Consumer Alert: The gift for your high school graduate that will improve his college life

Next week, high school graduates across the area will be crossing the stage to get their diplomas.

So I have a suggestion for the best gift for graduates. I’m scouring the sales to find the best deals. When you’re looking for a gift for a graduate heading to college, it’s best to look for something that they not only will enjoy but is also useful. And tech gifts check those boxes. So for suggestions, I turned to AT&T sales manager Jason Komenski.

“Right now, Business Insider says the top 10 gifts that you can get a graduate, five of them are tech gifts,” said Komenski.  “A couple of those are a new tablet.  A tablet, as far as productivity goes, will enhance their life so much when they’re in school.”

Fortunately, there are plenty of tablets on sale right now. PC Magazine has some great suggestions. And all are on sale right now.

And I love the suggestions in Laptop Magazine. It has suggestions that are on sale in every price range.

And before you wrap that tablet, load it with these essential apps for every college student.

• Evernote –  the ultimate note taking app.
• Brainscape takes old school flashcards to a whole new level, and you can use it across devices with friends.
• Splitwise helps keep track of shared expenses with your roommates.
• Duolingo – this is the ultimate app for learning a language.
• MyLifeOrganized helps you break down tasks into manageable parts.
• MyHomework lets you keep all your assignments in one place and sends reminders across all your mobile devices.
• Yuka rates food and personal care products and makes healthier suggestions.
             

“When you go to college, it’s tough to eat healthy,” said Komenski.  “You’re eating a lot of fast food. You’re eating a lot late at night. There’s this app called “Yuka.” You can scan any food product and it will rate it zero to 100 – zero being really bad for you 100 being awesome – eat it every day.”

This app is great for parents as well. When I take my kids with me to Costco, it is a constant battle. With Yuko, you can let your kids scan the barcode, and Yuko provides all the reasons you need for not buying that giant box of Fritos.