If your kiddos are griping about how soon they start back to school (or, if you are heading that way yourself, begrudgingly), it's probably high time you took inventory. Is that aging netbook really going to get you through another semester? Is that Gingerbread handset up to the task of piloting you through yet another straight-A year? Take solace, a tech refresh or complete makeover can be rather refreshing.


Back to school season is in full swing, and we're here to offer up the best of the best in a few key categories. If you're shopping for phones, desktops, laptops, or accessories, we've got picks for each. We've taken budget, form factor, and ease-of-use into account, and for most items, we'll offer up a full review. The idea here is to present some of the best tech gear we've seen this year so far, based on different use cases and workloads. Some folks may be looking for an ultralight ultrabook, while others want a big, bag desktop replacement machine - you get the idea. Different keystrokes (or swipes) for different folks.


On the laptop front, we've got recommendations for ultralights, full-on mobile gaming rigs, and a 2-in-1 convertibles for those needing added flexibility. For tablets, it's Android and Windows-based slates leading the charge this year. Our desktop suggestions span the gamut, from a micro-sized PC suitable for even the tiniest dorm room to a multi-GPU infused behemoth machine that looks as menacing as the frame rate it puts out. Finally, with the recent explosion in wearables, our accessories section is more wrist-friendly than ever.

Ready to dive in? Let's go...