4 tech gifts for dads who love gadgets.

I don’t suppose there is a high school or college graduate who wouldn’t appreciate cold hard cash or a gift card as a gift. I personally hate giving money because it’s too easy. Plus, you probably will give them more than you’d actually pay for a gift. Besides, cash or a gift card is the easy way out. 

 I’ve rounded up a few tech gadget gift ideas for graduates that’ll stand out.

Google Nest Hub. 

   Everyone has an Alexa device and the graduate may have one too. There’s nothing wrong with giving them another Alexa but a Google Nest Hub makes a great gift for a student heading off to college or a recent college graduate who’s headed off to the “real world”.

   The Nest Hub has a slightly larger screen than the basic Amazon Echo Show which makes it great for watching videos and TV. The Nest can play YouTube videos, YouTube TV, and Netflix. Sitting on their work desk the screen is a perfect size. The built-in speaker is good enough for listening to music while they work and Google Assistant can act as a secretary, taking notes, adding appointments to the Google Calendar, and recalling contact information.

 Since it’s from Google, the Nest and Google Assistant are much better at searching the web for answers. 

Smart Lighting

Smart lights are very popular now and a cool tech gadget they’re seeing on TikTok is the Nanoleaf LED light panels. Nanoleaf makes several styles including the new “Lines” which are basically sticks of light that connect with one another and change the colors you select. They’re popular with video gamers but can dress up any wall in a dorm or apartment.

Another option is from Govee. The light panels are slightly smaller than the Nanoleaf panels but you get 10 panels as opposed to the Nanoleaf’s 7. The Govee light panels also change colors you can set them in an app and set them to respond to the beat of the music. 

If they have an iPhone 12 or later a Mag-Safe charging block can rid their desks of extra charging cables. I’ve tested out a magnetic charger from Anker which connects to the iPhone for a quick charge just by holding the phone to the charging hub. The Anker version also has 3 AC plugs and 3 USB charging ports that help keep their workspace tidy.

You can find all of these devices online of course and big-box retailers such as Walmart, Target and Best Buy also carry them.