Tech review: 4 accessories for heading back to school

Jim Rossman, Tribune News Service on Aug 5, 2026

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It’s back to school time, and if you’ve got kids in high school or you’re sending them off to college, they’ll need some technology. Everyone should have their own laptop, and along with it, they’ll need some accessories.

Here are four things I’ve been testing that’ll be a big help for your scholars.

Boulies EP500

Anyone who sits at a desk all day knows the value of a comfortable chair.

Most office-based employees arrive at their desk and sit down at whatever chair happens to be at their desk. That chair may be new, or it may be quite the opposite.

At offices where I’ve worked, when someone leaves, the unspoken rule is their chair is up for grabs, so the next occupant of that desk or office is getting the short end of the stick.

If you work from home, or have any say so at work, you should absolutely get yourself a comfortable chair.

I’ve been testing a moderately-priced office chair from Boulies called the EP500 ($389.99, boulies.com), and it’s a chair I’d be happy to have at my workstation.

The first thing you notice is the durable mesh seating surface that keeps you cool, along with the large lumbar support that automatically adjusts to keep your lower back supported throughout the entire adjustable range of the chair.

The chair rolls on five very nice wheels and the backrest reclines to 126 degrees. The integrated footrest lets you stretch out, but it folds away when not in use.

The armrests adjust in ways I didn’t know I needed, but I have realized proper arm support for your desk setup can make all the difference.

The EP500 is recommended for users up to 6 foot 3 and up to 276 pounds.

Tribit QuietPlus 81 Wireless Over-Ear Headphones

It seemed like it was just yesterday when seemingly everyone was wearing AirPods.

These days over-ear headphones are everywhere – most of them are wireless and noise-canceling, which is great. Pricing can be all over the map, as is sound quality and the quality of the silence offered.

The Tribit QuietPlus 81 ($49.99, tribit.com), is one of the lower end of the price spectrum and I’m happy to say the sound quality is not on the lower end.

The QuietPlus 81 has Active Noise Canceling with five microphones, hearing protection mode to limit volume via the app, and multipoint connection, so you can use them with two Bluetooth devices.

It features Bluetooth 6.0 along with up to 110 hours of music playback or up to 70 hours with noise cancellation activated. If you’d rather, you can use a 3.5mm patch cable (included), if you’d rather have a wired connection.

Large 40mm drivers bring full sound, including very nice bass. The companion app lets the user choose from different equalizer presets to tailor the sound to your liking.

When you’re finished listening, you can fold them up for easy storage.

You can spend $300 or more for headphones, but the QuietPlus 81will make your ears and your wallet happy.

BMX GaNSTA 140W LCD Laptop World Charger and 5K SolidSafe Air Qi2 Magnetic Power Bank

Everyone needs chargers for their devices.

BMX’s new chargers, both for USB-powered devices and phones charged by Qi2, are small and light.

The 140-watt model ($89.99, heybmx.com) has three USB-C ports and one USB-A port. Two of the USB-C ports can provide up to 140 watts, while the third provides up to 65 watts and the USB-A gives up to 22.5 watts. It measures 2.44 inches by 2.56 inches by 1.34 inches.

It has an LCD screen to show you the current status of each port, total power being provided and temperature information.

The charger comes with plug adapters to use it in Europe, England and Australia.

BMX also sent along a 70W version that has many of the same features with a smaller charging capacity and a slightly smaller size. You can find it on their website.

The 5K Qi2 charger has a semi-solid-state battery that uses significantly less liquid than conventional lithium-ion power banks.

The SolidSafe Air is just 6.8 mm thin and it doesn’t really add much bulk or weight.

As the name states, the SolidSafe Air has a 5,000 mAh battery and it can wirelessly charge up to 15 watts. It can also charge through it’s USB-C port at 20 watts.

The battery has a strong magnetic connection to keep it on your MagSafe-compatible device.

There are four status lights to show the level of charge.

The power bank ($59.99) comes in black, silver or gold and it’s made of titanium. You can save some money if you buy a two or three pack.