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It's back to school season and it's not just the gadgets that are important to pack to campus, but the way you configure your gadgets can be just as important. Here's 8 Great iPhone Apps for Back To School September 8th:

1. Wikipanion - it may not be the most reliable place to quote prime arguments to support your Masters thesis, but Wikipedia is still the first step on the road of knowledge for many. If your prof is pounding over terms you can't quite digest, bookmarking the mobile version of Wikipedia to your iPhone will always have you on pace with the rest of the front row eager beavers.

2. Evernote - this is an app that works with all iPhone models, but you've upgraded to the 3GS you'll see even better use. Evernote syncs data across multiple computers, even letting you take photos of documents and have them converted into text and become searchable. With the better 3GS camera, you can take better photos making the text recognition more effective. It's the best way to never lose a note, assignment, syllabus or idea.

3. Voice Memos - it's the built in voice recorder in your iPhone. Use it to record lectures or ideas for papers as you're out on your day. Come up with a great line or thesis? Just hit record and your iPhone will back it up for you to refer to later.

4. Stanza - if you're taking any literature courses, chances are the books you'll be reading in class are in the public domain. No need to line up and the book store and over pay for something that's been in print for centuries, check and see if it's on Stanza first and always have it in your pocket to crank out a chapter or three.

5. FlashCard Ex / Mental Case - When it comes to studying, rapid fire flash cards a sure fire way to commit definitions and facts to memory. By having them loaded on your iPhone, you can easily cram on the bus, waiting for a friend in the lobby or sitting outside the exam room. There's a free version to try and access to FlashcardExchange.com which hooks you up with pre-made flashcards you can download directly to your iPhone or iPod Touch.

6. Calculators No need to go out and pick up an extra calculator to get your fancy calculus and statistics graphs done, there's an app for that too. You can take the basic iPhone calculator up a notch by turning it on it's side to access more advanced functions, but there are other apps that simulate more advanced calculators too. Some Profs will insist you have a Ti83, you can get it as the PI83 Graphing Calculator.

7. Swede Shop - Ikea is the holy grail of dorm room design and this app will help you navigate the Ektorps, Juvdas and Heilfjords of the retailer. You start off with a budget, make notes on what you like as you wander the maze and the app will keep track of your running total and where everything is in the warehouse. The only thing it can't do is build that Billy bookcase for you.

8. Shazam - the ultimate bar bet decider. While you're coiffing pints after class and you're arguing about whether an obscure 90s track is by Pavement or Screaming Trees or Alice In Chains, you can simply fire up this app, hold it to the speaker and a sample will be recorded and identified to settle the score.

What are your must have apps for the iPhone, Blackberry, Palm Pre or desktop as the masses head back to their classes next week?

catch the buzz ... pass it on.

Message Edited by ElizabethS on 09-10-2009 08:40 PM