Father's Day Gifts: Best Tech Gifts For Dad

June 7, 2012 — -- intro: Sure, the ABC News technology team might be a little biased, but here's our motto this upcoming Father's Day: tech not ties. The easy thing to do is to fall back on buying dad a new tie for Father's Day, but what dad really wants is a shiny new gadget that's fun but also practical. Our list has the typical gadgets – the iPad and Xbox – but there are also totally unique ones that will help open a beer bottle or let him step away from the grill.

quicklist: 1title: Opena ($39.95) url: http://www.openacase.com/Category: iPhone Casetext: Okay, so it's not the best time to buy an iPhone – you've heard the rumors, right? But it is a great time to buy dad a cool iPhone case that will make him popular at those summer BBQs. The Opena has a slide-out bottle cap opener that let's you easily crack open a beer with the back of the iPhone. It's not the easiest case to get off, but hey, you might just want to keep it on forever. It also comes in both black and white. media: 16515538

quicklist: 2title: Best Choice: Apple iPad (Starts at $399) or Kindle Fire ($199) Category: Tablet text: We told you there was a mix of traditional in here. If you believe Pricegrabber's data, 48 percent of those planning to purchase a tech-related Father's Day gift will buy a tablet. So why not get the best tablet? Yes, the iPad. Sure it's great for all those stereotypical dad things – watching sports through the ESPN app, playing high-resolution, 3D games – but it's also just a great reading companion and perfect for skimming emails before bed. The new iPad starts at $499; the iPad 2 is $399.

However, if that seems like too much, the Kindle Fire is a really good option. At $199, it has a smaller 7-inch display, which makes it better for reading with one hand and also taps into Amazon's music and video store.

media: 16322000

quicklist: 3title: Best Choice: Xbox 360 and Kinect Bundle ($499.99)url:http://www.xbox.com/en-US/Xbox360/Consoles/Bundles/4GB-Kinect-Family-BundleCategory:Gaming Consoletext: Xbox 360 and Kinect Sometimes though, the best gift is one that everyone in the family can benefit from. And that's why the Xbox 360 is on the list. Sure it's great for the dad that still loves to play video games (we're particularly big fans of 'The Witcher 2 Assassins of Kings'), but the Kinect camera makes it great for group games. For instance, with Kinect Sports you can play dad in tennis and bowling. (Let him win on his big day, okay?)

And the Xbox isn't only a gaming console now – it's got a selection of video streaming apps and is even getting a cool Smart Glass feature, turning your tablet and phone into a controller. Microsoft is currently offering a Kinect Star Wars bundle, which includes the video game console, the Kinect Camera, and a special Star Wars controller. Yeah, that one is for the super nerdy dad.

media: 16515570

quicklist: 4title: Best Choice: iGrillurl: http://www.igrillinc.com/Category: Grilling Gadgettext: iGrill ($80) It's hard to make a Father's Day gift list and leave out the cliché grilling gift, although, there's nothing cliché about the iGrill, the Bluetooth meat thermometer. Pair the iGrill with your iPhone, make sure you have the app, and when you insert the probe into a burger you can monitor the temperature from up to 200 feet away right on your phone. You can set it to remind you when it has hit a certain temperature and you can even tweet about what you're grillin'. Not bad for $80.

media: 16515592

quicklist: 5title: Best Choice: Bowers & Wilkins P5 ($300) url: http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/Headphones/Headphones/P5/Overview.htmlCategory: Headphones text: But, of course, you might just decide to give dad some peace and quiet with some extremely comfortable and good-sounding headphones. The Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphones are at the top of our list when it comes to noise isolation headphones. The ear pads are made out of sheep's leather, and while that might sound odd it feels incredibly soft on the ears. And when they're on his ears he will be able to tune out almost anything; sound quality is crisp and full. The $300 price is a lot to swallow, but we promise, he'll thank you.

media: 16515489