One of my favourite things about Father’s Day is how it lets me be a kid again. When my kids were younger, this often meant building a LEGO kit together. Now that they’re older and into high tech toys like drones, robotic kits and R/C vehicles, Father’s Day means I get to relive being a kid while playing with gear I find genuinely fascinating —all while bonding with my own kids. If there’s a dad in your life who’s just waiting to unleash his inner child, I’ve put together some high tech toy suggestions from Best Buy’s extensive selection of gear that will have dad (and his kids) pretty happy on Father’s Day.
When the original Sphero was released, it was a hit. We’d seen smartphones, smart cars and smart appliances before, but a smart ball? Sphero 2.0 ups the ante with greater speed, brighter light and even more functionality.
This spherical robot is fun to play with (dad controls it with an iOS, Android or Windows app), the kids can learn programming and there are now over 30 third party apps for doing even more stuff with this high tech toy.
If I were to pick a high tech toy that I’d like for Father’s Day, it would be a Parrot Drone.
Not only do I get to pilot a quadricopter with my smartphone or tablet, I get to use it to capture HD video in flight. Yes, it’s fun, but it’s also practical (a combo that all dads love) —I could use this thing to check if there are birds nesting in the chimney, see if the eaves troughs are getting gummed up with leaves or to chase squirrels away from the bird feeder. It can be controlled from up to 50 metres away on a Wi-Fi connection.
Parrot Drone 2.0 Power Edition
Want to up the ante on the Parrot Drone? The Power Edition of the popular quadricopter has a boss black and red colour scheme along with a pair of high capacity batteries for four times the flying time between recharges.
While app-controlled vehicles are cool, many dads grew up on R/C cars. So why not make dad’s day with a throwback to his youth with the Traxxas Slash 4WD R/C car?
Mind you, dad never had an R/C vehicle like this one… Off-road capability even in mud, water and snow, zero latency controls and speeds of up to 97 km/h. That’s right, dad could get ticketed for speeding with this thing. How cool is that?
With summer approaching, you might be getting ready to head to a cottage or the beach. If that’s the case, why not give dad a high tech toy for playing in the water?
Traxass Blast is an R/C speedboat that’s capable of blasting through waves (thus the name) at 19 km/h. That’s a lot more exciting than a fishing pole…
Finally, there’s the LaTrax Rally, a 4WD, all-weather, off-road rally R/C car that can top 26 km/h. It’s available in a variety of colours and its 2.4GHz wheel radio can use one of three channels. You know what that means —better get two and then you can race dad!
Didn’t see something here that would appeal to the father on your list? Not to worry, Best Buy carries a huge range of toys, games and collectibles. Check it out and you’re bound to find something that will let your dad be a kid again —even if it is for just one day.
