It’s almost Father’s Day! I bet some of you are still thinking about gifts to get dad. What have you narrowed things down to? If it’s “nothing” and you’re still stretched for ideas, this may be the blog for you. Let’s take a look at some of those gift ideas that will hit a home run and make your gift go over so big that he’ll wish every day is Father’s Day.
Something cool – Virtual Reality
Our interest in technology seem to come and go in phases. Every time I think about the return in popularity of virtual reality, I think of all of the things that attempted to break that wall in the 90s. The days of VR Troopers, the Virtual Boy and most of SEGA’s “Virtua” games are long gone (although I’m still waiting for another Virtua Tennis game) but we’ve got another 20 years of technology under our belt and it’s time to give it a go again.
Dig the NoonVR Headset. It has the ability to take any smartphone with a 4.7 inch or larger screen and turn it into a virtual reality device. With built-in hardware, NoonVR can navigate with head tracking and movement without the need for any additional hardware. The app itself allows you to experience (with the help of a few apps) 2D and many other videos in a virtual reality style. It weighs less than half a pound, which means that Dad won’t be wearing anything bulky or encumbering while getting familiar with his new gift. Dad can even wear it for long periods of time with ventilation in place to prevent the lens from fogging and you can even help him adjust the headset to make it work with his eyesight. Try and wipe the smile off his face!
Something Functional – Fitness Tracking or a Smartwatch
There’s something to be said for a fancy occasional gizmo but there’s also something to be said for something you can use daily. A Fitness Tracker or a Smartwatch are the types of things that dad can integrate into his daily life. However, it might take a little bit of sleuthing to figure out what your dad would prefer. For example, my dad is a little bit more traditional. He’d have a hard time trying to figure out the basic purposes of a fitness tracker and probably wouldn’t value some of the additional features as much. He’s more of a watch guy too and would probably want his texts and phone calls rerouted to the tracker with little else. If I were picking, I’d be buying him a smartwatch.
However, if my wife were buying for me, she knows I HATE watches. I haven’t worn a watch on a regular basis since I was in high school. I would much rather a fitness tracker with sleep tracking capabilities. The Microsoft Band 2 would probably be the closest thing to a smartwatch that I’d wear and even then, I still insist that it’s a fitness tracker at heart!
The best thing to do prior to making the leap is figuring out are how much dad will take advantage of the additional features. If dad’s more than just a prolific walker or jogger (like a hiker or cyclist,) you might want to take that into account when making your choices. If he’s a golfer, you might want to consider something with golf GPS like a Band 2 or one of Garmin’s devices. You can even get water resistant fitness trackers with swim tracking if your dad’s a pool nut like mine is.
Have a look at the different offerings of Smartwatches and Fitness Trackers and find which one is the perfect fit for dad.
Something Modern – A new Tablet
Of all of the various technological innovations of the past decade or so, I admit that my iPad is probably the one that I appreciate the most. Sure, video games, laptops, TVs and everything in between are great, but there’s something to be said for something I can use to read a book, read articles or watch a movie before bedtime.
It might be time for dad to upgrade his tablet, for which there are plenty of options out there. However, an iPad may be the way to go, especially if you have an accompanying Apple device that could allow you to FaceTime back and forth. FaceTime has become a big part of our familyès ability to stay in touch with us, especially with my family overseas that want to see how much my daughter is growing. It can also replace the need for dad’s computer, especially if you add a keyboard accessory like this to help him compose and issue emails.
If an iPad doesn’t grab your fancy, there are lots of other tablet options out there.
Something Sporty – Sports Tracking
One of my favourite things to do in the summertime is hit the driving range. I’m the most “dad” golfer there is. I show up wearing the most ridiculously neon golf shirt with the most ridiculous club head covers (currently Leonardo from the Ninja Turtles) and fire off the worst 70 swings’ worth of drives. However, I learned something about my swings last summer that I appreciated: It’s not that bad. Do you know how I found out?
I found out through a little tracker called Zepp. Zepp attaches to your golf glove and after connecting to your smartphone via Bluetooth, analyzes each and every one of your swings as you tell it which club you’re using. Once done, it submits this data to Zepp once a week and they send you a report and a recommendation drill on how to approve. That latter part really sold me on it and it ties all of the work together. I’ve since single handedly sold at least a half dozen Zepp devices to people I know based on my experience.
New for 2016, Zepp 2 takes what the 1st generation did and improves on it with 1000 data point recognition and better coaching analysis. Zepp 2 works for both baseball/softball and golf. Just buy whichever starter pack you prefer for Dad and you can buy the mounts for the other separately. However, if your dad is also a tennis player, there is no mount for Zepp 2 for tennis rackets. You’ll have to buy the 1st generation version.
If you’re interested in finding more out about how this works on the golf course, I reviewed the 1st generation Zepp last year. Please have a read.
Something Practical – A close shave
As I see a growing number of grey hairs popping up in my goatee and beard stubble, I find myself having to shave pretty often to keep that denial of the fact that I’m getting older alive. With my beard growing days probably coming to an end, I always value the closest shaves possible so that I don’t have to shave very often. I also have what I’d say is fairly sensitive skin. It’s time to think about better personal grooming options.
With the growing cost of razors ($25 for a 4 pack refill of blades? Come on,) it’s worth investing in what could be the best solution for dad. Look at something like the Philips Series 7000 Wet & Dry Cordless Rotary Shaver. It provides a very comfortable, very close shave and lasts forever one a single battery charge. It cuts hair close to the surface without nicking and delivers a comfortable shave. Best of all, you’ll even see reviews from the community there saying how good it is on sensitive skin.
Father’s Day is rapidly approaching and you don’t have a lot of time to make your choices. We’re here to help you here at Plug In. If this blog hasn’t inspired you to pick out the right gift for dad, have a look at some of the others to help you make your choice.
6 Father’s Day ideas to improve his style
5 Father’s Day gifts to encourage dad to cook outdoors
5 Father’s Day Gifts to encourage dad to improve his sports game
10 Father’s Day Gifts to encourage dad to get out of the house more
5 Father’s Day Gifts to Encourage Dad to Get the Family Together More
Happy Father’s Day!
