Brad Moon

After a few years where tablet makers raced to get smaller products such as the Nexus 7 and iPad Mini out the door, these days the industry seems focused on getting bigger. Microsoft has been making waves with the Surface Pro and one of the big announcements Apple made in September was the arrival of a long-rumoured—and very large—iPad Pro. But if the appeal of tablets is their portability, why would anyone want a super-sized version of the device? I’ve had the opportunity use many of these big tablets over the past year or so and I can see why they’re growing in popularity.

It’s official: class is in session. Summer vacation is over. Millions of students across Canada are getting back into the groove, determined to do better than ever this year. To help achieve those lofty academic goals, I’ve put together a collection of some of the best back to school tips from Plug-in writers. Elementary, high school, college or university, keep these in mind to use your high tech gear to stay organized and meet your goals for the 2015 school year.

The Seagate Wireless Plus hard drive collected Best of CES hardware at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show and it’s easy to see why. Plenty of storage (2TB or enough for up to 1,000 movies), USB 3.0 speed and a compact size are all good to haves. But the Plus in this case is actually two pluses: Wi-Fi access (with its own Wi-Fi network) and a built-in battery for up to 10 hours of completely wire-free use. If you travel and wish you could take your media with you, the Seagate Wireless Plus hard drive may just be the perfect solution.

While video game consoles continue to get better, try telling the large number of diehard gamers that they should give up their gaming PC. Why settle for the 1080p graphics dished up by consoles when you can enjoy higher quality video effects at 4K resolution? And, with PC gaming you can go mobile, thanks to gaming laptops. Just don’t think you can pull off a graphically demanding title like Battlefield 4 on any old laptop or PC. You need a specialized gaming rig in order to make the most of what PC games have to offer.

Seagate is one of those brand names that pops up repeatedly when you talk about PCs. As a hard drive pioneer, Seagate’s products have a reputation for providing innovative storage solutions to meet any need, whether that’s size, capacity, speed or ease of use. The Seagate Backup Plus portable hard drive I’ve been testing offers a very high 4TB capacity in a very compact form factor. It has sufficient space to back up everything from your entire PC to your digital movie library, in a package that’s small enough to scoop up and slip in a jacket pocket to take with you.

In a world where we can print virtually anything on demand using the inkjet printer sitting on the desk beside us, what the heck is Instant Ink? The Answer, according to Hewlett-Packard is: “Original HP Ink ordered by your printer, delivered to your door.” Sounds convenient, but according to HP, by signing up for its Instant Ink replacement service, you can also save up to 50 percent compared to what you have been paying to keep your inkjet printer running. Now we’re going from convenient to very interesting. Let’s have a look at the details.

I had the chance to use a Surface Pro 3 at a launch event, but I haven’t spent any extended time with any of Microsoft’s tablets since a Surface 2 back in 2013. Microsoft recently sent me a new Surface 3 to try out for a long term review and I came away impressed with how these devices are evolving. And the experience got even better once I’d updated the loaner to Windows 10.

With the start of school rapidly approaching, the rush is on to make sure students have the gear they need. The biggest purchase for most will be a computer, so you want the right one and making the right choice starts with picking the right form factor. A few days ago, I made the case for choosing a traditional laptop. This time, I’m going to switch hats and make the argument for choosing a desktop PC.

So you’re off to college or university, leaving home and high school behind for the challenge of post-secondary education. Naturally, you’ll be bringing some gear along with you, like your computer and maybe a stereo, game console or a TV. Don’t forget to include a printer in the mix! If you don’t have one already (or if the one you own has seen better days), I’ve put together a list of 5 of the best printers to take to your dorm room.  

A few weeks back I explored the topic of whether a tablet could be as good as a laptop for students. Here’s a hint (as a father whose kids have used both in class): yes, in many cases a tablet can be. However, I also know from experience that there are situations where a laptop just makes more sense. If you’re a student or you have kids in school, here’s the case for buying a traditional laptop over alternatives like a tablet or a desktop PC.