metro >> Jews in the digital age
W
e're already in
graduation season
and Father's Day
is quickly approaching. That
means everyone's looking for
the perfect gifts for dads and
grads.
In the rapidly growing
technology industry, there are
hundreds of wonderful options
for gifts; finding the right one
for the celebrant can be tricky
because it's such a crowded
field.
For fathers and graduates
who love music, you can't go wrong with
outdoor Bluetooth speakers, but which
ones? Maybe you're looking for the perfect
cell phone, case or other mobile accesso-
ries? Or, maybe you're looking to improve
the television viewing experience for the
couch potato dad? I've researched doz-
ens of options for tech gifts for dads and
grads:
TiVo Roamio Pro Ideal for the dad who
enjoys watching TV or the college grad
who loves streaming movies. This is TiVo's
best DVR yet. Simply put a Cab1eCARD in
and there's no more need for a cable box.
Great for mobile TV viewing with the
Android and iOS mobile app. Six tuners to
record six shows at once and phenomenal
search capability within your cable guide
and streaming networks. 450-hour HD
recording capacity. Online content from
Amazon, Hulu Plus, Netflix, Pandora and
YouTube. Priced at $599, but available on
Amazon.com for $470.
Slingbox Ml Another must-have for the
TV watching fan, the Slingbox M1 hooks
up to your cable box so you can watch
cable channels live or your DVR record-
ings anywhere with the SlingPlayer app.
The quality is great (high-definition
video up to 1080p) so long as it's a strong
16 June 11 • 2015
Internet connection. SlingPlayer
even works overseas so you'll
never miss your favorite shows
and can watch your cable
TV's On-Demand offerings
from anywhere. You can also
schedule DVR recordings while
away from home and cast your
SlingPlayer using Apple TV,
Google Chromecast, Fire TV
and Roku. Priced at $149.99.
Motorola Droid Turbo
SmartPhone There's no better
Father's Day gift than a smart-
phone that really is smart. While Apple's
iPhone gets all of the attention, this is the
strongest smartphone on the market right
now. You can get two full days of battery
life with this phone and, when you need
to charge,
the Motorola
Turbo Charger
gives you up
to eight hours
of power in
a quick 15
=
minutes.
One of the
highlights of
this phone is
the 21-megapixels camera that captures
movie-quality ultra HD (4K)
video. The screen has a 5.2-inch
quad HD display, which is the
sharpest display available today at
565 ppi. This phone outperforms
the iPhone 6 with its Qualcomm
Snapdragon 805 processor with
2.7GHz quad-core CPU and 3GB
of RAM. It even comes with
64GB storage to store all of your
data. With this phone's natural intelligence
features, like Moto Voice, Moto Assist,
Moto Display and Moto Actions, the
phone is intuitive, responsive and reliable.
Priced at $199.99 with a two-year Verizon
Wireless contract.
SmartShaker Phone-Controlled Alarm
(iLuv) This brand-new innovation from
iLuv Creative Technology is ideal for the
high-school grad heading off to college.
The SmartShaker alarm clock is con-
trolled from a smartphone through an iOS
app. Young people use their phone as an
alarm clock, but what happens when it's
in another room? Smart Shaker is pro-
grammed via your smartphone and acts
as an extension of your phone alarm even
when your phone is in a different room
being charged or set to silent. It comes in
five colors and is available at Amazon.com
and Bed Bath and Beyond stores. Priced
at $19.99.
Darkside 011ie (Sphero) This is a fun
Bluetooth-controlled toy that both dads
and grads will enjoy. Sphero is known for
its mobile app-controlled robots and this
special edition of 011ie is its fastest and
most fun model yet. Using an iPhone or
Android app, the user customizes the 011ie
robot to race on all surfaces and perform
tricks. Darkside 011ie rolls at speeds of
up to 14 mph and connects via Bluetooth
with a range of up to 100 feet. Available at
GoSphero.com and in toy stores. Priced at
$129.99.
Logitech Keys-To-Go Ultra-Portable
Keyboard College students are using their
mobile devices more than their heavy
notebook computer. Rather than lug
their notebook to class, they're choosing
to take notes and do research
on their iPad, tablet or even
smartphone. A perfect gift
for the high school grad
this season is a portable
keyboard. Keys-To-Go
Ultra-Portable
Keyboard
works with
Android,
Windows and
Apple iOS mobile devices.
It's a slender stand-alone Bluetooth key-
board that can fit in a purse or even coat
pocket. It's wrapped in a water-repellent
FabricSkin that helps protect the keyboard
from spills and dirt so it easily wipes clean
and survives drops. It includes a portable
stand, which allows for easy typing on a
smartphone. The portable stand attaches
to the keyboard and holds your smart-
phone at an upright position. Priced at
$69.99.
doesn't come with a big price tag. It is easy
to grip, protects your phone and comes
with a convenient card storage for credit
cards, driver's license or business cards.
Great for dads or grads. Available online at
loopattachment.com . Priced at $34.95.
UE Megaboom Speaker For the dad who
loves listening to music
with strong audio quality,
there's no better gift than a
portable Bluetooth speaker
system. High-fidelity speak-
ers used to cost thousands
of dollars, but no longer.
A great option is the UE
(Ultimate Ears) Megaboom
speaker, in various colors, is
waterproof and has strong
battery life. Priced at $299.
FitBit Surge Everyone might be talking
about the Apple Watch, but if you want
to get your favorite college graduate or
your father the smartwatch they'll really
get the most out of, check out the Surge
from FitBit, avail-
able online and at
retail stores. The
monochrome touch-
screen display is
easy to read in sun-
shine, and it lights
up blue to make it
even easier to read.
The Surge really is
a "fitness superwatch" — it tracks every-
thing from steps, distance, calories, flights
climbed, sleep and active minutes, as well
as continuous heart rate monitoring. It
has built-in GPS tracking and also displays
caller ID, app notifications and music
player controls on its LCD screen. You can
also track your progress while biking or in
a spinning class. Surge is sweat-resistant
and water-resistant to 50 meters. Priced at
$249.95.
We're living in the Digital Age and the
amount of tech gadgets is overwhelming
and impressive. You can't go wrong with
any of these gifts for the grads and dads in
your life.
Congratulations to all the graduates and
Happy Father's Day!
❑
Rabbi Jason Miller is the tech-
Straitjacket Case for
iPhone (Loop) Everyone
knows that a smartphone
is naked without a nice
case. The Straitjacket is a
durable and convenient
case for the iPhone that
nology expert for the Detroit
Jewish News. He is president of
Access Computer Technology
and a popular blogger and
speaker on technology and social
media. Follow him on Twitter at
@RabbiJason.