Back-to-school tech: Cheaper now

Good news for students and parents: Prices are dropping and quality improving on tech products that have been around for a while, Reuters reports. That includes laptops, DVD players, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and little data storage devices. Reuters cites market research company NPD Group as saying prices have dropped 5% to 10% from last year. And the article points out that Taiwan-based Elitegroup Computer Systems's notebook computers start at $598 at Wal-Mart. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran a similar story, reporting that: "DVD players were about $30 cheaper than reported in April." It added that 15-inch notebook PCs have dropped an average of $65.