Tech gifts for Dad
Unless your dad is an early-adopting tech guru, his tech arsenal is probably due a refresh, writes David Court.
Dads are always the hardest people to buy presents for. Most of the time, they just buy what they want. This can make gift-hunting for Father’s Day a bit of a pain.
Thankfully technology is an industry that’s always bringing out new and upgraded things. And unless your dad is an earlyadopting tech guru, his tech arsenal is probably due a refresh.
Here you’ll find five gift ideas that are sure to put a smile on the face of any deserving techo dads out there.
Google Chromecast $59
If, like most people, you don’t own a Smart TV that supports the Spark Sport app, you’re going to need a retro-fit solution to stream the Rugby World Cup in September.
Google Chromecast offers an affordable and elegant solution to this problem. Setting up the Chromecast is easy, too. Simply plug the dongle into an HDMI port in the back of your TV, then connect it to your home wi-fi network (via an iPhone or Android phone/tablet). It’s as simple as that.
You’ve now got a TV that’s perfect for streaming the RWC in 1080p and you’re ready to ‘‘cast’’ from your mobile device(s).
The Chromecast also supports Netflix, YouTube, Spotify and heaps of other TV streaming services.
Echo Dot (3rd gen) $69
At first, I thought smart speakers with built-in voice assistants seemed gimmicky. Then I was given one. And do you know what? I use it all the time. And I don’t really have anything ‘‘Smart’’ in my home that it links up to. Yet.
The Echo Dot is a great entrylevel smart home gizmo. ‘‘Alexa, turn on the kettle’’, ‘‘Alexa, turn up the thermostat’’ are a couple of examples of how the Dot can be used (providing you have a smart kettle and thermostat).
However, if like me, your dad lives in a dumb home with minimal (or no) smart-home devices, they’re still brilliant devices to have around the house.
Being able to say ‘‘Alexa, play some Fleetwood Mac’’ or ‘‘Alexa, what are the news headlines?’’ while running household errands is worth (your) $69 alone.
Spark Sport’s RWC Pass $79
Subscriptions are lifesavers on Father’s Day (or any celebratory day for that matter). They can be bought last minute and you can tailor the subscription to whatever your dad is interested in.
What better way to say ‘‘I love you, Dad’’ than shouting him a Rugby World Cup subscription.
Kindle Oasis 2019 $449
If you really want to splash out, or chip in with your siblings to buy a more expensive present, the Kindle Oasis 2019 is the best eReader yet.
It’s the result of 12 years of evolution from Amazon and is a guaranteed winner for Father’s Day.
The deliberately lopsided design, with physical page-turn buttons and IPX8 water resistance up to 1m (for an hour), is near perfect for an eReader.
The screen features autoadjusting brightness and manual page-warmth settings too. Ensuring your books will be easy to digest in any environment.
The 8GB model is big enough to store thousands of ebooks. But if you wanted to spend a little more, the $629 32GB model will give you enough space for several audiobooks, too.
Audible $16
Speaking of which, Audible, Amazon’s audiobook subscription service, is another great Father’s Day option.
The $16.45 a month subscription lets you download one audiobook every month and is available on nearly all devices – iPhones, iPads, Android devices, laptops, Kindles.
Audible’s selection of audiobooks is unrivalled. So you can be confident he’ll find a book he wants to listen to in the car. Or anywhere.