Dads and grads: Midyear gift-giving guide

By Dina Gerdeman

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If the dad or grad on your gift list is a gadget geek, think beyond the laptop, cell phone and DVR – which they undoubtedly already have – and consider indulging in some of these high-tech treats.

Especially for dads …

LP-to-CD Recorder Stereo System: Your dad probably still has a collection of beloved old black vinyl record albums in the house. This system will allow him to record LPs – and in some cases cassette tapes as well – onto CDs, so he can preserve those classic oldies but goodies, and listen to them in the car, or wherever a CD player is. Today, we regularly depend on a variety of tech gadgets, including the CD player for entertainment. Most systems let the user to pause recording to select certain songs for recording, turn the album over, or make compilation recordings with different albums and cassettes.

PowerSquid: All those goofy gadgets your dad collects make for a mess of electrical cords. The PowerSquid with its flexible arms of varying lengths is designed to handle various-sized power boxes and plugs. The squid comes loaded with enough surge protection to handle most electrical spikes, plus it has two blue neon glowing outlets so you can spot them in dark areas, a 360-degree swiveling flat profile plug for tight spots, and an audible alarm to let you know when it’s time to replace the device.

USB Cup Warmer: If your dad has a long commute and doesn't like his cup of coffee cold by the time he gets to the office, get him a USB cup warmer. Some of the mugs come with 12-volt power adapters that connect to the car’s power socket. Dad can use the mug’s USB cable to plug in to a USB port on his computer at work, and his coffee never has to go cold.

Ambient Baseball ScoreCast: This desktop scoreboard lets dad keep an eye on the scores, stats and schedules for professional baseball teams at a glance. After the championships, ScoreCast maintains the season’s final standings, and when pre-season game schedules are announced, ScoreCast will automatically provide information for the new season.

Digital Meat Thermometers: No more hovering over the grill, making multiple cuts into the barbeque to tell if the meat is done. Digital meat thermometers provide temperature readings in five seconds. Check out the Taste-Temp Fork by Nu-Temp: It beeps when the right temperature is reached and lights up for nighttime viewing. And the Wireless Barbecue Thermometer allows the chef to walk away from the grill to chat with guests while the food cooks. A probe is inserted into the meat and set for the desired temperature, and a wireless receiver can be clipped to a belt, allowing the user to walk up to 100 feet away.

Especially for grads…

InfoGlobe: This cool-looking ball of info displays caller ID, the time and date and whatever custom message you want to post in large floating letters that can be seen from across the room. You can see who’s calling without getting up to look at the phone. And you can program up to 54 custom messages in the InfoGlobe’s memory, everything from a holiday greeting to a reminder about a midterm exam.

LED Reading Light with Digital Timer: This light lets you read without disturbing a roommate, and if you fall asleep with your book, the light will take care of itself. It clips to a book and can be set for up to 90 minutes of reading time, at which point the light will turn off automatically.

Flying Alarm Clock with Digital Display: You’re not likely to shut off this alarm in your sleep and roll over. The base of the Digital Flying Alarm Clock launches a rotor as high as nine feet into the air – way out of reach if you’re still lying in bed – and the rotor flies around while the alarm blares. The ringing doesn’t stop until you return the rotor to the base.

SkipDoctor CD Repair Kit: The SkipDoctor repairs many of the problems associated with CDs and DVDs: freezing, skipping and distortion in music, movies, games and data. The polishing process does what wiping the CD cannot, repairing scratches and effectively removing fingerprints and dust, allowing you to save discs that may have otherwise been junked.

Pocket Alcohol Breath Analyzer: For older grads, this gadget can prevent them – and their friends – from driving home from a party or bar when they’re too intoxicated to get behind the wheel. The analyzer, which is roughly the size of two fingers, provides readings of blood alcohol levels in seconds. If the test fails a second time, it's time to accept a ride from a sober friend or call a cab.