Father’s Day is around the corner, and Dad deserves something nice. I know my dad suffered through years of ties and cologne before I was old enough to know what he really wanted.
I’ve got three gift ideas and one is bound to make him happy. I’ve used all three of these items and your dad will love all of them.
OnePlus Watch 2
I’ll admit, I went for years without wearing a watch, but when the features on smart watches became compelling, I was hooked.
The OnePlus Watch 2 ($299.99, oneplus.com) is a Google-powered watch with a 1.48” AMOLED round face, which is a more traditional look than Apple’s boxy shape. The screen is covered with sapphire crystal for durability.
It is waterproof down to 50 meters, but it is not designed to be used in salt water, so no diving.
The watch has an impressive 100 hours of battery life with normal use. It can charge fully in just 60 minutes, but if you’re in a hurry, just 10 minutes of charging will keep the Watch 2 going for more than 24 hours.
Features include a dual-engine design with two chipsets to deliver efficient power management and processing power. It has dual-frequency GPS so you can track your runs or rides with ease.
With 32 gigabytes of storage, you can load up hours of music. The Watch 2 runs Google’s Wear OS 4, for seamless integration with Android phones.
It has sensors for sleep tracking and keeping up with your workouts and health, including heartrate tracking. It has fitness tracking for more than 100 sports.
The Watch 2 is available in black or silver stainless steel.
Miofive S1 Dashcam
I’ve been using a Miofive dashcam in my car for more than a year, and I was glad it was there when my wife was involved in an accident and the footage made it very clear who was at fault.
Miofive’s latest 4K dashcam is the S1 ($119.99, Amazon.com). It features true ultra-high-definition recording at a resolution of 3,840 by 2,160 pixels at 30 frames per second thanks to its eight-megapixel sensor.
It has a 3-inch display and a lens that shows an ultra-wide 140-degree field-of-view.
Connectivity options include Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and the dashcam can connect to your iPhone or Android phone for instant access to view or download the recordings.
One thing you will need with the S1 is a microSD card for storage. Cards up to 512 gigabytes are available. The S1 includes a windshield mount and a 12-foot USB-C cable and car charger for power. They also sell an optional hardwire kit if you’d like a more permanent installation.
If you do hardwire the camera, you can use a 24-hour parking mode, which will record a one frame-per-second timelapse and save the recording if you are hit while you are parked.
The dashcam records in a loop, meaning it records until the card is full, then it erases the oldest recording to make space for new recordings.
There is a sensor that can tell if you’ve been bumped, hit or slammed on the brakes and it will record and protect that minute of footage.
In use, the S1 has great low-light recording and it has built-in GPS, so you can see your routes, including speed for each clip. The Miofive dashcams record your drives in one-minute chunks.
To see and download your videos, you can connect your phone to the S1’s Wi-Fi network and launch the app. Each minute you drive is downloadable as a separate video, which is really convenient.
One feature I like is a setting called Stop and Go Reminder that uses an algorithm to watch the car in front when you are stopped. If the car pulls away and you don’t follow, you’ll get a voice prompt to pay attention and keep up.
Note, this camera has been sold out online, and it currently has a one month shipping date on Amazon, so it might not be shipped before Father’s Day.
Arcade Hardware belt
I like a belt that doesn’t get in the way and isn’t uncomfortable when you are sitting down.
I’ve been trying out a belt from Arcade called the Hardware work belt ($39.95, arcadebelts.com) and it ticks all my boxes.
This is a belt made of a sturdy webbing, but its stretchy. It is firm when holding up your pants and it has enough body to handle holding up your tools that you’d want on your belt.
It comes in five colors – Iron (black), Coyote (sand), Mud (brown), Olive (green) and Denim (blue). Each color comes with the same black buckle, which is made of high strength plastic, and is very light, but strong.
Once you try it on, you can pull the belt to the right size for your waist, then all you do is click the buckle to fasten and you can forget about it. Shortening or lengthening is quite easy and the extra webbing stows out of the way with the help of an elastic loop.
Being there is no metal in the belt or buckle, the Arcade Hardware is travel friendly.
The Hardware comes in two sizes. Standard length is for waists up to 40 inches, and Long is for waists up to 52 inches.
Jim Rossman is a tech columnist for Tribune News Service. He may be reached at jrossmantechadviser@gmail.com.
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