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2016 Father's Day tech and gadgets gift guide

A gift guide to help you buy gadgets for dads who enjoy their gaming, mobile devices, travel and more.
By Charlie Osborne, Contributing Writer
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1 of 17 Charlie Osborne/ZDNET

Lumie Bodyclock GO 75

An alarm clock? Really? If your father has trouble getting up in the morning -- or has to rely on shrieking alarms -- perhaps a more gentle way to get up can be found in the Lumie Bodyclock GO 75 this year. The alarm clock not only looks sleek but can either be programmed to wake up your dad with a range of sounds or the most important feature, the use of natural light to slowly wake his body up.

Price: £74.95 ($107)

Via: Lumie

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2 of 17 Charlie Osborne/ZDNET

Avea Flare smart lighting

Elgato's Avea Flare is an exciting entry into the smart light space, and could make a great gift for fathers who enjoy ambience, lighting and new technologies. By connecting the sphere to your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch or Android phones using Bluetooth pairing, owners can set a room's lighting for any kind of occasion -- whether this is lighting up an outdoor space or cozying up in a romantic setting.

Coming up to the summer months and thanks to the light's water-resistant shell, this could be a great gift if your folks enjoy hosting barbecues or dinners.

Price: $99.95

Via: Elgato

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3 of 17 Charlie Osborne/ZDNET

TomTom Rider 410 Great Rides

The TomTom Rider 410 Great Rides satellite navigation system is tailored for motorcyclists and bikers who want to go on new routes, day trips and cruise from location to location. The sat nav can be fixed to handlebars for easy access and comes with 100 worldwide routes pre-installed. If your father owns a bike -- especially if it happens to be a tourer -- this could make a great Father's Day gift.

Price: £399.99 ($574)

Via: TomTom

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4 of 17 Charlie Osborne/ZDNET

Bowflex SelectTech 1090 dumbbells

As a Father's Day gift for dads who like to exercise, Bowflex's 1090 dumbbells combine technology and workouts by making shifts in weight easier. The dumbbell is adjustable from 10 to 90 pounds and can be used for gentle, basic toning exercise or a heavy session.

Price: $289

Via: Amazon

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5 of 17 Charlie Osborne/ZDNET

Netgear Nighthawk X4S R7800 wireless router

If your father has a tech or gaming bent, consider a gift which would boost his streaming speeds and no doubt keep him happy and occupied. Netgear's Nighthawk X4S router is a strong contender as a powerful, quick router which boasts 160MHz bandwidth for speeds of up to 2.53Gbps, powered by a dual-core 1.7GHz processor. It's quick, able to support multiple devices and looks stylish to boot.

Price: $326

Via: Netgear

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6 of 17 Charlie Osborne/ZDNET

Pewter Star Wars USB flash drives

Something smaller but likely to appeal to Star Wars fans with a sense of style, Royal Selangor's 16GB USB stick is flash storage designed in pewter which immortalises the snowspeeder.

Price: £68.99 ($99)

Via: John Lewis

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7 of 17 Charlie Osborne/ZDNET

Crossfade Wireless

One for audio buffs, V-Moda's Crossfade Wireless headphones are sleek, over-the-ear wireless headphones which can be paired with Bluetooth-enabled devices to play your favourite tracks. If your old man enjoys decent sound, these headphones may be an option as they sport 50mm Dual-Diaphragm Driver technology to stop bass bleeds, noise isolation and quality sound drivers.

In addition, the headset can be paired to two sources -- such as your smartphone and gaming console, and contains a hidden mic. The headphones can be used wirelessly for up to three hours at a time, or alternatively, can be wired up for longer playback.

Price: $300

Via: V-Moda

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8 of 17 Charlie Osborne/ZDNET

Skullcandy Grind headphones

For a cheaper alternative, consider Skullcandy's Grind series, a comfortable set of on-ear headphones. I wasn't impressed with Skullcandy's wire stability in years past, but the company has upped its game, and the headphones offer a better quality of sound than one would normally expect in such a price range.

Price: £39.99 ($57)

Via: Skullcandy

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9 of 17 Charlie Osborne/ZDNET

Maverick remote Bbq Smoker thermometer

Father's Day is just in time for sunshine and barbecue season, so if your old man stakes his claim firmly where the meat and fire is, consider making his life easier with a BBQ thermometer. The gadget monitors the temperature of meat from up to 300 feet away, alerting the user with beeps and flashes when the hear rises above what you want it to be. The thermometer also has a timer, LCD backlight for night use and can display temperatures up to 572 degrees Fahrenheit. The gadget can also be used in ovens and smokers.

Price: $55

Via: Amazon

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10 of 17 Charlie Osborne/ZDNET

Sugru home hacking

If your father enjoys doing a bit of DIY around the home, the Sugru starter kit could be a handy gift he's likely to make use of. Sugru is a type of glue which can be moulded into different shapes before hardening -- a simple but useful material which can be used for a variety of purposes.

To give him a few ideas, the kit comes with 10 sets of instructions for 'home hacks' such as protecting laptop wires and creating storage hooks.

Price: $26

Via: Sugru

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11 of 17 Charlie Osborne/ZDNET

Sennheiser Speakerphone series

Sennheiser's range of SP 10 and SP 20 portable speakerphones are a stylish option for trendy dads. The Speakerphone series not only has great sound quality but can also be used to set up and run conference calls, a useful feature for those who would enjoy a decent speaker but also get some use out of their home gadgets for work.

Price: £162+ ($232)

Via: Sennheiser

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12 of 17 Charlie Osborne/ZDNET

Seek Compact Thermal Imager

For something a little different, how about the Seek Compact thermal imaging camera as a Father's Day gift? Not only can the smartphone camera accessory be used to identify objects, but this additional layer of vision can be used to find electrical issues, water damage and blockages around the home.

Price: $249

Via: Amazon

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13 of 17 Charlie Osborne/ZDNET

Bamboo Spark

Not everyone enjoys using a tablet and stylus, but having digital copies of notes and documents is highly useful in today's modern society. Wacom's Bamboo Spark smart folio is a notepad which can let your dad take handwritten notes for conversion into a digital format later, sketching and storing ideas into the cloud or converting handwritten notes to standalone text.

Price: $180

Via: Wacom

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14 of 17 Charlie Osborne/ZDNET

Epson EB-S04 home projector

Epson's entry into this year's Father's Day gift guide is the EB-S04, an expensive but impressive mobile projector, useful for both film buffs and professionals on the move. The projector comes equipped with 3LCD technology, is capable of SGVA resolution and has a 15,000:1 contrast ratio for deep blacks and colors beyond your average LCD television.

Your dad can also use the device to set up an impressive home cinema thanks to the display potential of up to 300 inches.

Price: $375

Via: Epson

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15 of 17 Charlie Osborne/ZDNET

Samsung Gear VR

Virtual reality is moving quickly ahead, and for this Father's Day, Samsung's VR headset could be an exciting gift to give this year. Compatible with a range of Samsung smartphones and tablets (naturally), the headset is one of the best options out there to jump into the world of virtual gaming and video.

Price: $98

Via: Amazon

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16 of 17 Charlie Osborne/ZDNET

Roku streaming stick

For a more affordable gift this Father's Day, television buffs may enjoy the Roku streaming stick, a cheap way to convert your television set into a smart TV. Once plugged in, Roku gives you access to movie and TV streaming services including Amazon, VUDU, Netflix, Hulu and Google Play. Not only does the portable stick allow you to access these subscriptions, but you can also save your favorite movies and shows and catch up while on the move in 1080p quality.

Price: $39.99

Via: Amazon

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17 of 17 Charlie Osborne/ZDNET

Buffalo Drivestation media hard drive

Another gift which would make a great addition for any man-cave this Father's Day is the Buffalo Technology Drivestation Media, an external hard drive which can be used as an extension to recording services on TVs, recorders and PCs. The HDV-SA series is sleek and would slot into any modern home, and as a fanless device, acts quietly when recording and storing content. The storage device is available in 1, 2 and 3TB versions.

Price: £83.99 ($120)

Via: Buffalo Technology | Amazon

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