This Father's Day, there are more gadgets, more gizmos, and more choices than ever before for the dad in your life.
If you're at all like me, this means you're likely waiting until the very last minute to go out father's day shopping.
When you find yourself in a pinch, when crunch-time calls, a little help is always nice. A last-minute gift guide can help.
1. Amazon Prime ($99/year)
I've been using Amazon Prime for years. If you're not using Amazon Prime---or your dad/husband/boyfriend isn't, as the case may be---this is the perfect gift.
One year starts at $99 (up from $79) and includes a host of benefits, including free 2-day shipping, tons of video and music streaming options, and the Kindle lending library.
The only downside to Amazon Prime is that it makes shopping at Amazon so much more appealing. Free 2-day shopping is perhaps the cleverest thing any online retailer has ever done. Amazon customers with a Prime membership shop twice as much there as non-Prime members. For families with a Netflix subscription, Amazon Prime Instant Video can be a nice alternative, also.
(I have been a paying subscriber of this service since it first launched.)
2. Moto 360 Smartwatch (From $149)
Up until very recently, you'd be lucky to find a Moto 360 smartwatch for under $200. But right now Best Buy has the sleek wearable for just $149.
Smartwatches are the perfect gift for the dad who has everything, especially now that Apple has entered the field. But for the legion of dads out there who don't sport an iPhone, Android Wear is a great alternative.
The Moto 360 is an attractive watch with its round design, though it's not for the small-wristed. The face measures 46mm across and is 11.5mm thick, making it bigger than much of the competition.
Still, it looks super classy, especially now that it's running the latest Lollipop OS. Interchangeable wrist-bands give dads tons of customization options, also, though I like the standard brown leather just fine.
You can read Forbes' Gordon Kelly's review of the Moto 360 here.
(A Moto 360 tester was provided on loan for review purposes.)
3. Lumia 640 (Under $200, factory unlocked)
Microsoft's new budget Lumia is an impressive, impressively cheap device. You can get a factory unlocked Lumia 640 (meaning, it's not tied to any one carrier) for under $200, though prices range from $169.99 at B&H Photo to as high as $269.99.
The Windows Phone operating system is totally unlike the competition, too, and a pretty great alternative to the Android/iOS behemoths. Making matters even better for the Lumia 640, you get up to 30gb of OneDrive cloud storage for free and a one-year Office 365 subscription with your purchase.
Meanwhile, the Lumia 640 boasts a high-quality 8MP rear-facing camera and a basic 0.9MP selfie camera on the front.
Add to that a Gorilla Glass screen with 294 PPI on a 5-inch, 720p IPS panel (which looks great and has terrific viewing angles) and you have yourself a remarkable budget phone. The only thing that feels at all "cheap" about it is the back panel---our tester's was a glossy cyan blue---but these can be replaced with nicer matte versions for a pittance.
(A Lumia 640 tester was provided on loan for review purposes.)
4. Canon EOS Rebel T6i ($849 with 18-55mm lens)
The last time I purchased a Canon EOS Rebel it was at the dawn of the digital age. My how far we've come since then. Indeed, in the intervening years I---like so many others---all but abandoned film and even the nicer digital cameras, and moved to a much simpler option: smartphones.
There's nothing wrong with smartphone cameras. They've gotten better and better over the years. But they simply can't stack up against the best digital SLR cameras. Not only does the Rebel T6i boast interchangeable lenses, it comes with a 24.2MP CMOS sensor, full HD movie capture mode (MP4) and a whole bevy of features that would take pages to list including WiFi and NFC technology.
But while this camera is great for professionals who want to dig through its plethora of settings and options, it's also really simple to use. Dads will be up and running taking some of the most beautiful family photos they've ever taken in minutes.
And if you already have lenses, you can snap up just the body for $749 at Amazon (with free 2-day shipping if you have Prime. See Above.)
(A Canon EOS Rebel T6i review loaner was provided for review purposes.)
5. PlayStation 4 with Batman Arkham Knight Bundle ($399)
If Batman isn't your thing, there's also a Glacier White bundle for the same price that comes with Destiny---though be warned: Destiny is considered highly addictive by the FDA. Dads everywhere are known to disappear for hours at a time while playing.
The PlayStation 4 has emerged as the current king of the new generation of video game consoles. After having played both this and an Xbox One since November of 2013, I can say without question that PS4 is currently the console to get. It has better graphics and better exclusives.
That being said, Microsoft announced some pretty cool upcoming changes to the Xbox One that might earn it a spot on my Last Minute Christmas Gift Guide later this year. Stay tuned.
(I own a regular PS4, received a review copy of Destiny, and do not yet have Arkham Knight.)
6. Lenovo Y50 Gaming Laptop ($920 - $1140)
Lenovo's stylish Y50 gaming laptop is a fairly affordable piece of tech compared to many of its competitors. The standard Y50 comes with 8GB of RAM, a powerful Nvidia 860M graphics chip, and a 1TB hard drive with a 1080p screen.
You can double the RAM and bump the screen up to an ultra-HD 4K panel for just about $220 more, but I recommend going with the cheaper model. 4K is overkill on a 15.6 inch screen, and will decimate frames-per-second on many games.
For a basic, attractive gaming laptop the standard Y50 is a bargain. Then again, this isn't the best gaming laptop for the hardest of hardcore PC gamers. You'll want something with a bit more power if you want to run the most demanding games out there. For dads looking for gaming and productivity without breaking the bank, the Y50 is more than adequate.
(I own a Lenovo Y50 which serves as my second computer. True hardcore PC gamers play on a desktop.)
7. Conan the Barbarian Blu-Ray ($9)
Filmmakers like nothing so much as a reboot these days. The new Jurassic Park (er, Jurassic World) just had the biggest opening weekend of all time. A new Terminator is about to descend on theaters, too. Hey, Arnold Schwarzenneger did warn us he'd be back.
But a much more exciting Arnold reboot is also in the works: A new Conan the Barbarian. It's more of a sequel than a reboot, but still, there's no better time to catch up on your old 80's movie nostalgia than now, and no manlier Blu-Ray for the dad in your life than the 1982 masterpiece Conan the Barbarian.
It's really spectacular on Blu-Ray, too. And a nice, cheap option for barbarians everywhere on Father's Day. (Currently $8.57 on Amazon Prime.)
(I recently purchased and watched this movie from Amazon. I do not use Affiliate links when linking to any gadget, service, game, etc.)
8. Beer (Varies)
Seriously, if you're at a loss and you're just truly that much of a slacker, pick up a six pack of beer for your dad. Heck, pick up a six pack of beer for your dad regardless. Besides, it goes well with most of the items on this list. Certainly Conan is more entertaining with beer. And after a few matches of Destiny PvP beer is quite honestly a necessity. Beer also makes shopping on Amazon a lot more interesting (and dangerous.)
In any case, whether you spend a lot or a little on dad this year (or just draw him a nice card) have a happy Sunday. It just so happens that Father's Day also marks the first day of Summer this year. And as coincidental as that may be, I don't think it's a coincidence....
