Father's Day 2011 High-Tech Gift Guide

June 14, 2011 — -- Yes, is Sunday, June 19, and if you haven't found anything yet, here are some gift ideas for your old man, or not-so-old man. This is our high-tech list. Dad will thank you.

Times have changed since the original Apple TV sold for well over $200. Today Apple TV users can rent thousands of commercial-free, HD TV episodes from iTunes for $.99 with up to 30 days to start watching and then 48 hours to finish—or even watch multiple times. Users can also rent over 7,000 movies with over 3,400 of them available in HD. Most new releases are available the same day they're released on DVD. You get access to Netflix, YouTube, MLB.TV, plus all the music and videos on your networked computers running iTunes.

Movies are streamed in 720p HD with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. New titles cost $4.99, older ones run $3.99. Movies can also be rented in standard definition for $3.99, $2.99 for older titles.

With a basic Netflix subscription of as little as $8.95 a month, you can stream over 15,000 movies and television episodes to your Apple TV at no additional cost, with unlimited viewing.

AirPlay is a new feature that lets users stream media from their iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad or use them as the Apple TV Remote with an app available for free on the iTunes App Store.

The Remote app can be synced with the Apple TV, and allows users to navigate menus using swiping gestures on the iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad's touchscreen, as well as play, pause, rewind, and fast forward. It also makes it easier to search for media. Instead of having to select each letter on the on-screen keyboard, you can just use your device's touchscreen keyboard to enter the info.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/apple_tv?afid=p219%7CGOUS&cid=AOS-US-KWG

Bring on the big, bright screen! The new Samsung Infuse 4G for AT&T makes me want to play Angry Birds all day!

Its gorgeous 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display doesn't have much of a bezel, so the entire touchscreen is yours to fiddle with. Plus, it's thin; It's just 8.9mm (.35-inches) thin for the most part, and even though the phone looks huge, its feel very light; just .29 pounds. At first I thought I forgot to put the battery in. AT&T says it's their thinnest phone yet, and it feels superb in your hand. The camera is top notch; 8 megapixel with LED flash. And if you have 4G in your area, you should be clocking pretty good speed. And -- oh yeah -- it comes preloaded with its own version of Angry Birds.

Price requires a 2-year contract.

http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones/SGH-I997ZKAATT

We've had portable Bluetooth speakerphones in cars for some time, as a hands-free way for drivers to stay in touch while on the road. Bluetooth devices with text-to-speech capabilities have now become popular. They read out the name of a caller, and let you ask simple commands by voice such as "Call home, check battery, redial last number." The new SuperTooth HD adds something new for social networking fiends who can't seem to take a break while on the go. The SuperTooth Handsfree Assistant feature lets drivers compose and send Facebook, Twitter, email and SMS messages, all without taking their hands off the wheel.

The device can also read incoming e-mail and SMS messages on Android and Blackberry phones from within the email or SMS application.