Gadgets that make study fun

Now in a world piled high with smart phones, tablets and e-readers, technology has entered the classroom in ways unimaginable. Taking classes can be fun too. All you have to do is swipe your fingers on your phone screen and download some apps, which can make your study more fun and efficient. Balancing study and play in a college setting has never been easy-and with the following few apps, it’ll be tough to tell the two apart.

Evernote

Use: note-taking

Can be used on: Phone/iPad/iPod touch, Android, BlackBerry, Palm OS and Windows, Phone 7

Price: free

It’s hard to imagine that with all the magical gadgets, the eager, studious types would still take out a notepad, a pencil, and a highlighter—and take notes in class. While it’s not an actual planner or a calendar App, if you take notes to stay organized, then Evernote is for you．The main thing about Evernote is that all of your notes are automatically sent into the cloud---and then you can access them from any web-connected computer via the Evernote app or a web browser. Evernote also supports audio and photo notes-rather handy if you want to record your lecture or take photos of any projected notes. But, of course, ask for permission first.

Wikipanion

Use: research database

Can be used on: iPhone/iPad/iPod touch

Price :free ( Wikipanion Plus for $4．99,or 31.87 yuan )

Now, you don’t necessarily have to go to a library or anywhere with computer services to do research work for your paper anymore. You can get access to the research databases just on your smart phone or tablet. Wikipanion gives you a simplified version of Wikipedia without leaving out any of the site’s extra features. The normal links that you’d see to each section of an article are no longer on the main screen. Instead, there’s small icon located at the bottom of the App, which can be used to access all the sections of an article. You can also open the links in Safari(苹果浏览器). According to the developers’ site, loading Wikipedia pages with Wikipanion is a lot faster than accessing the Wikipedia site from the iPhone’s browsers. To be honest, we agree.

Conquering Bilingual News Listening in 7 Days

Use: English learning application

Can be used on: iPhone/iPad/iPod touch

Price: For a limited time you can get the App for only $0.99—half price.

Still learning English with a workbook? If so, you are behind the times. Get 21st Century Newspaper’s new iPhone App, “Conquering Bilingual News Listening in 7 Days”. When you download the App on your iPhone, you can listen to the hottest bilingual news selected from the newspaper’s official website (w. w. w. i2lst. cn) and read by native speakers. User can enjoy the audio bilingual news with synchronized subtitles and fantastic pictures while immersed in an authentic language environment. With a simple tap, the sentence you choose will be repeated. “Conquering Bilingual News Listening in 7 Days” has ranked No 1 on the Chinese education App list.

What types of books do you enjoy reading? What are some of your favourite books? What’s your favourite type of books? Here are some books you might like to try.

The Venice Experiment : A Year of Trial and Error Living Abroad (2011) by Barry Frangipane

Type: travel

A few years ago, a real-life American couple decided to escape the competitive life and live in Venice for a year. This is the story of their experiences there, and it’s full of funny events about their struggle to adapt to the Venetian lifestyle. An author said, “For anyone thinking of an overseas adventure, The Venice Experiment is a laugh-out-loud read...”

The Hunger Games (2008) by Suzanne Collins

Type: science-fiction/adventure

The story is set in the future. A governor rules the country and most people are very poor. Every year, there’s a game show called “The Hunger AOLLNS Games” in which 18 teenagers are sent into the wild to battle it out until only one survives. The book has just been made into a highly successful Hollywood movie.

There but for the (2011) by Ali Smith

Type: general fiction

The book is the sparkling satirical novel by Ali Smith. There once was a man, Miles Garth, who one night between the main course and the sweet at a dinner party, left the table, locked himself in a spare bedroom, and refused to come out. As the days passed, Miles became a famous man, and people gathered outside his house. People even started selling Miles-themed goods.

An Idiot Abroad by Karl Pilkington

Type: travel/humour

Karl is a British TV personality and comedian (喜剧演员) who stars in the popular TV show An Idiot Abroad. In the show (and in this book), Karl Pilkington visits the Seven Wonders of the World and makes funny observations about his experiences. The Spectator magazine called Karl “the funniest man on the planet”.