Father's Day: 10 geeky gifts for dad

PHOTO: UNIQLO

Still hunting for the perfect gift for Father's Day on Sunday (June 18)? Put a smile on his face with one of these 10 geeky gifts.

1. Uniqlo + Nintendo Collection T-shirts

$19.90

Any gamer dad worth his salt knows his Nintendo characters. Help him show his love for these iconic characters with these Uniqlo Nintendo-themed T-shirts.

These T-shirts are the winning designs from Uniqlo's UT Grand Prix 2017 design contest, which focused on Nintendo themes. They were picked from over 16,000 submissions by legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto (Mario, Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong) and the Nintendo team. The T-shirts are available for men, women and children.

2. Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe UX490

From $2,198

If your dad's laptop is showing signs of age, perhaps it is time to upgrade to a newer model. The Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe UX490 retains the sleek stylish design of last year's ZenBook 3, which snagged both the Editor's and Readers' Choice awards in our annual Straits Times Digital Awards.

PHOTO: ASUS

Available in a stunning shade of blue, the Deluxe has a larger 14-inch screen compared to the 12.5-inch display on the ZenBook 3. In fact, it is closer in size to a 13-inch laptop, thanks to its ultra-slim bezel. By itself, the Deluxe is not suited to run the latest video games, but it can do so with the help of the optional Asus ROG XG Station 2 external graphics dock.

3. Samsung T3 portable SSD

From $209 (for 250GB model)

PHOTO: SAMSUNG

Is your dad running out of disk space for his photos, movie and music? External hard drives provide inexpensive storage, but solid-state drives (SSD) like the Samsung T3 offer blistering speeds up to four times faster than traditional hard drives.

It is also extremely handy, weighing just 51g. Its aluminium casing is also more sturdy than the plastic build of Samsung's previous T1 SSD.

The T3 has a USB Type-C port that can connect to devices like the MacBook, as well as newer Android phones and tablets. A bundled adaptor cable ensures that it will work with older devices with full-size USB Type-A ports. If you have over $1,000 to spend, Samsung has a 2TB model.

4. GoPro Hero5 Black

$590

PHOTO: GOPRO

Help your dad record his outdoor adventures in sharp 4K quality by getting him GoPro's flagship Hero5 Black action camera.

He can even start or stop a video recording without using his hands, thanks to the camera's support for voice input - in no less than seven languages, including Mandarin. It also has a 2-inch touchscreen for other controls and settings.

Unlike older models, the Hero5 Black does not require an extra casing for underwater hijinks as it is waterproof up to 10m. More importantly, it shoots excellent photos and videos, with decent image stabilisation.

5. Final Fantasy XV

$84.90

PHOTO: SQUARE ENIX

The beating heart of this Final Fantasy epic is the bromance between its male lead Noctis and his three friends. The adventures of this band of brothers, especially during the earlier open-world parts, are fun and entertaining.

More importantly, developer Square Enix has patched some of its worse flaws since the game's release last year. Notably, the abysmal Chapter 13 can now be skipped for an alternate route featuring the hunky Gladiolus.

It is available for both the PlayStation 4 (PS4) and the Xbox One. But you can snag the PS4 copy for just $50.94 (40 per cent off) during Sony's ongoing Days of Play sales event (till June 21). If you have the budget, why not buy this video game together with a limited-edition PlayStation 4 (in gold or silver) for $399?

6. Philips SmartPro Compact Robot Vacuum Cleaner (FC8776/01)

$699

PHOTO: PHILIPS

Give him a break from household chores by enlisting a robot vacuum cleaner like the Philips SmartPro. This vacuum cleaner automatically charts an optimal cleaning route in your home. It has six infrared sensors to detect and avoid potential obstacles in your home.

And whenever he feels like taking charge, he can use the remote control to guide the robot in any direction, as well as change its cleaning path.

The SmartPro is smart enough to head for its docking station when it needs to recharge. Philips says you can get up to 130 minutes of usage on a full charge.

7. Bose QuietComfort 35

$549

PHOTO: BOSE

Transport him away from the maddening crowd for a moment of blissful silence with Bose's QuietComfort 35 noise-cancelling headphones.

Launched last year, the new model is a wireless version that connects via Bluetooth. A cable is also provided if he prefers to physically connect the QC 35. Ambient noise is reduced to a negligible level upon enabling the noise-cancelling feature. It sounds great and its well-padded ear cups are comfortable.

When connected wirelessly, the QC 35 can run for up to 20 hours on a single charge with noise-cancellation. This is doubled to 40 hours if the physical cable is used.

8. The Three-Body Problem

From $10.36 (E-book version)

PHOTO: TOR BOOKS

For the sci-fi reading dad, try The Three-Body by Chinese author Liu Cixin.

Translated into English in 2014, it is an enthralling story about the ramifications of humans contacting a hostile alien civilisation. It is the first of a trilogy called Remembrance of Earth's Past. The English version of the final book, Death's End, was published last year.

The Three-Body Problem has won multiple awards, including the 2015 Hugo awards for Best Novel, which is a first for an Asian author.

Fans of the book include Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and former US president Barack Obama. A movie based on the book is expected to be released this year.

If he is a sword-and-sorcery guy, Miles Cameron's Traitor Son Cycle medieval fantasy series has that in spades.

9. Alta HR

$248

PHOTO: ALTA

Money can't buy good health, but you can certainly buy a fitness tracker like the Alta HR to help dad monitor his workouts. The Alta HR can track his steps taken, calculate the number of calories burnt and total distance travelled, among other functions.

It improves on its predecessor by adding a heart-rate monitor, but it remains as sleek as the original's bracelet-like design. It also comes with a 1.4-inch Oled touchscreen.

The only downside is that the Alta HR will not survive a dip in the pool. If he is an avid swimmer, the Fitbit Flex 2 ($148) is a good waterproof (up to 50m) alternative that can track swims, too.

10. Logitech M585 Multi-Device Mouse

$49

PHOTO: LOGITECH

With the Logitech M585 Multi-Device Mouse, he can now easily control two computers at the same time, including PC and Mac computers. He can even copy and paste from one computer to another. This is all thanks to the Logitech Flow software that works with the mouse to improve his productivity.

The mouse itself is curved for comfort, with two customisable thumb buttons and a scroll wheel with more grooves to enable faster and easier scrolling through lengthy Web pages. A single AA battery is sufficient to keep the mouse going for up to two years.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.