What this tech lover wants for Fathers Day

My wife and kids will tell you that Father's Day is one of the hardest days of the year in my house. The problem is what to get me, one of the biggest lovers of tech on the planet, for Father's Day. I admit it is a huge challenge given my exposure to all things tech. A cool gadget would be the perfect gift for a geek like me, but which one is the question with no easy answer for my loved ones.

A tablet would make the perfect gift, but which one should they get? There's no answer for that, as right now there are no fewer than five tablets in my office. They range in size from 7 inches to 10.1 inches, and cover all of the major tablet platforms. I like different things about each of them, with no clear favorite. That's not exactly a good place to start with a gift for me.

Smartphones are all the rage and rightly so, but they make no better a gift for me than the tablets. I have tested almost every top smartphone released for the past few years, and many prior to availability. My family would have no way to know which one is the gift du jour; it doesn't help that I just upgraded my own phone a week before Father's Day. I have a tendency to grab gadgets that catch my eye on a whim, and that doesn't help gift givers.

I use laptops exclusively in my work, and appreciate good ones so you'd think that would be a good gift. Sadly, right now there are no fewer than seven laptops in my office, each with its own good points. My family can't begin to figure out what laptop to get me that I haven't already used and in many cases panned for problems. The one laptop I would love to own doesn't exist yet. Take a 13-inch MacBook Air, put Sandy Bridge processors inside, fit it with two 256GB SSDs, and install OS X Lion on it. That would be my choice, but it won't be around for Father's Day, if ever.

Even gadgets that don't fit in standard categories are off-limits due to my constant exposure to gadgets of all types. A watch that talks to my smartphone to let me know when people are trying to get in touch with me sounds perfectly geeky. Unfortunately, I've already got one even before it is available to the public.

So what is my family to do for Father's Day this year? I have given it some thought and there is one gadget I would like for this Father's Day. There is one tablet that is not available yet but I would be willing to wait for it. The HP TouchPad is the one gadget I am jonesing for given its unique capabilities due to webOS. It has me excited like no other gadget in a long time. That's the perfect gift for this geek. You listening, family? The 32GB model, of course.

What's your perfect Father's Day gift? Share it in the TalkBack.

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