Kitted out for college; Having the right computer, phone or gadget is essential for students who want to stay ahead, and it doesn't have to cost a fortune. Paul Tyrrell gets technical.

Byline: PAUL TYRRELL

FACE it, you are going to have to use a computer at university. Even if you study the arts, you'll be expected to format essays using a word processor. In fact, buying your own powerful system is a prerequisite for some IT-related courses.

More fundamentally, no modern employer wants to employ someone who has no technology skills. "If you are waiting to learn about IT in a classroom, you're already behind the curve," was the recent verdict of Peter Petre, senior editor for science and technology at Fortune magazine. You need to make technology a part of your life, as well as your work.

Why not go secondhand? If all you need is a decent word processor, you can get away with a computer system that is several years old at a fraction of the cost of a new system.

You'll need some software, but that too can be obtained cheaply. For example, Microsoft Office usually costs around [pounds sterling]350, but the Student and Teacher edition (same package, different name) costs around [pounds sterling]130.

You may be able to get secondhand software with a used machine, but it is better to buy it new - that way you can register for support from the manufacturer and make sure you have the disks necessary to reinstall it should anything go wrong. Add a printer and you have a self-contained system for churning out essays - and the means to avoid queues for equipment provided by your university.

The total cost of all of this needn't be more than a few hundred pounds.

Buying a secondhand system through a private sale can be risky, but refurbished or "reconditioned" equipment usually comes with a warranty as well as statutory consumer protection.

Leading manufacturers, such as Dell and Compaq, run their own auctions for such equipment, while Morgan Computers (www.morgancomputers.co.uk or 020 8575 0055) is one of the UK's biggest independent suppliers of refurbished PCs.

For refurbished Apple equipment, try an independent supplier such as Cancom (www.cancomuk.com), which offers a threeyear extended warranty, or the little-known sale run online by Apple between 10am and midnight every Wednesday. For details, visit promo.euro.apple.com/promo/refurb/uk

Mac or PC?

CHOOSING the right platform becomes more important as your requirements become more advanced. Your course may require you to own a PC and, if your halls of residence offer internet access via the university network, you may need a PC to take advantage of this facility. If neither of these are a factor, consider your career ambitions. If you intend to enter any kind of creative industry, a Mac is probably your best bet.

Otherwise, a PC is the sensible option.

move it easily from home to halls, you can take it to the library and, with a wi-fi card (available on many of the latest models), you can even access the internet at blistering speed from most branches of Starbucks and many other so-called "hotspots".

NUS membership entitles you to discounts from several hardware suppliers, so check out the links at the website (www.nusonline.co.uk). Hewlett Packard, for example, is offering a discount of [pounds sterling]100 on its dx6050 microtower system, which has an AMD Athlon XP2800+ processor, 256 mb of RAM, a 48x CD-Rom drive and 56k modem. It comes with a 17in CRT monitor and software, including the Windows XP operating system and Microsoft Office.

Preinstalled software includes Windows XP Professional and the Office Student and Teacher edition. Apple offers discounts of around eight per cent on its hardware via its online store (www.apple.com/uk/education).

Here you can get about [pounds sterling]100 off the gorgeous Apple Macintosh Powerbook G4 12in, which

in its most basic form includes wi-fi, Bluetooth and a CD-RW drive, as well as a 1.33Ghz processor and 256Mb of RAM.

An all-purpose phone

THE right mobile will make life easier at university, and there are plenty of student discounts. Clubmobile (www.clubmobile.co.uk or 0800 195 5442) gives NUS cardholders a 10 per cent discount on the initial purchase price of a contract phone, plus 10 per cent off monthly rentals for a year. It has yet to announce its offers for the 2004-05 academic year but this year's bundles typically included generous SMS allowances.

New handsets being released in time for fresher's week include the SPV C500 Smartphone, available with Orange. Billed as the world's smallest smartphone (ie, one that has all the features of a personal digital assistant in the shape of an ordinary handset), this uses the Windows Mobile 2003 operating system to run pocket versions of Outlook and Internet Explorer, as well as reading Word, Excel and Powerpoint files. It can play MP3s and video clips, and incorporates a camera. These features come in a tiny package weighing just 100 grams.

This term's must-have gadget

ONE gadget launched this year that promises to change student life forever is an accessory for Apple's allconquering iPod. The Griffin iTalk voice recorder (priced around [pounds sterling]30; see www.ammicro.co.uk for stockists) plugs into the top of any new iPod (excluding the iPod mini) and enables you to record in a highly economical way. One minute of recording fills about 1Mb of space on the device, which means the top-of-the-range 40Gb iPod can store four weeks of continuous sound.

Clearly, this has massive implications for getting the most out of lectures.

You can now record every one that you attend, and play each one back for revision wherever you are. The iTalk automatically strips out background noise and includes a socket for an external microphone for optimum results.

Furthermore, if you run out of space on your iPod, you can simply download recordings onto your computer (the new models are compatible with both Macs and PCs) for long-term storage. Your iPod can be used to archive your computer's main hard drive and, of course, it can carry all your favourite music, too.