Every year when we think about back-to-school technology, our thoughts might turn to which laptop to buy, or: "Does my child need a programmable calculator?" Those are important issues, but not the whole story.

So, instead of forecasting myself this year, I turned to Cat Schwartz to see which tech products are the current sizzlers. She's been watching the market as the title character at hightechmommy.com and as the gadget director at eBay.

Ms. Schwartz has picked a few of her own back-to-school favorites.

Not surprisingly, the Apple Macbook and Dell XPS PCs were on her list of popular back-to-school products. Because more schools than ever are building their curricula around students who have computers, flexible, affordable laptops are bound to top the list. According to Ms. Schwartz, the Dell systems are well priced while the Macbook, aside from being cool and coveted, is eligible for Apple financing and a back-to-school deal that includes an iPod. She also likes systems from eMachines.

With or without the Macbooks, students want their iPods. Also popular are iPod accessories, such as the iHome speaker system, which includes an alarm clock that lets you wake up to your favorite playlist.

College students in particular seem to love portability and small size, and Ms. Schwartz includes such devices on her list. The Canon Pixma ip90 printer can be connected to your computer, camera or cell phone by Bluetooth wireless technology. The T-Mobile SideKick ID cell phone offers portability for a lower price than the original SideKick, even if it does lack all the features of the original. The Fly Fusion Pentop Computer from Leapfrog is a pen that captures your scribbles, even when you don't have your computer with you. After you write with it (on special paper), you upload the pen's contents to your PC. It comes with homework helper applications for students age 8 and older.

One of the most unusual items on Ms. Schwartz's list is the Swiss Beat MP3, a Swiss army knife with a two-inch blade, mini-scissors, nail file and MP3 player in one compact package. (I'm not making this up.) The Swiss Beat MP3 player includes 1 GB of memory, an FM radio that can hold 15 pre-set stations, and a digital voice recorder with built-in microphone.

She also likes the AlcoHawk digital alcohol detector -- a portable device that can keep you out of trouble with local law enforcement. (OK, so maybe parents will see more utility here than students will.) With a price of only $45, the AlcoHawk may keep many a student from having to use a similar device once they start driving erratically, and it might make it easier to select designated drivers.

You might not agree with Ms. Schwartz's picks, but eBay statistics (for the two weeks ending Aug. 3) back her up. During that period, 507 Apple MacBooks and 416 Dell XPS systems sold on eBay, with the average prices ending at $1,048 and $1,611 respectively.

Also sold were 255 HP OfficeJet printers and 63 Canon portable printers. And a whopping 5,488 iPod Nanos changed hands on the auction Web site for an average price of $134. They represent some of the most searched-for items on eBay.

Don't worry if you didn't win one of the auctions mentioned above. As of Aug. 3, there were plenty of auctions remaining for each of those products -- and of course, they also are available elsewhere online and at many retailers.