Great gifts for college grads and boomer dads

PRIME June 2014 By Gary M. Kaye Editor, In the Boombox (www.intheboombox.tv) It's June, and with the beginning of summer comes two of the best reasons to buy someone a tech gift college graduations and Father's Day. Tech for the grad If you've got a newly minted college grad in the family, there are some great tech gifts to get your grad off on the right foot, some serious, and some just for fun. Here are my suggestions: Lenovo Y 50 gaming laptop This brand new gaming powerhouse from Lenovo has everything to excite the gamer grad. It has a big, 15.6" FHD LED AntiGlare Backlight (1920x1080) screen. It comes with a screaming Intel i7 processor and a supercharged NVIDIA graphics card. It's available in several models, though I'm partial to the 59421847, which comes with a Blu Ray disc so you can play movies as well as games. This model starts at $1,249. Other models start as low as $1,150. Scratch Wireless Wi-Fi Smartphone If it's time to cut the mobile phone umbilical cord, Scratch Wireless provides a smart way to help your offspring into smartphone independence. Scratch Wireless offers a Motorola Photon Q phone that has available 4GLTE connectivity. What makes this different is that you pay one price, $269, and you get the phone as well as the ability to use it at no charge on any wi-fi network/hotspot, etc. And if you can't make all your calls on Wi-Fi, you can pick up a pay-as-you-go cellular plan through Scratch Wireless for as low as $1.99. And even if you can't get a Wi-Fi connection, texts are always free. Soundmatters FoxL Dash 7 portable Bluetooth speaker This shirt pocket portable speaker delivers remarkable sound for its size. You may not have heard of Soundmatters, but the company designs the guts of many brands of small portable speakers. The Dash 7 is less than an inch thick and comes with a carrying case and stand that make it ideal for the grad on the go. It's available in a choice of several colors. I've seen it priced at anywhere from $176 to $249. BACtrack Breathalyzer Getting nailed for a DUI charge is not the way you want your grad to start his postgraduate career. With BACtrack your son or daughter can be sure he or she is fit to drive after the party. BACtrack comes in a standalone model, or one that works with a smartphone. The standalone S35 is just about $50. The mobile/smartphone version with Bluetooth link and rechargeable battery costs just about $150. Sony αa6000 Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera If your grad is serious about photography, you can give this bells and whistles included camera. Sony claims it has the world's fastest Auto Focus performance at just 0.06 seconds. It's also equipped with a high-resolution 24.3 MP image sensor. It uses a clear, bright OLED Tru-Finder so you can see a live preview of all setting adjustments before the shot is taken. The Sony a6000 is the successor to the very well reviewed NEX-6 and is available in a kit with a compact 16-50mm motorized zoom lens for about $800. The body alone is about $650. Eureka Airspeed Upright Bagless Vacuum Cleaner If you new grad is setting up his or her first apartment, someone will have to do the cleaning up, so a vacuum cleaner is in order. Eureka's Airspeed upright is a modestly priced machine that promises to clean up all floor types. It includes a washable dust cup filter that reduces maintenance costs because it is washable and reusable, requiring less frequent replacement. This model also comes with an on-board crevice & dusting tool as well as a 10-foot stretch hose and long 27 foot cord to reach further without unplugging. Also featured is the Smooth-Glide Pivoting Base to make it easier to push over all floor types. Price about $89. Tech for boomer dads Lenovo X1 Carbon Touch 2014 Lenovo's Thinkpad line is the reference standard for lightweight, full-featured business laptops. The newest is the Lenovo Thinkpad X-1 Carbon Touch 2014. It comes with some unique features including its top row of keys. Gone is the traditional row of almost useless function keys. In its place is a row of what Lenovo calls "adaptive keys." The functionality of the keys will change according to which program Dad is using. It also has features to let him use gestures and voice commands. It's all wrapped in a lightweight, durable carbon fiber case, which is about half the weight of magnesium cases. Prices begin at $1,291. Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 tablet This may be the best tablet yet for boomers and seniors. The vibrant screen has a 12.2-inch crystal clear HD display. It weighs in at just 1.65 pounds, yet delivers an excellent reading, editing and viewing experience. I really like the ability to take notes using the intuitive S Pen and it also has enhanced multitasking, which allows you to simultaneously use four different applications side-by-side. The 64MB Wi-Fi only version is just about $750. Garmin Forerunner 15 GPS Running Watch with Heart Rate Capability This is Garmin's top of the line running watch, which tracks distance, pace, heart rate and calories. It has up to eight hours of battery life with GPS on or five weeks in watch/activity tracking mode Forerunner 15 captures essential stats from Dad's run like time, distance and pace. When paired with a heart rate strap, it also records his heart rate and heart rate zone so he'll know when he's hit his target. The Forerunner 15 will also track activity between runs, without wearing a separate activity tracking device. Forerunner 15 counts steps and the calories he burns all day. Forerunner 15 will also remind Dad when it's time to move if he's been sitting for more than an hour. Price: $170. Sony A7 Compact Full Frame Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera This breakthrough camera uses what's known as a full frame sensor, considered the Holy Grail in digital cameras. What sets Sony's apart is that it is the first "affordable" cameras in the class and the lightest weight. It has just about all the bells and whistles you can think of. With a relatively inexpensive adapter you can use legacy lenses from Nikon, Canon, and others to take advantage of the big sensor. Price is just about $1,700 for the body only. Dragonfly DAC If Dad misses the bygone days of great vinyl records, and likes the idea of better quality music, but doesn't want to spend thousands on new audio gear, the Dragonfly Digital Analog Converter from AudioQuest ($139 to $149) coupled with JRiver Media Center software ($50), provides a great way to get started in Hi-Res audio without breaking the bank. The Dragonfly DAC is basically a chipset on a USB stick that takes the digitally encoded audio files on his computer and converts them into an analog signal to pump into a set of headphones or a stereo pre-amp. The net effect is to deliver music that is stunningly superior on any headphones or speakers he's been using with MP3 files. Another advantage of using a system like this is that it allows him to rip his own CDs at a higher quality than can be done through a standard desktop music player. The Black & Decker BDCDE120C Drill/Driver This tool is ideal for drilling and screw driving though wood, metal, and plastic. This drill features Autosense Technology that drives most screws flush on the first try. It is Black and Decker's most compact cordless drill ever. The 20-volt max system uses a Lithium-ion battery that holds a charge up to 18 months. It has a built-in LED work light that illuminates the surface for easier drilling in dark places. Price is about $80. Audio Technica Quiet Point Headphones ATH-ANC70 If Dad flies a lot or works in a noisy office, or simply loves the stillness of a silent reprieve, these Audio Technica noise cancelling headphones provide a listening experience free from distractions. The ATH-ANC70 QuietPoint active noise-cancelling headphones are lightweight and compact to effectively reduce distracting background noise by up to 90 percent, while offering the quality reputation that goes with the Audio-Technica line. Closed-back headphones deliver clear, high-resolution sound, with intense bass, a detailed midrange, and extended treble. When used with a smartphone, Dad can simply press the illuminated logo-button on the ear cup to take a phone call or to return to your music or silence. A high-sensitivity mic has been built into the ear cup, rather than the cable, for improved speech clarity and volume. Price is about $200. Gary Kaye is the creator of In The Boombox (www.intheboombox.tv), the first website to cover technology from the Baby Boomer perspective. Kaye has been covering high tech for more than 30 years with outlets including NBC, ABC, CNN and Fox Business. He is a regular contributor to AARP and other websites on issues regarding the nexus of technology, seniors and baby boomers.