58
Tech Treats for Father’s Day Delight Dad with our pick of the best tech presents Buying presents for your dad is never easy, but don't despair: it's still possible to find a Father's Day gift that will delight him rather than end up gathering dust or dumped in a drawer. The trick is to get something he'll actually find useful and yes, that rules out USB lava lamps and iPod socks. Instead, have a bit of a think about the things your dad likes to do. There's a very good chance there's a gadget, add-on or accessory that will be a perfect fit.
PHOTOGRAPHIC For example, if your dad's into photography there's a good chance he's already got a decent camera - but there's an equally good chance he won't have a Gorillapod. The Gorillapod replaces traditional, bulky tripods and turns almost anything - rocks, branches, even lamp-posts - into a stable shooting surface. It's a brilliant invention and, amazingly, doesn't cost a fortune: expect to pay £12.99 (from Play.com) for a compact camera model, or twice that if dad's got a heavy SLR camera. Another suggestion for snappers is a digital photo frame. Prices have plummeted, and frames that once cost over £200 can be picked up for a fraction of that. Even big-name brands are cheap: for example, Amazon.co.uk is currently offering Sony's excellent DPFE72NB model, a good quality 7-inch frame, for £42.99. If dad has shoeboxes full of printed photos it's easy to bring those old snaps into the 21st Century. You can pick up USB negative scanners to turn slides into shiny digital photos for around £50 (www.firebox.com), while dedicated scanners such as HP's ScanJet G2410 (£35.51 from Kikatek.com) cope happily with photos and documents alike. If video's more Dad's thing, the U Record Video Converter (£39.99 from Firebox.com) makes it easy to convert old tapes into digital files.
DATA STORAGE Before encouraging Dad to digitise everything, though, watch out: digital files can be massive, especially if they're video files. If Dad's computer is already short of
space, an external hard disk would be an excellent present. If you've got £67.99 to spare, you could get him a 1TB Seagate USB drive from www.play.com: that's 1 terabyte, or 1,000 gigabytes, of storage space.
GADGETS
If Dad's accumulated lots of gadgets already, you can save him from the usual Spaghetti Junction of chargers and cables with the clever iDapt Universal Desktop Charger. The I3 model has sockets to charge up to three devices simultaneously, and it includes six tips that fit some of the most common gadgets on sale today including iPods and iPhones, Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung phones, and anything with a Mini-or Micro-USB port - which includes Sat-Navs, Blackberries, e-Book readers and stacks of other gadgets. The I3 is £29.99 from Maplin.co.uk.
MP 3 PLAYERS While we're on the subject of MP3 players, there is a huge range of iPod docks, connectors and other goodies available, but if your Dad is a keen traveller or just a fed-up commuter then the best iPod-related gift could be the gift of silence. Sony's MDR-NC33 headphones (£69.99 from www.iheadphones.co.uk) have a clever noise cancelling circuit that gets rid of background noise such as train, bus and aeroplane engines, and unlike most modern headphones they don't have to be jammed deep into your ear canals. They do a great job of removing background noise, and they're particularly good for listening to audiobooks and acoustic music. Still stumped? Then you've got the Impossible Dad - but there's a gift for him too. iTunes gift cards are a great idea when you simply can't think of something, and they're not just for music: they can be used to download
To advertise call Scott or Natalie on 0141 945 4210 or email: info@sbdirectory.co.uk