By Lynette Holloway

In a time not so long ago, graduation gifts consisted of things like typewriters, dictionaries, alarm clocks and towels. If you were lucky, your towels were monogrammed.

Now the soon-to-be college freshman will likely get a laptop, a top-of-the-line cell phone, an iPod or some other high-tech device to ease the transition from high school to college campus.

Typewriters have morphed into computer notebooks and forget the dictionary – those are online. Cell phones and iPod docks now double as alarm clocks. All of which may put you at a loss as to what to give the tech-savvy 21st century grad.

Eighteen-year-old Angelica Marcano, who plans to attend Wright State University in Fairborn, Ohio, says she would like a Hewlett-Packard desktop computer and printer. “I’m looking for something that I can use at home, rather than on the go,’’ she said. The new HP Pavilion Elite m9200z series may be just the thing for her. Starting at $700, it has received rave reviews for ease of use and installation. All-in-one printers, such as the HP Deskjet D2430 Printer (from $39.99) or the HP Photosmart C4280 All-in-One Printer, Scanner, Copier ($100) also are good bargains.

Angelica, of Kettering, Ohio, who graduates from Fairmont High School next month and plans to major in education, also has been eyeing the new BlackBerry Pearl (pictured, right), a sleek and stylish smart phone that generally retails for about $200, because “it’s cool,”’ she said. The price of the Pearl varies from carrier to carrier, such as these options from T-Mobile.

The cool factor is key when selecting gifts for college-bound students. Denise Witmer, author of The Everything Parent’s Guide to Raising a Successful Child: All You Need to Encourage Your Child to Excel at Home and School ($14.95), advises parents in a column for About.com to keep

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