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Jul 10, 2023

Smart Devices Perfect for the Dorm Room

Outfit your young academic with gadgets to create an environment they’ll actually enjoy studying in By John ElliotOriginally Published August 14, 2023 Photo: Nanoleaf Photo: Nanoleaf Freshman

Outfit your young academic with gadgets to create an environment they’ll actually enjoy studying in

By John ElliotOriginally Published August 14, 2023

Photo: Nanoleaf

Photo: Nanoleaf

Freshman orientation is around the corner—that bittersweet time when birds finally leave the nest, and while your days as a helicopter parent are over as they navigate higher academia, you can still make sure your presence is felt with some quality (and high-tech) dorm room gifts.

From near-magical mood lighting and massaging desk chairs to an all-in-one organizer (an easy way to call home) and more, we’ve gathered some handy gadgets that will set your rising freshman up for success.

Below, our high-tech dorm room essentials

The first step toward success is showing up on time, and if that has historically been an issue for your child, then consider the Vibio bed-shaking alarm clock. This small, square, wireless device slips seamlessly under the slumberer’s pillow, and when it’s time to rise the Vibio combines powerful vibrations along with audio alerts to get the sleepyhead out of bed. Vibio connects to smartphones via Bluetooth, and users can select a range of vibration strength and set up to 10 alarms—if they are really resistant to greeting the day. The Vibio also functions without a smartphone connection, ensuring that a dead battery is never the reason for missing Biology 101.

The Vibio is available for $119.

Vibio

Vibio

Nanoleaf

Nanoleaf

Young adults don’t often appreciate decorating advice from their parents—but they may make an exception for Nanoleaf. Offering smart light panels in hexagonal or triangular shapes, Nanoleaf will have your child’s dorm room looking like their favorite streamer’s place in no time. Available in a variety of sizes and compatible with just about every third-party control system or A.I. assistant, Nanoleaf allows users to construct their own wall-hanging lightscape and illuminate them with over 16 million colors. Or you could let your music set the mood, syncing your Nanoleaf to your music and letting the lighting change with the beat. Or if you’re going for a more cohesive scheme, you can instruct your Nanoleaf to mirror the color scheme on your computer desktop. The options are endless for Nanoleaf users and are sure to make your child's dorm room one of the more popular hang out spots.

Nanoleaf lights are available in bundles for $169 to $219, depending on size, shape and number of panels.

In theory, your budding academic will be spending a lot of their time at a desk, studying, writing and generally expanding their knowledge—so why not make it as comfortable as possible? The X-Tech Ultimate Executive Chair is built with body-contouring and lumbar-support features meant to seat users in complete comfort for eight-plus hour stretches. But what really separates the X-Chair from the pack is its Elemax technology, a lumbar-region located device that dual-fan cooling, heating up to 131 degrees Fahrenheit at the push of button, and two different massage modes with a variety of intensity.

The X-Tech Ultimate Executive Chair with ELEMAX is available for $1,749.

X-Tech

X-Tech

Google

Google

If there was ever an all-in-one device for your child’s dorm room, the recently released Google Pixel Tablet might be it. A hub for work and play, this 10.95-inch touchscreen, sitting on charging smart speaker dock, will instantly alert users to new emails, pull up the week’s calendar at a moment’s notice, give news and weather when asked, and allow users to respond to messages, via text or voice, as they come in. But in addition to helping your student keep tabs on their immediate to-dos and the world around them, the Pixel Tablet is also a solid entertainment option. The portable device—it detaches from its magnetic charging base—is also a solid streaming gadget for your favorite movies, music, shows or YouTube videos. And as a bonus, it’s also a video-calling device, something they’re sure to use whenever they’re homesick… or need more funds.

The Google Pixel Tablet is available for $439.