erika Santoro