Tech.Co’s Guide to Father’s Day Gadgets and Tech

Each June on the third Sunday of the month we gather ‘round the bacon tree, tell tales of how strong our fathers are, and then share what can only be called the worst genre of jokes on the planet: dad jokes. It’s also entirely possible that most people have no idea what the true history behind Father’s Day is, but regardless of what it means to you, it’s primarily a time to honor our dads and maybe get them some cool things we’d rather buy ourselves.

From Ron Swansons to Phil Dunphy and everything in between, we’ve crowdsourced and searched the web for some of the coolest tech and gadgets for Father’s Day. Check out everything in our Tech.C Father’s Day Gadget Guide.

Father’s Day Gadget Guide

Bluesmart, the creators of the world’s first smart luggage launched our inaugural product, the Bluesmart One on Indiegogo in early 2015 and raised more than $2M in pre-orders from more than 10,000 backers in 120 countries worldwide. From this incredible success, we started shipping (and shipped to all our backers on time!) while partnering with premier retailers such as the MoMA Store and Amazon Launchpad.

- Horizon Hobby Nano QX2 Micro Drone: The Nano is one of the best out-of-the-box micro racing drones for under $500, which includes both the FPV headset and controller. It’s perfect for those who may be nervous about investing in an expensive drone or lack the outdoor space to enjoy a 70+mph flight, but still want to break into the sport. At less than 2 ounces and just over 5 inches in length, this racer can be used both indoors and outdoors.

- Canary features a 1080p HD camera, 147 degree wide-angle lens, 90+ dB siren, night-vision and a bevy of sensors to detect motion, temperature, air quality and more. Put Canary on a shelf or table in a central area of your home, plug it in, and connect to your Wi-Fi. It’s built to learn and adapts to your home over time; whenever Canary detects something out of the ordinary in your house or apartment, it sends intelligent notifications with HD video and audio directly to your smartphone. That way, you can make smart decisions when something’s wrong and feel connected when everything’s right.

- Amazon Echo ($179.99) – whether you’re holding the baby, getting ready in the morning, or preparing a masterpiece in the kitchen, Echo is a busy Dad’s best friend given that it’s controlled by your voice. No hands required! To use, all you have to do is ask, for example: “Alexa, what is the weather?” or “Alexa, play my party playlist from Spotify.”

- Edwin the Duck: Great for first-time dads looking for a way to bond with their children, Edwin is a children’s toy with personality designed educate and entertain. Utilizing a companion app, children control Edwin on screen with a tap of the rubber duck toy.

- - Enclave Audio 5.1 Wireless Systemis the first HD 5.1 HTIB affordable audio solution is ready and will amaze you with incredible sound and simplicity that makes Enclave Audio the ideal surround sound system for 2016 and beyond. The Enclave Audio Wireless 5.1 home theater system offers uncompromised true surround sound with the ability to easily place the speakers as 5.1 surround was designed and intended—surrounding the listener. This proprietary network is created specifically for one purpose: the flawless delivery of crystal clear, uncompressed audio, to every speaker in the system in an incredible 5 milliseconds.

Hum by Verizon is a great gift for tech geek dad who’s always looking for the latest gadget that’ll make his and his family’s lives better, easier and safer. Hum turns the tech geek dad’s car into a smarter, safer, and more connected vehicle through a number of features, including pinpoint roadside assistance, an ASE Certified Mechanics Hotline and real-time vehicle health reports, to name a few. And if the tech geek dad wants to keep the latest cutting edge tech in his family’s cars, boundary and speed alerts are also great features that allow him to monitor driving habits and location from the hum app to ensure that safe driving habits are being enforced.

TackR: Tired of losing your keys, wallet, or phone? Attach the coin-sized TrackR bravo to any item – then use the TrackR app to locate it in seconds. Quickly ring a missing item around the home or be notified before leaving things behind. Lost your phone? Press the button on your TrackR device to ring your missing phone, Even on Silent Mode! TrackR’s Crowd GPS Network even updates you of your item’s latest location on a map!

- For the Teched Out Dad: Help dad make entertaining even easier with a cool gadget that can turn him into a master mixologist. Perfect Drink Smart Scale + Interactive Recipe App offers 400+ cocktails to explore. No measuring. Connect the smart scale to the Perfect Drink App, pour the ingredients and the app tells you when to stop. The in-app timer ensures you shake or stir the precise amount of time, so the drinks don’t get watered down and the cocktails are perfect every time. The app also lets you create a party menu, so guests know what cocktails can be made based on the ingredients on hand and it automatically scales the ingredient amounts based on the desired serving size- pitchers for large groups, or a single cocktail for a quiet night at home.

- Sensoria’s Smart Running System includes Smart Fitness Socks and a T-shirt. While the Smart Socks track things like foot landing, cadence and pace, the Smart upper body garment accurately and comfortably monitors heart rate. The system works together to collect data about his workout and then provides real-time feedback through Sensoria’s integrated mobile app. The real-time feedback provides suggestions for improving form to not only increase speed, but also prevent injury. Since it’s estimated that 50 to 80 percent of runners are injured each year, and studies suggest that this may be related to particular styles of running, this feedback is invaluable.

- Lola is the latest innovation from Blue Microphones. Too many headphones today are designed as mere fashion statements. Lola exemplifies the very definition of form and function with Blue’s holistic design approach to superior sound. Instead of using the ordinary “spring loaded” headband that most people are used to, Blue invented a multi-jointed headband based on Formula One race car suspensions. It’s elegant, comfortable, and adapts to any head shape. But the design is about more than comfort—it also creates a perfect seal around your ear, resulting in superior isolation and exquisite sound.

- Sioeye is the first action camera on the market that’s an all-in-one live streaming experience for extreme and action sports. Connected through 4G LTE, users can easily broadcast to friends, family and fans with the press of a button. No uploads. No integrations. No mobile phone required. With the mobile app for iOS & Andriod followers watch users adventures in real-time through the web or Sioeye mobile apps, interact with each other about their adventures, and watch instant replays.

- The X-Carve by Inventables is the perfect gift to bring out the maker in any father. 3D carving, similar to 3D printing, allows users to create new products out of a variety of materials. The X-Carve provides a simple path from idea to product, helping users design their creations online and then bring them to life in an effective and efficient way. From guitars to electronic accessories to puzzles, fathers can use the machine to carve almost anything this Father’s Day and even bring the kids into the process.
  Unlike every other fitness wearable, Moov is an actual coach, going beyond the 10,000 steps logged to provide users with real-time feedback. As the first multi-sport wearable coach that analyzes movements and guides you through interactive workouts, Moov helps maintain proper form and avoid injury and is a steal at $79. It can be used for indoor and outdoor training and coaches users through running, walking, boxing, swimming, cycling, and the 7 minute challenge.
- Booq: Daypack is a limited edition, comfortably cool backpacks provide contoured design, sleek lines and a surprising amount of interior storage for everyday carrying.Its Slim profile makes it perfect for comfortable commuting and working on-the-go. The interior touts a large main compartment with multiple pockets including a slip pocket for a tablet and a designed to hold a 17” laptop.

- The Egg is a versatile, handheld personal cloud storage device that makes it easier than ever to privately store, stream and share your personal photos, videos, music and other content. Stay connected with friends and family; enjoy your entire library of music and movies at home or on the go; instantly stream and share high-resolution video and images.

- Behmor Connected Coffee Brew System: Equipped with IoT platform, which enables Dad to customize his brew and control from his smartphone with unparalleled accuracy for the perfect cup of coffee every time from anywhere. You can brew your beloved joe whenever or wherever you are… waking up in bed, heading home from the gym or taking the redeye back after a long weekend.

- With so many smartwatches on the market, TAG Heuer Connected is unique in that it integrates today’s wearable technology with a timeless luxury brand and style. Fathers are active and curious about fitness tracking, but oftentimes require a watch that can be versatile and formal enough for the workplace. The TAG Heuer Connected provides the modern man with a classic timepiece that offers features such as fitness tracking, notifications and alerts, exclusive TAG Heuer apps and access to the full Android Wear universe.

- Portable SSD T3. To speed up gadgets and help organize dads’ digital lives, PC, notebook and Android users should look no further than the Samsung PSSD T3. The T3 IS a premium, palm-sized external solid state drive (SSD) that packs up to 2TB of capacity. Weighing less than two ounces, this drive lets users easily and securely store multimedia and share it on-the-go across Windows, Mac and Android OS-based devices. It is ideal for business and IT professionals and content creators.

- Critical Cycle’s Harper:Forget the car, commuting is better on two wheels. Available in six colors, The Harper sports a hand-built, high-tensile strength steel frame (that comes with a lifetime warranty against defect), and all brand name components. Shipping is free on orders over $65, and there’s a 50-day return policy (just in case!). The coolest part is that the bike arrives at your door 95% assembled and takes about 15 minutes from box to bike.

- Sky Viper HD Video Drone V950: Measuring 12.75” blade to blade, the HD Video Drone V950 is a full-sized performance drone that can record video and pictures in full 720p High Definition! This new and improved HD Video Drone performs one-touch custom camera moves in autopilot mode and now features a HD camera.

- - Ten Toes Weekender Paddle Board: For those of us in beach cities – theWEEKENDER is Ten Toes’ anytime-any-place inflatable standup paddle board for the casual thrill-seeker. Its 10’ length and rounded hull make paddle boarding easy on calm water as well as in surf for people of all skill levels. The size and shape of theWEEKENDER make this board more stable and easier to balance on, which means it’s an especially good choice for yoga. The sturdy handle in the middle of the front of the board makes carrying it around easy and doesn’t get in the way when you’re paddling on water.

Put Dad’s Name on his favorite new golf balls! Callaway is offering free personalization on Chrome Soft balls through June 30 so dad can have his name or any other message on every ball he hits.

Digital Electric Smoker with SmartChef Technology: Rather than ridiculous layers of technology that negatively affect your cooking experience, SmartChef is focused on enhancing the process. From guided recipes that have been true tested by Char-Broil, to a spacious cooking environment that can fit a party’s worth of meat, to it’s wifi connected base that allows you to monitor temperature from anywhere with a connection, the Digital Electric Smoker with SmartChef Technology is designed to create juicy, flavor smoke meats. This unit also features a larger wood chip capacity which results in longer smoking times. Price: $400

- goTenna: The pen-sized Bluetooth device allows you to stay connected and pairs with your smartphone, allowing you to send text messages and location information to any other goTenna users up to several miles away, completely off-the-grid. A goTenna battery lasts a full 24 hours, is easy to set-up and use with the app, and most importantly offers a dependable, high-tech buddy system.

- The third gen Nest Learning Thermostat is more beautiful than ever, with a thinner, sleeker design and bigger, crisper display. And it’s proven to help save energy. In independent studies, the Nest Thermostat saved an average of 10-12% on heating bills and 15% on cooling bills.

- Amazon Tap ($129.99) – what differentiates the Amazon Tap from Echo is that it’s portable. With nine hours of battery life, Amazon Tap’s crisp, dual stereo speakers will last through the longest summer nights, boasting rich, full-range sound through Dolby 360º omni-directional audio. Whether you’re relaxing at the beach, picnicking in the park or grilling with the fam, Amazon Tap is the perfect summer companion for a busy Dad on the go.

- Sky Viper Nano Drone M20: The Nano Drone M200 offers a hi-tech performance at an impressive entry level price! Measuring 2.75” from blade to blade, this micro-sized drone packs a lot of power into its mini size, making it especially great for indoor flying!

- The Alexa-enabled favorite family-friendly kitchen device that combines music, messaging and communication functionality in one voice-activated product for just $199. A fun addition to any family, Triby transforms the way families connect with the content and their first or second year college students. Triby is a digital assistant, Internet radio, connected speaker, hands-free speakerphone, and connected message board all rolled into one! Triby allows Mom to make free hands-free VoIP calls to her new college student or turns her smartphone into a crystal clear speakerphone. Loved ones can also let Mom know when they’re on their way to visit through emoji and freestyle drawn doodles via Triby’s dedicated app.

- Pulse Play is a new smartwatch for racket sports founded by a 3-time Grand Slam champ to give players a more fun, competitive experience. It covers tennis, badminton, squash, or table tennis. Pulse Play tracks and announces the score, saves match statistics and history, lets them create leagues, ranks players among their friends, club, or league, helps find other players at their level. It’s all about finally taking racket sports online.

- Any dad would be interested in this gadget that connects their car and driving experience to apps on their phone. For the aspiring mechanic who wants to self-diagnose engine trouble, to the dad that simply wants a reminder of where he parked his car, this user-friendly gadget will give your dad a fun and practical tech gift he didn’t know he needed.

- ShotTracker: This gift is perfect for the dad who is keeping his ballin’ skills in check on and off the court. This is a great gift for fathers to use in tandem with their son or daughter on the court, creating an awesome bonding opportunity. ShotTracker is also hosting a free virtual camp with legendary coach, Ron Hunter, and his son RJ. The Hunter Games kicks off on June 10th with a live ‘hangout’ with the team and ends June 24th with a live virtual award ceremony for all participants around the country.

- singlecue allows you to control your TV, media and smart home devices using touch-free gestures. Just by lifting your finger, you’ll get control over the devices you already own.

- Myo armband: For the tech-savvy dad who is always preparing for the next sales meeting or presentation, Myo turns your arm into a hands-free digital pointer to impress the boss as you flip through slides, control music, and adjust volume all with a simple flick of the wrist, leaving your hands free to snag a business card and a sip of water or beer – to each their own.

Cologne has always been a go-to gift, but when choosing a scent for dad, you have to ask yourself one question: Is this something he’d actually wear? Avoid spending too much on a bottle that could collect dust on his bathroom sink by gifting Scentbird, the fragrance subscription service. Scentbird offers gift subscriptions so dad has the chance to try a different cologne each and every month.