Forget the Teen Vogue back-to-school shopping advice; does the average 16-year-old really want to spend $88 on a skirt so she can look like Gossip Girl's Blair Waldorf?

When it comes to staying trendy, a better investment is electronics. Sure, Apple will no doubt come out with an even better Touch iPod by Christmas, but even so, the current model is pretty cool.

Although tiny portable music/video players and cell phones can be the bane of a school principal's existence, sharp gadgets can provide a pleasant break from the grind of back-to-school.

Here is just a sampling of fun stuff, some of which, at the very least, might help pass the time on those longbus rides.

Keep in mind that prices can vary wildly with cell phones depending on service carrier, specials or upgrades.

Portable media players: Contrary to popular belief, the Apple iPod, which debuted in 2001, is not the be-all and end-all when it comes to music/video players.

Yet it's hard to argue with Steve Jobs. Apple CEO, who keeps reinventing the click wheel. Most iPods are able to store large amounts of music and video via flash memory, which allows the devices to stay small but hold big files.

This slick technology doesn't come cheap; iPods range from $49 for a tiny Shuffle to $500 for the current 32-gigabyte version of the Touch [think iPhone but without the phone].

Microsoft struck back in the tech market with the Zune, a popular player available in several storage sizes. Like the iPod, the Zune has a wide array of music and video content available for download from the Internet. Unlike the iPod, all Zunes can sync wirelessly and have built-in FM radio.

A 4-gig Zune can be had for $130, the larger 80GB runs $249.

Sony's Walkman was one of the first to hit the market with portable music with its cassette-deck design. The Walkman has slimmed down since then, offering tiny video mp3 players ranging in price from $100 to $130.

Cell phones: Phones come in a staggering variety of styles but in this department, only one falls into the impossible-to-find category, thus achieving ultra-cool status.

Apple's iPhone was launched a year ago in June to great fanfare and a $500 price tag. The fuss hasn't died down, although it hasn't always been positive.

Despite the release of a thinner iPhone with greater storage at half the price last month, complaints of hours-long activation processes and poor reception put a dent in Apple's generally shiny reputation.

The release of the third-generation model has been plagued by glitches worldwide.

Officially, the iPhone is available in the United States only through AT&T, which angered subscribers of other carriers. The phones themselves, sold only through Apple stores or apple.com, will be featured at Best Buy stores early next month.

Of course, the iPhone is a multitasker's dream. Beyond the touch-pad phone functions, the rest of the thing is a true iPod, which means it's a global positioning system and has wi-fi capability and calendars and a whole bunch of other neat stuff.

Apple recently opened the App store, where you can download a dizzying choice of applications that do everything from citing restaurant reviews in San Francisco to turning your iPhone or Touch into a remote for the television set. Or it can be used as a flashlight. And there is an app that just reproduces the fun of popping bubble wrap or turning the screen into a snowglobe.

Some of these applications are free, many cost less than $2, others, such as games, might run around $10.

Verizon has countered the iPhone challenge by offering a nice selection of compatible phones that range from the shiny tried-and-true LG Chocolate (free with upgrade) to the LG VX9400, which offers V-cast mobile TV, and at one online site it could be found for as little as $49.99, with upgrade.

The LG Voyager has Internet, global positioning system, a touchscreen, plus the latest must-have for teen-texters, a full QWERTY keyboard, $99 with upgrade.

The LG Dare resembles an iPhone, has a virtual QWERTY keyboard and can be had for as little as $99, after rebate at one online site.

The basics: Even simple devices for school can be beautiful. Texas Instruments' TI-84 Plus Silver Edition graphing calculator comes in orange, hot pink or gray, for $124.99.

At the other end, consider the colorful Casio fx-260 Solar Scientific calculator, found online for $9.99.

Then there are mimoco's whimsical, collectible flash drives. The 3-year-old company out of Boston crafts these tiny works of art in a variety of storage sizes, from 1 to 8 GB.

Dwight Schultheis of mimoco said the USB flash drives are prized by not only students looking for cool stuff, but by collectors.

They are sold online (www.mimoco.com) but also in national chains Hot Topic and Urban Outfitters and in gift shops at art museums.

Japanese anime, a Star Wars-themed collection as well as "mimobots" by international designers come preloaded with desktop wallpapers, icons and avatars and an issue of the company's "mimoZine."

Many are priced in the $35 range.

Cameras and video: Not that long ago, a pocket-sized digital camera cost at least $500 and was maybe 4 or 5 megapixels with a 3X optical zoom. Now the range of great little cameras under $250, with 7- and 8-megapixels and 5X zoom, is dizzying.

Manufacturers also realized that color sells, and eye-popping pinks, reds, greens and purples are everywhere.

FUJIFILM's FinePix line of 10-meg, 3X zoom cameras fit easily into pocket or purse, cost around $180 each and come in hot pink, bright green, black and red. For a bit more, the $250 Canon PowerShot 8-meg is a reliable model and comes in gold, light pink, brown and blue.

Almost any decent digital camera has the capability of shooting short bursts of video, but for those who'd rather have a portable video-only camera, there is the Flip Video camcorder.

Available in two models -- one with internal power source, the other with replaceable batteries -- and in a variety of colors, these pocket-size cameras can shoot up to an hour of video, then transfer the footage straight to your computer via a pop-up USB connection.

Prices range from $150 to $180, but Best Buy stores were selling these on special for far less last holiday season.

Digital books: When is a page not printed on paper? When the novel in your hands is read from a Kindle or Sony Reader.

Books stored on electronic devices is not a new concept, but the problem is convincing readers that the "feel" of a book in hand can be matched by the ease of having a library in one paperback-sized e-reader.

Sony came out with the Reader Digital Book a few years back. Sony's Reader has a 6-inch display and can hold up to 160 ebooks. Font size can be adjusted on this slim, half-inch- thick device, as well as brightness and reading angle. Cost at the Sony Web site is listed at $299.99.

Amazon's first-generation Kindle has been generally well received. The Kindle, which holds up to 200 titles that cost around $9.99 each, has wireless downloading. It touts its high-resolution screen as "electronic paper," without the glare of most electronic devices.

It also can receive online newspapers, blogs, entertainment content and -- this might or might not be a good thing for students -- free wireless access to Wikipedia.org.

The Kindle lists for $359

All the rest: There is nothing must-have about a disco ball computer mouse that lights up as you roll it across the pad, but what's wrong with that? $19.99 at www.perpetualkid.com.

And finally, it's OK to be smart, and www.thinkgeek.com has many products that allow that braininess to shine through -- in a smart way, of course.

A favorite is the LED Binary Clock, available in several model from $19.99 to $27.99.

The Web site advertisement says it all "Yes, it's a clock. No, your mom can't read it."

It then admits "OK, some moms can read it. The kind with degrees in computer science. Our bad."