Aug. 11--The back-to-school shopping season remains the annual trek to snap up new clothes and stock up on school supplies. For many families, it now includes a stop at a retailer that sells cell phones, computers and other electronic devices.

For many grade-school youngsters to older, college-bound students, feature-laden cell phones and compact laptops have become necessities.

Online shopping site ShopLocal.com's recent survey of children ages 7 to 12 confirmed that today's youngsters love their gadgets. The survey showed 70 percent of preteens in that age group wanted a new computer for school and 69 percent were hoping for a new cell phone.

The presence of cell phones among the preteen set is rising, the survey said, with the number of 10- to 12-year-olds who said a new phone was important in 2007 rose 18 percent from the previous year.

And in a continuing recession where consumers have pulled purse strings tighter, electronics are a bright spot amid a drop in back-to-school spending this year, the National Retail Federation said. A NRF poll showed purchases of electronics will rise 11 percent over last year.

Electronics grow up For those college-bound, that increase is estimated to jump by 25 percent as laptops become a requirement for many colleges and universities.

"August and December are our biggest months," said Dave Lawton, manager of an AT&T retail store in northwest Oklahoma City.

And as busy parents look for better ways to keep track of their active school-age children, Lawton said newly released AT&T phones and services can help.

FamilyMap allows users to locate a family member's phone through a Web browser on a PC or a wireless phone, and users of the service can see details, such as location on a map and surrounding landmarks such as schools and parks. Parents can receive e-mail updates during the day to check on their children's location.

For youngsters and teenage users, AT&T has new phones with features from easy-to-use, slide-out keyboards and touch screen calling to the built-in social networking applications Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. One model combines a dual Cyber-shot camera and phone.

Matt Robinson, a 17-year-old Ada High School student, made the trip to an Oklahoma City AT&T store last week for one item -- a new iPhone 3GS.

Robinson is a senior this year, and president of the student council. The iPhone, a trade-up from his current BlackBerry "will help me be more organized," he said.

The back-to-school season always brings increases in phone upgrades, said Joe Cabrera, a U.S. Cellular sales manager in Tulsa.

And by the time cell users reach high school age, they get very selective about their gadgets, he said.

"They want to get the latest and greatest," he added.

Those students are now favoring smartphone options such as BlackBerries.

"Junior and senior high students want access to a browser and e-mail."

For teens, texting is part of their lifestyle, Cabrera said, and U.S. Cellular's unlimited text, pictures and video bundle is a favorite of families with cell phone toting children.

The latest, smallest computers -- or netbooks -- are gaining followers after a recent introduction, AT&T spokesman Andy Morgan said. The computers weigh less than 3 pounds, cost $200, feature 10-inch screens and keyboards almost as large as regular-size laptops.

Netbooks stay charged for up to five hours, which makes them perfect for college students, Morgan said.

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