Fathers' Day Gift Guide 2006

CBS News Technologist "Digital Dan" Dubno reviews a fun assortment of favorite gift ideas for Fathers' Day 2006:

But what about dear old Dad? According to the National Retail Federation, the average gift for our beleaguered and under-appreciated fathers is expected to be less that $89 bucks. Prepare yourself, fathers, once more for another insipid tie, banal holiday card, or other half-hearted gift.

Since our kids and spouses do such a clearly mediocre job celebrating fathers, and our holy day, I've spent much of my time considering how to rectify this deplorable condition. Remember: "It is not the thought that counts, it's the presents."

Below, I have compiled a partial list of things that would more appropriately commemorate the sacredness of all things fatherly:

dotPhoto Custom-Printed Gifts
Put Dad's photo (or someone else's if you have to) on a wide array of products: coasters, bags, puzzles, mouse pads, and more. All you need is a digital image and go to the dotPhoto website, choose your merchandise, and a few days later, voila! The image is immortalized in a product you can bring everywhere. The "Everyday Bag" costs $99; the "Photo Puzzle," a mere $19.95; and the set of "Photo Coasters", also $19.95. (The coasters and puzzle take about 2-4 days for production, but you should allow 10 days for production of the "Everyday Bag".

iRobot Skins
Finally, I figured out a way you can get Dad to clean the floors and to like it! Buy an iRobot Roomba vacuum-cleaning robot or the Scooba, the floor-washing version, and customize it with his picture! We have spoken about the robot cleaners before, but these photo-adhesive "skins" from iRobotskins add a whole new look and come in several varieties: basic fun images (like the "smiley-face" and dazzling patterns, for $14.98); or you favorite team logos (for $19.98); and the custom-made picture you choose to upload (for $24.98). The skins take a few days to arrive, and obviously, the robotic cleaners must be purchased separately! It is fun to see "me" (or at least my picture) scrubbing the floors robotically, while I lounge around.

Speaking of robots:

Robosapien V2
Now, some might think that a robotic toy (designed for ages 8 and up) would be better suited for the Son than for the Father. Well, I'm not letting my son anywhere near this fabulous toy. Skoot, Boy! Get your own darn playthings, rotten kids. Robosapien V2 is the second generation of the humanoid robot from Wow Wee toys, and it has many marvelous enhancements.

It's 24-inches tall and is far more autonomous than the previous version. There are sight, sound, and touch sensors. It has a color recognition and infrared sensors so it can distinguish between colors and avoid obstacles. The robot toy has a remote control, for programmed operation, but it also can move, react, and perform independently. Human-like body movements include standing, bending, dancing, waving, and more. The hands grip and the legs walk with different gaits. Available now for about $200 from different on-line vendors.

Wow Wee Alive Chimp
Or, how about making an ape out of dear old Dad? Wow Wee Toys also created an animatronic life-size head of a chimpanzee and, um, it is stunning (like "stun gun", stunning.) With life-like hair and skin, this realistic head will shock any observer, especially when it "comes alive."

Fully animated, with sounds, facial motions, head movement, and expressions, this head is remarkable, to put it mildly. The chimp responds to stimuli and has touch sensors in his chin, ears, and head. Infrared vision system also tracks objects. Plus a remote control to over-ride autonomous modes. About $139.

To continue the frivolous but fun category:

Spy Gear's Spy Video Car
If you want to get this for Father's Day, just tell that old man of yours he'll have to wait a month or two. But, this Spy Video Car, from the creative folks at Spy Gear, is the ultimate in remote controlled car play. This RC car comes equipped with a video camera plus infrared night vision so you can see and drive in the dark. The real-time video is transmitted to the eyepiece of your headset. With a 75-foot range, the Spy Video Car can be used indoors and outside. Suggested retail will be somewhere between $99 - $149 dollars. But Dads, please, let the kids try it. Designed for ages 8 and up!

Here are more serious presents:

Apple iPod Hi-Fi
Everyone (and their sisters) are coming out with iPod accessories. I grudgingly examined Apple's iPod Hi-Fi because it looked big and heavy at first blush. Initially, the first thought was "Who needs it?" and the second thought was, "My wife's going to kill me one more machine ends up in the bedroom." But hearing was believing: the iPod HiFi stayed in the bedroom and out went the rest of the audio mess that had accumulated over the years.

If you have have most of your music on your iPod, the HiFi is a logical place to play it. The iPod slides into the Universal Dock (it comes with about a dozen minor adaptors) so any flavor iPod fits nice and snug. Then, using the tiny remote, control the pumping MASSIVE sound from anywhere in the room. Other iPod speaker systems sound timid in comparison. The secret here is mammoth air chambers that deliver solid bass. For $349, the iPod HiFi was just what I needed, even though I surely didn't expect that at first. Nice look, great sound.

You can take it with you (in theory) after loading it up with D-cells. That's unwieldy and not the greatest idea. Of course, I fully anticipate the next version will have a remote with, say, a screen display that will let you view music track info so you can navigate the iPod intelligently when docked to the HiFi. But, for the moment, this iPod HiFi is all the sound equipment I need.

MacBook
Giving Dad a MacBook for Fathers' Day would be just about the best present he could get. The new 13-inch, running the Intel Core Duo chip, is elegant, blindingly fast, and pretty darn cheap. (Just over $1,000.) My first thought was that Apple had made a present for fathers because it was precisely what I wanted to give my kids. First, the polycarbonate exterior is tough and stylin'. The 13.3-inch widescreen is ready for the new HD world of 16 X 9 displays we're growing into.

Today, it's impossible to live without the AirPort Extreme wireless (802.11 b/g), Bluetooth 2.0, plus Gigabit Ethernet connections. Why some other laptop manufacturers don't give you FireWire and USB 2.0 ports is beyond me. The MacBook has two USB ports plus optical digital and two-way analog audio connections. The least expensive version comes with a 60-gig hard drive and a combo drive (for DVD-ROM.) Frankly, I'd spend the extra few hundred bucks to get the 80-gig hard drive, the Super Drive (so you can burn DVD±RW disks), and the slightly faster processor.

For everyday use, it has the whole enchilada. The built-in camera and mike are unobtrusive and useful, particularly for video conferencing and video email. The robust suite of Mac software, including iLife, allows you do all the obvious stuff right out of the box: arrange and share photos; edit videos; create web content; organize and display media. There's even a nice remote to control the "entertainment system" integrated in the laptop. But my joy is I'm already editing and producing hi-defintion video clips using the extremely simple iMovie HD and making customized DVD disks with iDVD.

One of the things that has held me back from totally committing to the Mac platform is that, even with the best Windows emulation software, some Windows-based memory-intensive programs (especially visualization software) have performed miserably in the past. But with Mac's beta software "Boot Camp," Windows will run natively on the Core Duo chip, so you can use either Mac or Windows environments. (Having just received the new MacBook, I have not yet had the pleasure of testing this beta software on this platform, so for me the jury is still out. But, in theory, this dual-boot capability is precisely what we've all been waiting for.) The new MacBook is available in classic white or black.

Here's another great laptop, and this one does Windows, with all the bells and whistles:

Lenovo X60s Thinkpad
Usually, with the strange gear I like to carry, my computer bag weighs upwards of thirty-five pounds. You might think that's insane and my sciatica and aching back agree with you. But can man survive in today's wilderness with a "puny" laptop? With trepidation, I've been gently distancing myself from "Old Reliable," IBM's mother-of-all Thinkpads, the T40, for a younger, slimmer, yet no less intelligent model.

Now, let me introduce you to my new love, the X60s, the "Lenovo" Thinkpad (even though it still says IBM all over it.) Call the laptop what you will, this Intel Core Duo processor notebook has a host of functions "Old Reliable" did not. Forget passwords, the integrated fingertip reader knows me from an imposter. The X60s has 3 USB 2.0 ports and a mini-Firewire connection. The 12.1-inch TFT display is very fine and sweet-little comforts, like the night-light, PC, and SD card slots are just what I need. Oops, I "buried the lead" in this love story: my new sweetheart is just 2.7 pounds.

Did I mention that this is one communication-friendly machine? Bluetooth, WiFi, Gigabit Ethernet, modem, IR, and, get a load of this, integrated Wireless Wide–Area Network! (Basically, that means the latest high-speed cellular data service is built right in.) That WWAN option does come with a hefty monthly service charge from Verizon for about $80. But, in most metropolitan areas, this WWAN network allows download speeds exceeding 500 kbps and, in my experience, significantly higher. So, take this Thinkpad to the country home, to the beach, on the train, you name it, you are always connected at very fast speeds. (Well, almost always, because there are a few areas of spotty high-speed reception areas, but very, very few in my tests.)

Prices for the X60s vary depending on the options you go for: somewhere between $1200 to about $2100. You pay a premium for Thinkpad reliability and survivability, but I remain a devoted fan. Now, my aching joints and muscles can rejoice that I'm carrying half the weight of "Old Reliable."

Back to "fun" presents for Dad:

O ROKR Bluetooth Stereo Eyewear
Motorola and Oakley teamed up again to design a pair of glasses for me. Ok, you can try our O ROKRs, but you have to give them back right away. Have a Bluetooth phone? Sure you do. Have an iPod? I won't insult you. Want to use them both--- at the same time--- without having cords hanging off your head? That's the genius and, dare I say it, the insanity of O ROKR.

You can pair these headset glasses with any Bluetooth phone. The controls are on both sides of the glasses and the mic is hidden below the stem. If you have an MP3 player that is Bluetooth compatible, you can pair that too, but you'll need a small Bluetooth adapter if you want to use the glasses to listen to your iPod. Now, throw the phone and iPod in the backpack, put on the glasses, and you'll be grooving to tunes and answering phone calls while your skiing down the slopes or riding that mountain bike. (Or, if you prefer to follow my patented sports regime, lounging on the beach to avoid the perils of sports-related injuries. Be careful out there!)

A standard USB charger gives you four hours of talk time and 100 hours of standby power for this combo stereo eyewear. The price for the glasses is about $240 (and that doesn't count the phone, the iPod, and the Bluetooth adapter for the iPod.)

While I enjoy having them, I admit feeling rather ridiculous because clearly these shades were made in a sweeping wide style Ray Charles loved to wear. With his talent, he could have worn anything. You'll be so busy listening to the music and answering the phone you won't have time to worry what people think you look like.

Philips Portable DVD Player PET320/37
Philips showed me this intriguing DVD player. It reminded me of the lovely and iconic round portable CD players Sony made indispensable in the 1980s. But this portable DVD player is not only slim, round, and lightweight: it boasts a 3.5" TFT display mounted right on the rounded case. In addition to DVD movies, play back MP3/WMA-CDs, or JPEG photos on CD as well. With a rechargeable battery and car adapter, the Philips Portable DVD Player (model # PET320/37) is about $129.

Pioneer Inno XM2Go Radio
This dandy unit was a winner at the Consumer Electronics Show of the coveted "Last Gadget Standing" award. Pioneer combined a portable XM satellite radio receiver with an MP3 player. Now, mix your own playlists, upload your own music, or listen to any of the 160 XM channels live. If you have a favorite show, let the Inno record it for future listening. If you hear a tune on XM satellite radio, you can tag it and purchase it for future repeated listening using the XM + Napster network. Sleek, elegant, and cleanly designed, the Inno is a perfect present for me. Are you listening, kids? Can I make this any less subtle for you?? Requires a subscription on XM radio for $12.95 a month. Available for about $370.

Samsung's Blu-ray Player
Saving the best for last, today Samsung introduced the first Blu-ray player in the US market. Finally, folks who bought high definition televisions, flat screens, or projection units, can watch pre-recorded DVDs in full 1080p high-resolution. Yahoo!! Samsung's player allows full backward compatibility: the unit plays CDs and will up-convert standard DVDs to the high-def format. (Up-converted video uses software and "scan line doublers" to enhance standard video for presentation on high definition screens... but true high def video is easily distinguishable.)

Compared to a standard DVD, with a mere 4.7 Gig of content, double layer Blu-ray discs store up to 50 Gig. That means DVDs with astonishing color and sharpness, plus richer audio options and tracks, and more features and interactive content.

Being first to market means finding actual Blu-ray DVD titles will be quite an ordeal early on. Sony, however, just announced it will be releasing about a dozen Blu-ray titles in the next few weeks, just as these Samsung players hit the store shelves. Other companies are poised to join the market with their high definition players as well, including Philips, and Sony (with a huge Blu-ray push coming with the long-awaited and much anticipated launch of PS3 game platform that will contain Blu-ray playback.)

Some early movies scheduled to be released in Blu-ray format will include: Memento; 50 First Dates; The Fifth Element; Hitch; House of Flying Daggers; XXX (with Vin Diesel); Terminator; and Underworld Evolution. For about 30 minutes yesterday, I stood motionless watching Transporter in full 1080i: screen resolution that transformed an astounding thriller into a breathtakingly beautiful visual ballet (of mayhem, nonetheless!)

Why do I mention Samsung's Blu-ray Player (at $999) even though it comes out after Father's Day? Because once you watch high definition DVDs, the father-in-question (and you) will be hooked. If Dad is an "early adopter," this is great for him. But I don't recommend rushing out and buying one of these units right away for most "normal folk". It pays to wait until the onslaught of high definition DVD players and movies, in significant quantities, roll out to electronics stores and living rooms near you. Prices will drop sharply on players, content will be available, and the early "kinks" will be worked out of the technology chain.

It would be helpful if the electronics industry would settle on a single standard for high definition DVDs: but right now, two competing and incompatible standards (HD DVD and Blu-ray) remain like VHS and Betamax and neither side seems ready to blink.

So, good news, high definition DVDs and players are finally here, and almost in time for Fathers' Day. But most fathers have learned they don't always get what they want for the holidays. They've learned how to wait for what they want, and usually, they just buy it themselves!

Note: All products reviewed for this article and for the on-camera segment were loaned to CBS News for evaluation by the companies that manufactured or marketed them.