From the ultimate desk chair to the pen that saves a digital copy of everything it writes, this is the fresh-from-the-lab tech could change how students cram.
Roommate Silencer
Nokia BH-905 This noise-canceling headset uses an unprecedented eight microphones to listen for din, so it can accurately generate opposite sound waves. Break time? A Bluetooth link lets you stream music or make calls from your phone. Price not set; nokia.com
Chair
Herman Miller Setu Sit comfortably no matter how you squirm. The Setu’s injection-molded plastic flexes at different rates in different spotsa€”like tilting your spine back and your knees up as you reclinea€”thanks to cutouts that dot the frame. From $500; hermanmiller.com
Book
Asus Eee PC T91 OK, it’s a laptop, not a book. But with a touchscreen that folds back to become a page-size tablet, the small netbook now makes a great e-reader. Just add free viewing software, like Adobe Digital Editions, for common book formats. Or use it to surf the Web. $500; asus.com
Pen
Livescribe Pulse This pen is already a mini computer that digitally saves your notes. In October you’ll even be able to download programs onto it. Apps may include translatorsa€”tap a word on paper to see it in Spanish on the pen’s screena€”and card games. From $150; livescribe.com
Light
Humanscale Element Humanscale’s energy-efficient LED lamp casts an even glow. Its LED packs many light-emitting chips tightly together, eliminating the shadows caused when chips are separated by individual cases. $400; humanscale.com
