Father’s Day is almost upon us and let’s remember that he will always appreciate a gadget more than a tie.  Here are five pieces of high and low tech that should be ideal for dad’s.  Each item is under $100, so hopefully you’ll find something to match your budget.

Aquabot

Actually, I don’t know who’ll end up using this more, Dad or the kids.  Aquabot is a pump made to fit either a Nalgene water bottle or a Camelbak water bottle.  Fill the bottle with water, screw on the Aquabot and pump it up.

Now you’ve got a pressurized container of water you can use in three ways:

At its tightest stream, this baby will shoot a stream of water up to 25 feet away.  Great for water fights, but also practical for cleaning cars, windows, grills, whatever.

At its medium setting, you’ll get a gentle stream suitable for drinking, like a drinking fountain

At its widest setting, you’ll get a fine mist that’s perfect for cooling down on a hot day.

Check out the various models with or without the bottles at: https://lunatecgear.com/products/travel-gear/aquabot/

AfterShokz Bluez 2 Headphones

 

Now there’s a Bluetooth earphone that’s made for exercise, and that’s actually safe to wear. With special “bone conduction technology” these earphones never block your ears, so you are still aware of the ambient noises around you – like cars approaching, barking doors, thunder…all those things you want to be aware of.

The “speakers” actually sit in front of your ear and deliver sound through your cheekbone.  I know – sounds freaky, but works amazingly well. Good separation of bass and treble and clear voice as well. They are ideal to wear when biking as they don’t need to go inside your helmet – they wrap around the back of your head.

Made to wear during activity, they repel moisture and sweat.  You can’t appreciate how good they are until you try them.  Get all the story at http://www.aftershokz.com/collections/all/products/bluez-2.

Specs:

• Bone conduction technology delivers sound through cheekbones
• OpenFit(TM) design provides unmatched situational awareness and eliminates ear fatigue
• Nanotechnology coating and watertight rubber gaskets repel sweat and moisture
• Six hours of music + calls
• PremiumPitch(TM) guarantees the finest bone conduction audio
• LeakSlayer(TM) significantly reduces natural sound leakage
• EQ presets conveniently boost bass and reduce vibration on the go
• Dual noise canceling microphones exclude surrounding noise, effectively enhancing speech
• Audrey Says(TM) voice prompts guide users through power, pair, play and talk
• Hassle-free two-year warranty

LifeCharge JuicyPack with Foldable Tablet Stand

This Juicypack is the answer to two of life’s little problems – how to support your tablet for reading or working, plus how to keep it charged.  This folds down for storage but opens into a number of configurations to support your tablet.

Want it low for typing?  It can do that?

Want it high for video watching?  It can do that.

And, not only will it charge your tablet, there’s a second port to charge your phone at the same time.  7,800 mAh of battery storage should recharge them at least once each.

Check out the whole LifeCharge line at http://www.mylifecharge.com/.

Specs:

• UPC: 700867535874
• Capacity: 7800 mAh
• Micro Input: 5v DC, 1 Amp
• Output 1: 5v DC, 1Amp
• Output 1: 5v DC, 2.1Amp
• Type: JuicyPACK Foldable Stand
• Warranty: 1 Year warranty

Indispensable Guide to Lightroom CC

For the dad that enjoys photography, chances are he is using one of the most popular programs for photo editing – Lightroom. Here is a great guide by Sean McCormack to make sure he’s getting the most out of his subscription to Creative Cloud.

The Indispensable Guide to Lightroom CC covers so many of those things a beginner is liable to miss in the software as well as explaining things some pros might have misunderstood as well.

Learn how to shoot tethered for immediate feedback and how to save hours of data entry with metadata presets. Look like a pro (even if you aren’t) with your own Identity Plate and easy to create slideshows.

Integrate Lightroom with additional third party software like Photoshop, Tiffen DFX4, Alien Skin or many others.

Even if he doesn’t have Lightroom, but is considering it, this would be even more valuable. Once you discover all that Lightroom can do for you, there’s never ever any thought of turning back.

Check out the Indispensable Guide to Lightroom CC at Rocky Nook, home to great books on photography.

YKS Adjustable Beam Focus LED Headlamp

If you don’t want the fun to stop at sundown, here’s an excellent way to keep the party going.  The YKS adjustable beam headlamp has 4 operating modes and is bright enough to really light up your activity area. Light in weight, it’s comfortable enough to wear for hours and batteries will last up to 75 hours on the low power setting.

• Ultralight: 2.6oz only, comfortable when wearing.
• 4 Modes: High light; low light; emergency flashing; SOS mode.
• Adjustable Beam Focus: Pull out the lamp cap to focus the beam.
• Extremely long life: The LED lifetime is 100,000 hours.
• WARRANTY: 12 months from the date of purchase

 

Disclaimer:  The manufacturers provided samples of these products for review purposes.