Brad Moon

 It’s that time of year again! Summer vacation is still in full swing, but the end is in sight and it’s time to start making preparations for the return to the classroom. Technology is more important than ever, but having the right gear is critical. To help you out, here’s a list of the top 10 laptops for back to school.

 It’s tough to beat a convertible, 2-in-1 laptop for versatility. You get a laptop, tablet and everything in between in a single device. With the ASUS VivoBook Flip TP501U, you also get a big, Full HD display, a Core i7 CPU and Nvidia’s 940M graphics card, making this convertible laptop a compelling combination of versatility and power.

 The ASUS X540LA is a big, surprisingly light and very affordable laptop. Aimed at students and casual home use, this 15.6-inch laptop could also easily replace an aging desktop PC. Here’s my review.

 The minivan was a big win for families undertaking the annual summer vacation road trip. A close second place is a heck of a lot cheaper: the tablet. Here are five ways a tablet can save your sanity on a summer vacation road trip.

 Got your eyes on a Surface Pro 4, but still have a summer vacation to pay for? With the Best Buy exclusive Acer Aspire Switch Alpha 12, you can have it both ways. It’s a budget-friendly prosumer 2-in-1, offering the full Windows 10 convertible laptop experience without breaking the bank.

 One of the hottest laptop categories these days are 2-in-1 hybrids, a category started by (and still led by) the Microsoft Surface and Surface Pro. What if you want something less expensive? That’s where the Acer Switch One 10 fills a void, providing an affordable, compact Windows 10 2-in-1 option at Chromebook prices.

 Looking for a way to add a second display to your PC without blowing your budget? If you have a tablet you can use it to get the second screen advantage while saving space and money.

 UPS isn’t just a package delivery company, the acronym also stands for Uninterruptible Power Supply. And if you own a PC, it should be connected to a UPS. Here’s how a UPS works and why you need one.

 Jaybird’s X2 Bluetooth Wireless earbuds have been a top choice for fitness enthusiasts, and for good reason. No wires connecting to your mobile device, excellent fit, sweat-proof design, decent battery life and high quality sound. The new Jaybird Freedom earbuds take the X2’s best features to the next level, with a new micro size metal design for improved fit and sound, and a clip-on external battery for 8-hours of use between charges.

   Chances are you have a handful of SD and microSD memory cards kicking around in a drawer or installed in a variety of devices. And chances are they’re pretty low capacity, like 4GB or maybe 16GB. That was plenty of storage a few years ago, but now? Not so much. High capacity SD cards like Lexar’s new 200GB microSD card are becoming much more common. But when do you actually need a really big SD memory card?