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The best everyday carry gear for dads
Here are the best everyday carry items for dads, as chosen by Engadget editors.
The best photography gifts for dads
Here’s a list of the best camera and photography gift ideas for dad, including mirrorless cameras, action cams, bags, tripods and more, as chosen by Engadget editors.
The best outdoor gift ideas for dad
Here’s a list of the best backyard outdoor gifts for dad, including grilling tools and other outdoor accessories, as chosen by Engadget editors.
The best home entertainment gifts for Father's Day
Find the best home entertainment gift ideas for dad, including streaming devices, OLED TVs, headphones and more chosen by Engadget.
The best gaming gifts for dads this Father's Day
Here are the best gaming gift s for dad this Father's Day, as chosen by Engadget editors.
The best backpacking and camping gear for dads
Find the best outdoor gear gifts for dad ahead of Father's Day, including camping, backpacking and hiking gear.
The best gifts for new dads
Don't forget dad when it comes to shopping for the new baby. Here are some suggestions including earbuds, speakers, cameras, kids toys and more, as chosen by Engadget editors.
The best Father's Day gift ideas under $50
Find the best under $50 gift ideas for dad, including game controllers, portable chargers, smart home devices and more, as chosen by Engadget editors.
The best Father's Day tech gift ideas
Find the best tech gift ideas for Father's Day, including headphones, wearables, smart home devices and more chosen by Engadget editors.
Engadget giveaway: win a Fire HD 6 courtesy of Amazon!
Father's day is rapidly approaching and what better way to honor the man whose wits you may have stretched to the limit, by giving him access to brain-building literature and the occasional action flick. The Fire HD 6 tablet offers access to Amazon's vast store of books, movies and, of course, impulse purchases of all kinds. There's multiple user logins in this version of Fire OS (since sharing is caring) and it's got a solid build to handle inevitable mishaps. The battery life is respectable, too, so extended viewing of films or photos on its sharp 1,280 x 800 display won't be an issue. Amazon was nice enough to give us five of these slates so an equal amount of dads (or whoever, let's be honest) can enjoy one. All you need to do is head down to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning one of these sturdy slates. Winners: congratulations to Jonathan B. of Mahway, NJ; Danny K. of Union Beach, NJ; Rick E. of Martinez, CA; Evan L. of Arlington, MA and Chris S. of Moline, IL.
The Daily Grind: Does your dad play video games?
Back on May 11th, I asked Massively readers whether their moms played video games. See, it was Mother's Day (in the States), and it seemed an appropriate question. Well, here we are on Father's Day (again, in the States; don't panic, friends in distant lands!), and while it may not be terribly creative, I'm going to ask a variation on the same question. Does your dad play video games? If you're a dad, do you play games with your kids? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Engadget giveaway: win a pair of Bose QuietComfort headphones courtesy of Amazon!
In case you've forgotten, Father's Day is approaching and it wouldn't hurt to grease the skids with the old man by setting him up with some fresh technology. Amazon's Electronics Father's Day Gift Guide is a great spot to find a variety of gadgets for dear old dad, but the company has also done us a solid by offering up a pair of Bose QuietComfort 20i Noise Cancelling headphones for two lucky Engadget readers. We're sure you'll consider re-gifting them when you understand the dual-purpose solution these earbuds can provide. Dad could tune out all your racket by using Bose's noise cancellation tech and you wouldn't have to suffer through his golden oldies playlist or daliance with Skrillex's latest when he has those headphones popped in. And just in case he's a bigger tech junkie than yourself, you'll always have some sweet hand-me-downs in your future. Just head down to the RaffleCopter widget below for up to three chances at winning a pair of these Bose earbuds. It's always good to have a bargaining chip at the table when it comes time to mow the lawn. Winners: congratulations to Chris P., Flatwoods, KY and Michael H. Palo Alto, CA
Breakfast Topic: What type of character would your father play in WoW?
Happy Father's Day! In honor of the day I have a question for you: what would your father play in WoW? A rogue? A hunter? What race would he choose, and which spec would he favor? Some of you may recall I asked a similar question last month on Mother's Day, so now it's time for us to give our dads the same treatment. I myself have always thought my father would roll as a blood elf frost mage. The mage because he was a bit of a trickster and I imagine he'd get a kick out of spells like Blink and Polymorph. An elf because he always enjoyed the wise and collected demeanor of the elves in Lord of the Rings. And frost because he'd prefer PvP over PvE, and frost offers so much control and utility for that. As for my step father ... I've never so much as seen him touch a video game beyond Solitaire, so maybe he'd just play Hearthstone. Who knows? What about your fathers?
Win a Netatmo weather station for Father's Day
Does your dad -- or do you -- have a fascination with the weather? Is he always checking his iPad for local weather conditions, sending precipitation reports to the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, or obsessively watching storm chaser videos on the Weather Channel app? If that's the case, or if you'd just like to win something really cool for Father's Day, then we have the giveaway for you. TUAW and Netatmo are giving away a Netatmo Weather Station valued at $179. As featured in our review from last year, the Netatmo Weather Station includes both outdoor and indoor air quality sensors and also tracks temperature, humidity, and noise levels, all of which is available with a glance at your iPhone or iPad. Your information is stored for future reference, and the company recently introduced a web app to make looking at long-term trends much easier (see image below). So, here's your chance to win one of these in time for Father's Day on June 16, 2013. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before June 11, 2013 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected and will receive a Netatmo Weather Station valued at $179.00 Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Just in time for Father's Day: Waterfield Designs Finn Wallet
Waterfield Designs makes some of the nicest computer, tablet, and smartphone accessories out there, and by nice I mean customizable, good-looking, and durable. I've had a Waterfield Designs iPad Travel Express bag for about three years now, dragged it all over the world, and it still looks like it did when it was brand new. Well, that same durable design is now showing up in your pocket with the delightful Finn Wallet (US$29), which can be used either as a wallet (duh!) or to house a naked iPhone. Let's take a look! Design The Finn Wallet actually comes in two different sizes: Size 25, which is intended to be a "wallet wallet", and Size 27, to clothe your iPhone 5. As for the lovely leather exterior (no, it's not Corinthian Leather), it comes in black, camel, grey, red, forest green, and cowboy brown, and is "naturally tanned to feel like a deer (but it's not from a deer)." On the outside walls of the Finn are a pair of matched pockets. Gary Waterfield, in the video below, says that he puts credit cards and business cards on opposite sides, cash in the middle. For me, I'd put an iPhone 5 in the middle, credit cards on one side, ID cards on the other. Waterfield Designs says that the Size 25 will hold more than 20 credit cards and a "nice wad of dollars" while the Size 27 holds your iPhone, about 15 credit cards and a "nice stash of bills." I think I need to get to know these guys better, since I never have cash on hand... The zipper locks shut, keeping the Finn Wallet from spilling its contents, and the bottom and inside of the wallet are made out of the same durable ballistic nylon material used on other Waterfield cases. %Gallery-190733% Functionality For my test, I took my unusually thick wallet and tried to transfer it and my iPhone 5 to the Finn Wallet Size 27 (see the gallery above). Surprisingly, it worked. Instead of having a wallet, my keys, and my iPhone all piled up in my pockets, now it's down to keys in one pocket, everything else in the Finn Wallet in the other pocket. The nicest thing about the Finn Wallet is that it slides easily in and out of your pocket -- which is why I added a pocket chain for travel security. The leather exterior is just going to get a nice weathered look on it and will become better looking with age. I'm not worried about the iPhone 5, either -- it's got plenty of padding on both sides thanks to the leather exterior and those pockets full of credit cards. Conclusion Does your Dad need a new wallet for Father's Day on June 16? If the old man totes an iPhone as well, get him a Finn Wallet (Size 27) -- if he's not a fan of those newfangled devices, the Size 25 ought to keep him happy. Pros Beautifully made from leather in six different finishes Durable interior and bottom construction using ballistic nylon, locking zipper Very reasonable price That wonderful leather smell! Surprising capacity for turning a George Costanza wallet into a thing of beauty Cons None to speak of Who is it for? Anyone who carries a wallet. If you carry an iPhone (up to the size of an iPhone 5), like the feel and look of leather, and want something that truly organizes your life, you're going to love the Finn Wallet.
Ben Heck gives dads the light-up toilet they deserve
Happy belated Father's Day, internet -- now please enjoy some video of Ben Heck modding a toilet. The tinkerer-turned-host offered up one of his more unsanitary projects over the weekend, involving a bathmat, a Glade Plug-in, a porcelain throne and a Tron-esque lighting scheme. Step on the weight-sensing mat and the conductive ink will go to work, lighting up side illuminating fiber optics on the toilet, should the photocell determine it dark enough. All of this means not having to turn on the bathroom lights once that nightcap is ready to make the next step in its magical journey. And best of all, the lighting scheme is visible underneath the lid, so you can put the seat down, like the civilized individual you are. Video after the break.
Five apps for Father's Day
It's Father's Day weekend, which means it's time to look at those apps that'll appeal to the Dads in our audience. I solicited suggestions from the guys on our team at TUAW and came up with a list that will help the Dads grill in style and take control over their TV (not that they need any help with that one, right ladies?). If you have any additional app suggestions for the Dads out there, please share them in the comments. MLB.com At Bat 2012 (Free; subscription required for some features) At Bat 2012 is the official iOS app for Major League Baseball. It works on the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch and lets you keep up with the 2012 baseball season while on the go. Users can read breaking news, track player's stats, view game highlights and watch current games as well as archived games from the previous season. At Bat requires a subscription, but the pricing is very reasonable. You can get a full season of access for $15 or pay $3 each month. Weber's On the Grill ($4.99) What guy doesn't like to grill? They all love the smell of burning meat over a fire, which is why I added Weber's On the Grill to my Father's Day list. This app is an excellent companion for grilling fans looking for some cooking tips or a new way to prepare a steak. It has 280 grilling recipes and 40 recipes for rubs, marinades and sauces. You can favorite the recipes, share them with friends, and even use them to make a grocery list. National Park Maps HD ($3.99) Though they might not like asking for directions, guys do love maps and a useful mapping app for travelers is National Park Maps HD from National Geographic. The app has detailed trail maps and other point-of-interest information for 20 National Parks. It uses GPS to track your location and lets you find nearby campgrounds, picnic benches and other facilities. You can even use it to mark your camping site so you can find your way back easily after a long day of hiking. Logitech Harmony Link (Free) Think of the Logitech Harmony Link for the iPhone as a digital dashboard to control all your electronics. You'll need a Logitech Harmony Link device, but once you have it, you'll be in remote control nirvana. The Harmony Link app for the iPhone lets you control up to 8 devices from 5000+ brands of electronics. It uses gestures for common commands and has a customizable interface you can tweak to your liking. There's even support for activities so you can select "Watch a Movie" and everything is switched to the right device with all the correct settings. Send a Tip: Grooming Lounge (Free) We've all been there, done that. You have a friend and you don't know how to tell them that their breath stinks. You make a polite gesture and offer them gum, but nothing works. Your hair still curls every time they turn to talk. No worries, because, now, there's an app for that. Just download Send a Tip: Grooming Lounge and send your friend an anonymous tip that'll alert them of their social gaffe. You can read more about the service at the Grooming Guys website. It's hilarious, yet uncomfortably useful.
Biscotti and telyHD set-top video chat both get Father's Day upgrades
Combine geek-dad gadget lust with the promise of an easier way to stay in touch with faraway family, and you can see how the latest generation of standalone video chat boxes might have a good sales story to tell for this Father's Day weekend. While Cisco's discontinued ūmi never caught on in a big way with consumers (possibly the introductory $600 price and $25 monthly fee had something to do with it), the idea of a slim HD camera pack that fits atop the living room TV, instantly connecting with similar hardware or distributed software chat apps, still seems promising. The two Mac and iOS-friendly set-top chat products making a move in the market now are the $149 Biscotti and the $249 telyHD. Both systems work in a straightforward way -- they connect to your TV via HDMI, capture an HD image with an onboard camera and tie into your home network to call friends and family. Neither unit requires a monthly subscription plan, thereby avoiding the Cisco problem. Of course, neither plays along with Apple's wasn't-it-supposed-to-be-open FaceTime protocol, so if you're looking for a portable video chatting device that works with Skype, Google Talk and FaceTime you might consider the $199 iPod touch. Both the telyHD and the Biscotti interoperate with a public video chat service (Google Talk for Biscotti, Skype for telyHD) so you aren't limited to chatting with the folks who have the same hardware. Both platforms also got software updates in the past few days, adding to their utility and (in the case of the telyHD) delivering tighter integration for iPhone and iPad users who want to share photos or control their chat settings from their mobile device. The Biscotti TV Phone system, shown above, is simpler and more no-frills than the telyHD. Biscotti can chat video or audio to Mac or PC users via the Google Talk web client; to chat with iPhone or iPad users, the free (and unofficial) Vtok app fills the client slot. It also provides high-quality chats between Biscotti units. The hardware is slim and graceful, about the size and shape of an Italian biscuit -- hence the name. A basic remote supports pan and zoom of the video camera, and the latest update gives you an automatic audio calibration routine to improve voice quality. The new software update also allows you to import your Google contacts for use on your Biscotti, but be warned that all your Google contacts will be loaded; the company's still working on a way to subset and manage those. The Biscotti may also try to auto-invite all those contacts to chat -- careful which button you click. Networking on the Biscotti is Wi-Fi only (and if anyone invents a way to quickly enter WEP passwords using a four-way remote, they'd make a bundle), but the unit has a clever HDMI trick; it includes both input and output ports, so your cable or satellite box can plug right in and the signal will pass through. The Biscotti interface will stay out of the way until you get a call or use the remote. In fact, for some TVs, the Biscotti can turn them on directly so you can answer. Maybe that's not an ideal bedroom feature; likewise the auto-answer setting for key contacts, which lets you turn the Biscotti into a video room monitor by having it pick up immediately when you try to connect, could get weird in the wrong circumstances. For Skype-centric families, the telyHD interoperates cleanly with the world's leading video and audio chat service, delivering 720p high definition video (note that Skype just updated its Mac client). Under the hood, the telyHD is an Android device; it's got more flexibility and possibilities than the Biscotti, with an app-centric development roadmap -- granted, you could get an iGoGo TV if you want to run Android apps on your HDTV, but that's some pretty scary stuff. Already you can do things with pairs of telyHDs that you can't do with other systems: share photos (from an SD card) and leave video mail for watching later on. The telyHD sports an Ethernet port along with Wi-Fi networking, but it lacks the Biscotti's passthrough HDMI approach; you'll need to switch sources on your TV to see it. This week's update to the telyHD platform, the Entertainment Suite, is unusual in that it's a paid (optional) add-on rather than a free version update; it's also targeted squarely at iPhone and iPad users. Entertainment Suite adds AirPlay mirroring for photos (TelyProjector), so iPhone users can simply mirror their images right into a video chat with Dad. The ES also includes access for remote-control apps (both iOS and Android), coming to the App Store and Google Play shortly; lastly, the upgrade includes a full web browser for the unit, giving owners access to websites and streaming video from all across the Internet. The Entertainment Suite pack can be trialed for 30 days before the one-time $49 licensing cost kicks in. The long history of video calling might be filled with false starts and closed, proprietary systems, but if your gift list for Dad includes "more face to face time with the grandkids" then one of these systems may be just what you're looking for.
Get RIFT for $9.99 this weekend
Trion's got a couple of weekend deals in store for all you last-minute Father's Day shopping slackers, provided of course that the gaming dad in your family plays RIFT. First up is a $9.99 special that gives you the full game client. Gameplay time will cost you extra, though, so assuming you go with the standard monthly fee, you're looking at around 25 bucks for full access to Telara. Next up is the trial upgrade collector's edition special, which will set you back $16.99. You get the full client per above as well as a tartagon mount, a collector's satchel, and a bogling wastrel pet. Both deals are digital only, so if your dad, husband, or baby's daddy wants a box, you'll need to check out the brick and mortar or online retailers listed on Trion's website.
More Father's Day app sales this weekend
That didn't take long -- yesterday, I predicted we'd see more app sales pop up for Father's Day, and here we are. Firemint has put its titles on sale for the weekend -- Real Racing 2 is down to $4.99 on the iPhone and $6.99 on the iPad, and the first game in the series is just 99 cents on the iPhone. Don't forget that the iPad version will also stream out video to a TV with the right attachments, so if you pick it up, be sure to try that out. As we tweeted yesterday (you are following us on Twitter, right?), Backflip's great Army of Darkness Defense is free over the weekend. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is just 99 cents on the iPad, and still 99 cents on the iPhone. iPad photo editor PhotoPal got an update -- it's on sale for just 99 cents as well. And finally, excellent iOS and Mac music software Capo just won an Apple Design Award at WWDC the other week, and to celebrate, it's on sale pricing as well this weekend. Namco Bandai has a lot of their games on sale this weekend also, Stay tuned -- I'm sure we'll see even more apps drop in price before the weekend is over.
