Jonathan Takiff: Go back to school with cool gadgets

School bells are chiming again. Is your student ready with cool tech tools to help get the job done?

BUY A VIDEO GAME SYSTEM, GET A FREE COMPUTER: OK, so maybe I have this current offer (as advertised on TV!) backward. But one might argue that Xbox 360 game systems are more appealing to students than a new Windows PC laptop. Here's how the deal works. Buy a student a Windows 7 laptop priced at $699 or more at participating retailers and get a free Xbox 360 console. The latter, a basic, $199 model with 4GB flash drive, is good for more than playing games, ya know. It also streams movies and TV shows (Netflix, Hulu Plus), sure to make the bearer popular in the dorm. Don't need an Xbox? Some retailers sub a 10 percent discount on the laptop.

SAVE A SCREEN: Take it from me - you're crazy to send a young 'un off with one of those sleek tablet computers or e-readers unless it's secured in a protective wraparound case. Same goes for a smartphone. Last week, I accidentally dropped a naked Samsung Galaxy tablet face down. Though equipped with one of those vaunted Corning Gorilla Glass face plates, the screen cracked like a cheap lightbulb.

The ribbed, rubbery Drop Tech Series of cases from Gumdrop (about $60) look ready for combat. There's even a "Military Edition" model. Or check out DODOcase and Twelve South BookBook Leather Sleeves ($60 and $70 from smalldog.com). Here, the tablet stashes inside a stealth package resembling a hardback book. Nobody will steal that!

OR MAYBE THEY WILL? Have you bought a new textbook lately? Prices are staggering. But if the student only needs a book for a few weeks or chapters, Amazon offers a "rent it" download option on the Kindle e-reader, with participation by some (though hardly all) text publishers.

A Kindle can be had for as little as $114 with Wi-Fi, $139 with 3G connectivity, while textbook rentals start at $30 (for 60 days). Also, public domain classics are downloadable for free to e-readers, while many libraries now loan electronic editions of newer titles.

SONOS TO YOUR EARS: I still have the recurring nightmare of being in college on the eve of a final exam when I haven't cracked the course book or been to class in weeks. Ugh!