Most universities are opening for their 2018/2019 academic year this week. To continuing students, it’s mostly business as usual, but for those joining university for the first time-slash-freshers, it’s mostly fresh experiences.
The first week, also the orientation period is soon ending. After that, the lectures will kick off.
Why this article? We know that in your previous stages of life you had people deciding most of what you should without question. But in this new life, you are going to make most of the decisions.
Since it’s the first time you are assuming that role, we know it won’t be that easy. So, our role here is to guide you on what gadgets you might need to acquire to help you in the (social and academic) activities you’ll be involved in while at campus. Before you spend all the upkeep money partying at the bazaar, you could purchase some of these items listed before as your first right decision.
A good smartphone
Even though it’s a common thing these days to hold a smartphone, not every phone that can install WhatsApp and other social media apps will be of assistance to you in demanding times.
Must read: The Ultimate guide to buying low-priced smartphones in Uganda
Smartphones are now, sometimes, alternatives to other gadgets which we used to buy independently such as cameras, PCs, and laptops. A fair smartphone should have specs such as an internal memory of 16GB, 1 GB of RAM and a camera with 12 megapixels.
Smartphones with the specs mentioned above range from Shs300,000 onwards in Tecno, Infinix, itel shops in town.
For similar options in major brands like Samsung and Apple, you have to dig deeper into your pockets. Avoid buying secondhand phones from people you don’t know; it’s hard to tell what’s wrong the gadget on the first impression.
See also: China’s Xiaomi joins smartphone trade in Uganda
With a good phone, you could also exploit e-hailing apps such as Uber, SafeBoda, Taxify and DialJack that offer cheaper transport fares. These need a phone with GPS which determines one’s location and this requires a good battery life on your smartphone.
Laptop
This is a must for those offering engineering and I.T. related courses. With a laptop, you can have daily coding practice, watch tutorials to supplement on knowledge acquired during lectures and prototype your built programs.
For the rest of the students, a laptop is also a paramount gadget for your studies as it could be used in compiling research, coursework, substitute for handouts and during your free times, you could catch up on entertainment (movies and series) without the need of having to buy a TV.
See also: Beginner’s guide: What to consider when buying a laptop
For I.T and engineering courses, I would recommend a laptop with a core i3 processor, 4GB Ram, 500 Hard Disk; this costs around Shs1.3 million for a brand new one. For other students, a duo-core processor, 2GB RAM, and 250 Hard Disk Drive, which could go for about Shs1 million, is recommended. You can find these laptops in shops along Kampala Road.
Also: How to determine your computer specifications in Windows 10
A tablet could also be an alternative for those interested in mainly revision and reading notes electronically and wish to avoid carrying a laptop around.
Mobile wireless router
Using the internet at campus goes beyond social media facilitation to doing research, uploading coursework, downloading tutorials among other things.
Most, if not all universities, these days offer WiFi on campus but this comes with heavy usage as most students get connected to the WiFi at once, hence slowing the speeds.
The alternative would then be buying data on your phone and create a hotspot from which you can connect your laptop. Heavy internet usage and creating a hotspot with your phone pauses a major risk to your phone battery life as a result of your phone heating up.
Also see: 5 tips for boosting your home Wi-Fi
To counter this, one could simply buy a Mifi to cater to all your gadgets internet connection. Using WiFi on phone extends your battery life as compared to the cellular mobile data connection.
A good Mifi could range from Shs120,000 to 150,000 depending on the telecom service provider. I would, however, not recommend a modem as this can only be used on laptops and PCs because it has no battery and cannot connect more than one device.
Bluetooth speakers
Although the gadgets mentioned above come with inbuilt speakers, sometimes we need a bit louder sound for playing music, watching movies, watching tutorials on our group discussions among others.
Many students these days have sound systems, that is, sub-woofers and home theaters in their rooms; but these aren’t mobile. With a Bluetooth speaker, you have a mobile sound system with similar or better sound quality that can connect wirelessly to all your devices such as a laptop, phone. All you have to do is to charge your speaker at night and you are good to go.
This can also work for you when there isn’t any electricity at your place of residence.
Good Bluetooth speakers can be found in town along Kampala road ranging from Shs. 100,000 ( price similar to subwoofers) and you could also order for one from the Jumia online shopping website.
Other gadgets
Camera
For those whose phones do not produce quality images, owning a camera could make you have research work with quality images, capture moments during trips and leisure time; and who knows? Maybe you could also get a photography gig which can earn you some extra money.
Power Bank
This could be of help to heavy smartphone users to avoid the inconvenience of running out of battery before going back to your room for charging or even looking for charging sockets. However, using very low output power banks could spoil your phones battery life.
See also: How to make your phone battery last longer
You, therefore, have to be very keen while buying a power bank: it should have an output of about 5V.
External hard disk
For purposes of backing up of your files, which could be of help if your laptop is stolen or infected with a virus. An external hard disk could also help you share files and course resources (notes, multimedia, tutorials, books) amongst your friends.
Ethernet and HDMI cables
Wireless internet on campus can tend to be slow but some places could have Ethernet sockets which you could connect to for faster internet. You could buy a Ethernet cable of about 1 meters to cater for such cases. An Ethernet cable can also be used to transfer files between two computers without the need of a flash disk or external hard drive.
With VGA cables phasing out, you could also carry an HDMI cable along with you or VGA to HDMI (for latest laptops without VGA ports) which can assist you in connection your laptop or PlayStation console to a TV or projector.
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