(ARA) - Every year, many young adults graduate from high school or college and take a significant step toward their future. According to the U.S. Department of Education, there will be 2,837,000 high school graduates in 2001, and the National Center for Education Statistics Projections through 2009 estimates there will be 2,230,900 college graduates this year.

"Family and friends are likely to send grads off to college or into the work force with gifts that will help them succeed," says Laurie Bauer, spokesperson for Best Buy, the nation's largest retailer of consumer electronics, personal computers, entertainment software and appliances. "Technology plays an important part in a grad's continued success and many new technology products can help to make work time more efficient and free time more fun."

Whether your grad is heading to college or into the workforce, keeping organized is key. The Palm m105 personal digital assistant (PDA), which retails for $199.99, is just the thing to keep your grad on top of things. With eight megabytes of memory, Internet capabilities, a date book, to-do list and note pad functions, your grad will have everything needed to work smarter.

Graduation is a special time of new beginnings and friends. Your grad can capture the memories on the Sony Mavica FD92 digital camera ($599.99). With no film to develop, your grad can preview pictures immediately and adjust settings for the perfect shot. The Mavica FD92 also offers a video mode for MPEG movies. Images and movies can be transferred to a computer for storage or e-mailed to friends and family.

If your grad just landed a job that requires travel, the Aiwa portable DVD player ($499.99) and Sonic Blue's Rio 600 ($169.00) make travel time more fun. With a wider LCD screen and ability to play CDs, the Aiwa portable DVD player can provide hours of entertainment. If your grad doesn't want to pack CDs for the trip, the Rio 600 is a portable MP3 player that stores two hours of music, offers high-speed download rates and has interchangeable face plates for customization.

A grad's time should not be all work and no play. Sony's Playstation One ($99.99) is a portable unit that is nearly one-third the size of the original Playstation console. Grads will be able to transport the unit with ease to play games with their friends. The unit retails for $99.99, requires a television and plays all Playstation games.

Help your grad keep in touch with family, friends or work with the Sprint PCS Touchpoint digital phone ($129.99). With a calendar, caller ID, e-mail and Web access, the Touchpoint phone assures your grad will never be out of touch. If you are unsure of what to get your grad, let them choose their own gift. Gift cards are available in many denominations and can be purchased at a variety of retailers.

You are sure to start your grad out on the right foot with technology products that make his/her work time more productive and free time more fun.

Courtesy of ARA Content, www.aracontent.com, e-mail: info@aracontent.com