Father’s Day Gift Ideas: the best tech gifts for dad

When Father’s Day comes around, any male who has been fortunate or careless enough to breed likes to be told: “I love you, Dad.” Don’t believe anyone who says otherwise —and particularly those who say Father’s Day is a conspiracy invented by the greetings-card industry. It’s nice to have some small recognition for the selfless and uncomplaining service we (like to think we) provide.

Still, while it’s the thought that counts, it does seem a shame that the recognition often takes the form of a pair of personalised collar stiffeners or a “Best Daddy Ever” apron. Perhaps it’s karma for never getting involved in the Christmas shopping but dads (my own included) usually get lumbered with whatever afterthought you rustle up on the way to lunch — talking of which, whatever happened to that tartan hipflask?

No, the modern father is a bit more switched on when it comes to this sort of thing. Fatherhood has never been immune from the technological arms race that has taken over everyday life, so if you can find some sort of gizmo that combines responsible parenting with oodles of fun, well, why wouldn’t you?

The most sought-after piece of Dad Tech for new fathers is the Quinny Longboard Stroller, which looks set to trump Bugaboo and Silver Cross in the buggy wars. If you ever wanted to combine skateboarding with pushing your precious infant around, look no further. You’ll need to register for one now and hope dad enjoys the delayed gratification of boarding round the South Bank in the autumn (€599, approx £430, quinny.com).

For the competitive dad who chalks up each and every one of his achievements, a Fitbit (from £49.99, fitbit.com) has become compulsory. The health-tracking wristband syncs with your smartphone to keeps tabs on your physical activity. Fitbit will estimate how many calories he’s burned and will also track his broken sleeping patterns. Sadly, there’s no way of monitoring the snoring.

For dads with no interest in being lean and mean, buy a flying machine. The world’s first smartphone-controlled paper aeroplane (firebox.com), which sees high-tech meet humble low-tech, can be controlled by tilting a smartphone in the direction of travel. Entrepreneur Shai Goitein spent 15 years working as a cargo pilot before he reinvented the classic paper dart. Ten minutes of charge time allows 20 minutes of flight time — easily long enough for your old man to get it stuck up a tree.

Another smart blend of old-school entertainment with a high-tech twist is the cardboard Smartphone Projector (£15.95, handpickedcollection.com). Printed on stiff cardboard to look like the sort of retro slide projector your grandfather may have once had, the portable device allows you to slip your iPhone in to the back where it will amplify the sound from your iPhone speaker.

Of course, to enjoy such exploits, you need to maintain your phone’s juice, which is why no iPhone-owning dad will ever be ungrateful for a battery case. The MILI Powerskin (£23.99, iwantoneofthose.com) is a slinky and unobtrusive case that will help your dad charge his phone on the move — and stop him droning on about how everyone always steals his charger.

Talking of drones, why not combine remote control nostalgia with the ability to take aerial selfies of the family? Parrot’s Rolling Spider (£81, pcworld.co.uk) is a mini-quadcopter with two wheels that can be attached to either end of the drone so it can roll up and down walls. Connect it to a smartphone or tablet and all your dad needs to do is swipe to perform instant U-turns or mid-air flips.

@richardjgodwin