Okay, so what else is new, you’ve waited until the last minute and are starting to feel guilt pangs for not getting the old man anything for Father’s Day. Not to worry, because there's still time to get a great gift. Here are some recommendations for gadget gifts that will make any Dad happy.
Digital Photo Frames
Digital picture frames make great gifts. They’re not all that expensive and go great on a desk at the office or the hotel night table. You can buy an 8 inch frame or even a smaller one to take on the road for under $200. The Pandigital DPF802 is an 8 inch 800 x 600 photo frame that gets good ratings and sells for around $150. The Kodak SV811 is a similar frame that sells for a little over $100. The Westinghouse DPF 0561 is a smaller 5.6 inch photo frame that can be purchased for around $80. For the ultimate in portability load up a keychain photo frame with some pictures of the family and gift it to Dad. The Tao 1.4 inch Digital Picture Keychain holds 56 photos and costs $29. It has a rechargeable battery.
Noise Canceling Headphones
For the frequent flier Dad, a noise canceling headphone is always an appreciated gift. Put one of these headphones on and the roar of the jet engines vanishes, replaced by the soothing music from your MP3 player. The Bose QuietComfort 3 headphones get good ratings from users and experts. These Bose headphones are light and small but aren’t cheap at around $350. Sony's MDR-NC500D are even more expensive at around $400. Sennheiser makes the popular Sennheiser PXC-300 which sells for around $200.
Slingbox for Sports Fans
If your father is a huge sports fan and doesn't already have a Slingbox then maybe you should consider getting him one of these devices that will let him watch whatever is on the TV at home on his computer at work or wherever he is. You can get a Slingbox AV for around $100 or move up to the Slingbox Pro version which supports HD for under $200.
GPS for Joggers
The Garmin Forerunner 205 is a GPS device that you wear like a wristwatch. It tells you how far you ran and how long it took. Serious runners rave about this GPS device. You can buy the Garmin Forerunner 205 for around $180. Amazon is taking pre-orders for the Garmin Forerunner 405 which is supposed to ship any day and sell for around $300. It looks more like a real watch and has a touch screen bezel which makes it easier for runners to control.
Watt’s What
Last but not least, here’s a gift for the technically savvy Dad that could help save the environment too. You plug anything into this wattmeter and you can tell how much power it’s using. It’s especially interesting to see how much power some products use even after they are turned off.
Is your father a nerd? We know you love him but do you sometimes get a chuckle out of him for being so geeky? Does he program everything in sight, from the remote control to his computer? Is he the in-house tech support and network administrator? If “yes,” your father just might be a nerd and here are a few compatible gifts for him.
Power meter
Here’s a gift for the technically savvy Dad that could help save the environment too.
Eee PC from Asus
This mini-PC makes a great carry along computer. It has a 7 inch display, weighs just less than 2 lb. and comes in colors. You can get a Windows version or Linux version for around $300
Nerd tie
If your Dad has a sense of humor and you want to get him the traditional father’s day tie, here’s a good suggestion.
Hand powered radio
What techie Dad wouldn’t appreciate a good multi-band radio that you power with batteries or hand powered magneto? A device like this could make a good addition to your disaster preparedness kit. The Solar Hand-Crank radio costs about $25 and includes a flashlight. The Eton FR400 costs about $60 and includes an analog TV audio tuner that unfortunately will be useless after February 2009 but then any self-respecting techie would have known that.
Bluetooth Phone Home
Plantronics Calisto is a Bluetooth based cordless phone. Your Dad can wear the Bluetooth headset around the house and as long as he's in range talk on the phone and keep his hands free to tinker with whatever needs tinkering with. It costs around $250 but you also get a Bluetooth headset you can use with your mobile phone.
Father's Day is coming up soon. The best time to tell him how much you love him. Each year, it's a hard time choosing unique gifts for your dad. For the sports fan, TV-watching dad here’s some TV and sports related gadget recommendations.
Universal Remote Control
If your household is like most multimedia-enabled homes you probably have a basket-full of remote controls. This year you can make everyone's life simpler and give your Dad a cool present at the same time with a universal remote that can consolidate all or most of your remotes. The Logitech Harmony 880 will set you back about $200. It has a color LCD screen and gets good ratings from users who say it can control all their devices. The Logitech Harmony 1000 is a bit pricey at $400 but it’s like having a small computer with large color touch screen in your hand. Users say it’s easy to program and fun to use.
Blu-ray DVD Player
It might still be a little too soon to buy a Blu-ray DVD player. While we wait for Profile 2.0 to appear in stand-alone players you could easily rationalize getting Dad a PlayStation 3 that already includes a Profile 2.0 Blu-ray player and is a pretty good deal at around $300. Just think of the cool simulation and sports games many of which support 1080P high definition resolutions. NBA 2K8 gets high marks for realistic graphics as does MLB 08 and Madden NFL 08.
HDTV Sets
Okay, before you say, "I can't afford to buy my father an HDTV set," maybe you can be creative and get the family to pool some money and buy a reasonably priced HDTV set. For example, the Vizio VU42LF is a 42 inch LCD TV that supports 1080P and can be purchased for under $800. The Toshiba 42LX196 is another 42 inch, 1080P LCD TV that costs a little over $1000. The Olevia 242T doesn't do 1080P but only costs a little over $700. For a little under $500 you can get a 23 inch Samsung LN-T2342H that does 720P.
Following the Games Away From Home
If your father is a huge sports fan and doesn't already have a Slingbox then maybe you should consider getting him one of these devices that will let him watch whatever is on the TV at home on his computer at work or wherever he is. You can get a Slingbox AV for around $100 or move up to the Slingbox Pro version which supports HD for under $200. For a more portable gadget that gets Dad instant sports scores away from home, check out the Wireless Sportscast that pulls in sports scores to a handheld device.
