Father's Day gift guide: For geeky, gamer and sporty dads

If you are unsure of what to give your dad this Father's Day, take a look at our gift guide for geeky, gamer and sporty fathers. The gadgets, gizmos and accessories should put a smile on his face.

For dads who love geeky stuff

Motorola Moto 360
$380; available only at rakuten.com.sg and Mstation at The Verge

If your dad hates the walled garden of Apple and prefers the endless customisability of the Android kingdom, then let him wear the Motorola Moto 360. It is arguably the best Android Wear smartwatch right now. Its circular stainless steel case has a bezel so thin that the 1.56-inch touchscreen display (320 x 290 pixels) looks as if it all but covers the edges. Its minimalist design makes the Moto 360 the best-looking smartwatch. Running the latest Android Wear 5 operating system, the Moto 360 syncs with any Android OS 4.3 smartphone to provide notifications and subtle alerts. It also accepts voice commands.

Forbidden Desert
$39.90; available at myfirstgames.sg

New board games in recent years have proven to be highly imaginative and span genres from zombie survival to science fiction. Forbidden Desert is one such imaginative game. Your plane has crashed in the desert. Players, who each take up a different role with its own special ability, must work together to find spare parts for an ancient flying machine and escape the desert before it kills them. The game is accessible because of its simple rules. But it is also complex enough to offer players plenty of options. In short, it is a great game to play with your family.

Raspberry Pi 2 Model B
$47.17; available at sg.rs-online.com

If your dad loves to tinker with computers, the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B credit card-sized computer should be right up his alley.

Despite its tiny size, it runs on a 900MHz Cortex-A7 processor with 1GB of system memory that lets it run the Raspian operating system (OS), Ubuntu OS and even the soon-to-be-released free Microsoft Windows 10. It even has four USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI port, a microSD card slot for loading your OS and storing data, as well as a micro-USB power port. So, all your dad needs to do is plug in a keyboard, mouse and monitor.

Those, I am sure, he has plenty of.

Silicon Valley: Season 1 (Blu-ray)
US$30.16 (S$41); available at amazon.com

Do sitcoms laced with tech jargon and in-jokes sit well with your dad? If so, he should check out HBO's Silicon Valley. The show, which is about a nerd who creates a game-changing compression algorithm and a big company that wants the technology at all costs, was created by Mike Judge (of Beavis And Butt-head and King Of The Hill fame), who tapped his own experience of working at a start-up in the Valley. The show pokes fun at Silicon Valley, from the deification of tech figures, such as Steve Jobs, to the characters' lack of social skills.

Uniqlo Star Wars UT
$24.90

These are for the Star Wars-mad father so he can wear his fandom with pride. These Star Wars-themed Uniqlo T-shirts are available in 16 designs for men. The designs are by the winners of the Star Wars-themed UT Grand Prix 2015 T-Shirt design competition, as well as from the judges, who include Lucasfilm executive creative director Doug Chiang, and Star Wars Rebels art director Kilian Plunkett.

You can choose from designs, such as I Am Your Father (how apt!) to Darth Maul or Darth Vader portraits. If you cannot decide, just take your dad to a Uniqlo store. Available while stocks last.

For dads who love gaming

BenQ XL2420G 24-inch gaming monitor
$1,088

The best companion for a high-end gaming rig is the right gaming monitor. If your dad favours fast-paced shooting games, the BenQ XL2420G, with its high refresh rate and low response time, ticks all the boxes.

More importantly, this monitor supports Nvidia's G-Sync technology, which works with compatible Nvidia graphics cards to eliminate screen tearing and stutter. The end result: a smooth gaming experience. As it uses a twisted nematic (TN) panel, the BenQ offers narrower viewing angles than in-plane switching (IPS) monitors. But its colour reproduction and contrast appear to be almost as good as an IPS display, which is not something you can say for most TN screens.

Kingston HyperX Cloud II gaming headset
$159, available at lazada.sg

For those dads who can play their games only when their kids are asleep, a gaming headset is essential.

The Cloud II looks and feels identical to Kingston's first gaming headset, with its headband and ear cups made from memory foam.

New to the headset is 7.1-channel surround sound via a USB sound card. This is useful in games where you track down your opponents using the sounds they make.

Detach the boom microphone and the Cloud II becomes a good set of headphones to pair with mobile devices. Its understated design means your dad will not feel embarrassed using it while commuting to and from work.

Secretlab Throne
$349, available at secretlab.sg

Your PC gamer dad probably spends many hours seated at his desk.

If so, it would be prudent to invest in an ergonomic chair. Wouldn't it be great if the chair happens to look like a racing car seat?

Created by a Singapore team with prior experience in game companies, the Secretlab Throne computer chair is all about customisation.

It has adjustable and removable pillows for the neck and the back. The armrests can be adjusted both vertically and horizontally. The seat can recline up to 155 degrees. In other words, say goodbye to the back and neck pain you get after a long and intense gaming session.

Lego Worlds
$15, available at store.steampowered.com

When Minecraft meets Lego, the result is Lego Worlds. This game promises to delight Lego-collecting dads who also happen to like sandbox games such as Minecraft.

I am surprised that it took Lego so long to introduce this game. After all, it is like playing with Lego bricks, but in a virtual setting.

Players can explore the world using a variety of vehicles and creatures, and even unlock commercially available Lego sets.

Lego Worlds is currently available as an early access title on Steam, which means you can play it, but it is incomplete and possibly buggy. But judging from the positive feedback it is receiving, players are really enjoying it.

Nvidia Shield Android TV
US$199 (S$266), available at amazon.com

A confession: I bought this media set-top box the day it went on sale last month. If, like me, your dad spends too much time watching videos on YouTube or Netflix, the Nvidia Shield is the perfect gift.

Not only does it run a TV-optimised version of Android, with access to Android apps and games, it is also the first console to stream Netflix in Ultra HD (4K) resolution.

Besides playing Android titles using the bundled game controller, the Shield can also stream PC games from gaming computers equipped with a compatible Nvidia graphics card. So, instead of hunching over the PC, he can now put his feet up and play his favourite games.

For dads who love to keep fit

Puma Pwrcool Collection
From $49

With the current sweltering temperatures, your father might appreciate some cooling sporting apparel.

Puma's new line of Pwrcool thermo-regulated apparel and footwear features technology that is designed to keep the body at an optimal temperature.

They use Coolcell, highly functional materials that wick sweat away from the skin, and strategically placed air flow features that regulate the wearer's body temperature.

Pwrcool apparel, such as the Graphic SS Tee ($49), come with cooling print on the inside that is activated upon contact with moisture. Pwrcool footwear, such as the Ignite Pwrcool ($189) and the Faas 500 V4 Pwrcool ($189), have ComfortTemp tongue liners to keep his feet at an optimal temperature.

Jawbone Up2
$179

If your dad appreciates style in his gadgets, try this fitness tracker that gets high marks for form and function. The renowned Swiss designer Yves Behar designed the Jawbone Up2 with an anodised aluminium shell with beautiful exterior motifs for an elegant look.

The Up2 can track steps taken, calories burnt and distance travelled, and even monitor sleep patterns. The user can set the tracker's vibrating motor to wake him up at the optimal point in his natural sleep cycle or nudge him to get up and move when he has been sitting still for too long.

New Balance Solar Eclipse Revlite 890v5
$179

If your dad is very busy during the day and is more of a night road runner, the New Balance Solar Eclipse Revlite 890v5 running shoes may be what he needs. The shoes sport reflective speckled laces and reflective taping on New Balance's iconic N logo, heel and along the toe box. This attention-getter works day or night to make the wearer more visible to other joggers and road users.

Fitbit Surge
$329

Fitbit calls its new Surge a "fitness super watch". It is a fitness watch that doubles as a smartwatch. It has all the capabilities of a fitness tracker for monitoring pace, distance, elevation and heart rate, whether your dad is running, cycling or working out in the gym. A built-in GPS, three-axis accelerometer, three-axis gyroscope and five other sensors take care of the tracking.

Its 1.25-inch touchscreen display offers alerts and notifications for incoming calls and text messages, and even works to control his music when paired with a smartphone. Its watch faces are customisable.

Beats PowerBeats2 Wireless
$310

If your father loves to listen to music while jogging or lifting weights, wired headphones may get in the way. Avoid the cable tangle by getting him the Beats PowerBeats2 Wireless in-ear headphones.

Consisting of two earbuds joined together by a tangle-free cable, the PowerBeats2 Wireless comes with a flexible ear hook on each earbud for a comfortable and secure fit. With its built-in Bluetooth connection, it lets users stay connected to their smartphones even when they are separated by a distance of about 9m.

This article was first published on June 10, 2015.
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