Anytime I’ve ever asked my dad what he wants for Christmas or his birthday he says the same thing: “nothing”.

I admire him for that but for crying out loud! You want to get your dad something he’ll enjoy and for the man who seems to have everything that isn’t easy to do.

I’ve seen a lot of cool tech gadgets this past year and have made a note of all the things perfect for most every dad. Here are some of my favorite tech things of 2017:

Click on the photos to see the listing on Amazon

I suppose every dad has a set of jumper cables in the garage. Every now and then you have to jump off a dead battery by attaching the cables to two car batteries and starting up the dead one. They work great but what a hassle. The car with the dead battery always seems to be parked in a way that you can’t get another car on the side of the battery or the cables are never quite long enough.

Dad won’t need those old jumper cables with a new portable battery jump starter. These have been around for some time but they’re smaller than ever now.

 

The FlyHi portable jump starter is about the size of a smartphone and will easily fit under a car seat or in the glove compartment. It has enough power to jump start any 4.2 L gas or 3.0 L diesel engine. It also has USB ports to charge smartphones or laptops and an LED flashlight. Just charge it up at home through an electrical outlet and it’ll hold enough of a charge to last for months.

The FlyHi portable jump starter is about the size of a smartphone and will easily fit under a car seat or in the glove compartment. It has enough power to jump-start any 4.2 L gas or 3.0 L diesel engine. It also has USB ports to charge smartphones or laptops and an LED flashlight. Just charge it up at home through an electrical outlet and it’ll hold enough of a charge to last for months.
Goal Zero has an entire line of portable power chargers that will keep laptops, small electronics and even TVs and refrigerators running for hours. The Yeti 150 (pictured) is the lightest of the bunch and is good to keep small devices charged at tailgate parties or camping trips. Charge them through an electrical outlet before leaving the house, or add solar panels to keep them charged for days in the sun.
One of my absolute favorite things I tested in 2017 are video recording sunglasses from GoVision. These glasses record video and sound in HD. Some have Bluetooth to allow for live-streaming of the action. The video quality is exceptional.

 

 

 

There was a time when Bluetooth headsets looked stupid but that was before they got so small they’re difficult for anyone to see. The Plantronics Voyager series of Bluetooth headsets are practically a necessity for dads who stay on the phone at work for much of the day. They’re comfortable to wear and you can also listen to music or podcasts in between calls. When the phone rings, the headset will announce who’s calling and ask if you want to accept or reject the call. You don’t even need to pick up the phone or touch it.
If dad does some grilling the Weber iGrill 2 or 3 will free up some time and he’ll be the coolest guy at the grill all summer. The iGrill devices come with probes you insert into the beef or chicken. Set the desired internal temperature and dad will get a notification on his phone when it’s done. The companion app recommends the correct temperature for medium, medium rare or well done. The app also has recipes.s

 

 

Think dad will like one of these tech gadgets for his gift this year? They sure beat ‘nothing’ or the ‘something’ your brothers and sisters will give him.

I saved the best for last. The POWERUP remote controlled paper airplane will brighten up dad’s Christmas morning (along with everyone else). The popular Kickstarter project is now available online. It’s controlled by an app on a smartphone or by tilting your head if you pick up the first-person-view headset. Some have a camera onboard that will stream video live. It’ll fly for around 10 minutes on one charge and is virtually crash-proof. Since it’s made of paper, if it does crash you can fold another by using a template and paper. These start out at $50.