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Engadget
a day ago
- Engadget
The best Father's Day gifts for any dad in 2025
It's easy to start feeling the pressure in the lead up to Father's Day. Finding a gift that expresses your love and gratitude to your beloved dad can feel nearly impossible, but that doesn't have to be the case. There are plenty of great Father's Day gifts out there for every type of dad, whether they're a tech lover, a gamer, a runner or a combination of many things. Here, we've compiled a list of the best gifts you can get your dad to show you appreciation for all of the parenting they've done, and likely still do. Sony's XM series of headphones are the default option for pretty much every regular buyer these days. Sony's latest model, the WH-1000XM6, offer a better looking design, a more comfortable fit and even better sound than its predecessor. As Billy Steele wrote in his review, if you thought the XM5s couldn't get better, you'll be staggered by the improvement here. A lot of small things have been tweaked, including the fact there's an updated processor, more microphones and improved ANC. For $450, they're pricier than the previous XM5 model, but that one is still available as of right now, so it could be a good option if you need to stick to a budget. $448 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $450 at Adorama$450 at Best Buy I'm a big fan of distraction-free writing machines that help me get my head down away from the temptations of the internet. reMarkable's e-paper slates have been a mainstay on this guide for years, and now the company has launched a new flagship model. The reMarkable Paper Pro is bigger and faster than its predecessor, but most importantly of all comes with a color display. On its own, it's a fancy pants e-reader with a stylus that'll let you write, draw and annotate PDFs. But when paired with its own Type Folio, it becomes something much greater indeed, a writing and editing machine that's perfect at home or on the go. If I'm struggling with a draft and need to get away from my desk, the Paper Pro is the perfect gadget to come with me. Plus, I can't get pulled into a Slack chat or avoid the problem by staring hopelessly at my emails. If there's a downside, it's the price. It was already more expensive than the equivalent slate from Apple, and tariffs exacerbated that. But if you've got siblings and can club together to get your parent the thing they need to harness their literary ambitions, you should. $579 at reMarkable I've been obsessed with Dremel's electric multi-tools ever since I watched Alexi Sayle ask 'did I mention we cut?' back in the early '90s. And yet, despite being an adult with my own home, I've never needed to actually go out and buy a Dremel like the 8220 I've had my eye on for years. Look at the thing — it's like an electric Swiss Army Knife, complete with drill and screwdriver bits, sanding bits, polishing bits, metal-cutting discs, grinding stones and engraving tools! Just think about all of the things I can drill, screw, sand, polish, cut, grind and engrave if I had one of those right now. It's 'cos my kids are still under the age of 10, and so haven't grasped the hints that I want them to buy me a Dremel. Hey kids, buy me a Dremel. Anyway . This year, the company launched Blueprint, a new range of dinky cordless power tools to tackle Dremel-sized jobs. That includes the Blueprint 3-in-1 Drill Driver, a handheld drill with a built-in stud finder and its own laser level, even if the latter is only attached to the body with sticky putty. I'm more excited by the Portable Saw Station, a handheld compact electric saw whose carry case turns into its own workbench. That includes templates for making bevel, miter and cross cuts, a line laser and guide track to keep your cuts nice and straight. You see, while my DIY skills might charitably be described as 'elementary,' I've always harbored an ambition to build my very own backyard TARDIS. You know, the blue police box from Doctor Who — hidden between the trees as a little piece of magic. I just need to take six months or so to learn how to do it, and I reckon these sorts of tools would be ideal for the job. Especially since I don't have my own woodshop and would need everything to fit down into as small a space as possible. $80 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $100 at Ace Hardware$80 at Lowe's Let's face it: You want your loved ones to stay healthy, keep an eye on their heart and generally be around for as long as possible. One way to do that is by upgrading your bathroom scales to something like Withings' Body Cardio smart scale. Designed to look as unobtrusive as possible, but hidden inside its shell is a number of extra special features you don't get elsewhere. You'll get a heart-health check, automatic person tracking and a full body composition breakdown, telling you how much fat, water and muscle you're carrying. I'd be remiss not to mention, too, Withings' class-leading Health Mate app, which is great for collating large chunks of health data and helping you understand it in an easy-to-digest manner. $160 at Amazon If you own an iPhone, then the Apple Watch is essentially the default option for what smartwatch you should buy. There's only a handful of devices that match Apple's product for versatility, use and affordability. If you're concerned about your parent's health, then the fall detection features alone may justify the investment. Not to mention the general health tracking capabilities and the ability to keep them healthy with a Fitness+ subscription. I haven't even mentioned the built-in ECG, which is useful for enabling them to keep an eye on their own heart health. Benefits of the Apple Watch Series 10 include its bigger display that's far easier to look at from off-angles. It also carries its own water temperature tracking, so if your parent is a water baby, they can keep an eye on the conditions. This time around, Apple also improved the microphone, making it easier to make calls from your wrist — useful if your parent might want to use it as a lifeline when they're on their own. $299 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $400 at Target$670 at HSN Of course, there are people who don't want a smartwatch, or at least not one that looks like a smartwatch. I get it, some folks don't want to look like a neeeerrrrrrd in their dotage, and it's for those people that I recommend Withings' ScanWatch Nova. It's a hybrid smartwatch in the body of a classic diver's watch that embodies everything that most smartwatches can't. Withings' policy is to build a best-in-class hybrid watch, like the ScanWatch 2, and then put those same guts in a classier body. It has a digital subdial for notifications and an analog one for step counting, which can be set to meet your specific goals. But lurking underneath that body is also an ECG, SpO2 (blood oxygenation) monitoring and a temperature sensor – which can be used for cycle tracking and to warn of infections. All of that tech is hidden in a submariner-style diver's watch that comes with black, blue or green face and bezel options. Put it on and you'll instantly feel like a rugged, outdoors-y type who has their poop together, and is ready to either Do An Espionage or Solo Pilot A Yacht Around The World. Withings is even smart enough to throw in a whole bunch of tools to help you size your band without needing to schlep to a jewelry store. Oh, and I didn't even mention the 30-day battery life. $614 at Amazon Even if your dad isn't an A/V nut, there's a good chance they've still watched those YouTube videos of people building their own cinemas. But the idea of owning a projector is often better than the reality, which can be quite the time and labor-intensive process. That's why I'm smitten with the Nebula Cosmos 4K SE, a portable projector with the power of a full one. It's small enough to stow in a cupboard when not in use, and can go anywhere in your home or outdoors on warm evenings. Plus, it lacks many of the compromises inherent in those dinky projectors you often see on the market. It'll pump out 1,800 ANSI Lumens of bright, 4K Dolby Vision-tuned light to a screen size of up to 200 inches. The automatic setup is effortless, and I tested it on a wall painted gray and it was able to compensate for the color quite easily. It's not as expensive as some rivals on the market and it'll do a fairly fantastic job no matter the task you ask of it $1,100 at Amazon There are a lot of Bluetooth turntables which are designed for the hip crowd who want to show off their ye olde-fashioned record player. But if you're looking for something a bit more capital-S serious without shelling out for a high-end Technics unit, Audio Technica's romantically-named ATLP120XBT might be worth a glance. The fact it could be confused for a Technics SL-1210, right down to the s-shaped tone arm is, I'm sure, just a total coincidence . The sound is good, and you'll get adjustable pitch control alongside the belt-driven turntable (sorry, no scratching on this unit). And connectivity-wise, it's well-stocked, with Dual RCA-out, USB or Bluetooth 5.0, with support for aptX. It's a unit I'm thinking about getting for my mum, since it'll enable her to digitize her stack of 78rpm records over that USB connection. $429 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $499 at Adorama$499 at Macy's Look, if your dad is anything like me, then they're probably not a massive gamer, or might just play the odd title. I'm told that there's a whole genre of Dad Games out there that apparently appeal to the fathers in our lives, which are all about following some sort of process. It's likely then that they won't have paid much attention to The Legend of Zelda series, which feels as un-Dad a game as you could imagine. Which is why I'm here to say that, until the start of this year, I felt the same, but I've since had my eyes opened to how amazing it really is. Even better, is that there's a brand new title in the Zelda series, Tears of the Kingdom , which I'd urge all of you to check out. You play as Link, a little dude who – much like Mario – has to rescue a princess countless times throughout history. That normally involves traversing a beautiful, unspoiled paradise called Hyrule that's scattered with all sorts of monsters who want to kill you. From the outside, you might think that it's all just button-mashing and hyperactive combat, which is not a dad-friendly genre. But, in fact, the game puts far more emphasis on puzzle-solving and lateral thinking, and it has the best 3D puzzles this side of the Portal series which alone makes it ideal for dads the world over. Not to mention the freedom to tackle the game any which way you want to, giving you the choice to build your own solution rather than being forced to comply with Nintendo's. In the last game, Breath of the Wild , you could harness the game's physics and chemistry engines to dispatch troublesome enemies by using the environment against them. For instance, you could freeze them and then give them a whack, building up the kinetic energy to such an extent that they're sent hurtling miles away from you. Or, if you approach them in the middle of a storm, you can get them to raise their metallic swords in anger and get a dose of lightning. In this one, you can find scattered electronic components and assemble them however you want to jury-rig vehicles to help you get around. I mean, what could be more Dad-Game than that? $70 at Macy's Explore More Buying Options $70 at Target$70 at HSN And if you're buying Tears of the Kingdom , then you might want to get the console to go with it. Nintendo's Switch OLED Edition takes the same portable-home console hybrid you already know and love, but dials it up to 11. Now, you might be wondering why I'm not recommending you get your elbows out and try to snag a Switch 2 instead. Honestly? If your dad is more of a casual gamer, then the existing Switch is already such a compelling option, it's hard to justify the extra cost for the newer model. After all, the OLED Edition got a lot of necessary hardware upgrades, including a far better display. Given the game recommendation, my preference would be the Tears of the Kingdom specific Switch. It comes with gold Joy Cons with lovely Zonai designs on the body and a gorgeous white and gold TV dock. Even nicer is the concentric circle watermark on the underside, which looks significantly classier than the plain option. Especially if they're going to play the game on the go, when they might want to let the world know that they appreciate the finer things in life. Plus, the Switch has a mature and deep library of games that won't be going anywhere in a hurry, especially given the emphasis on backward compatibility between the old and the new. $415 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $310 at GameStop At school, one of my friend's dads converted one of his home's bedrooms into a White Room. It's a soundproofed room with nothing but a single armchair facing a fancy HiFi, a dedicated space for Music Appreciation. In retrospect, the fact that my friend's bedroom was half the size and he had to share with his younger sibling was pretty rough. I suspect, deep down in the DNA of every dad, is the Dad Urge (™) to develop an unhealthy interest in high-end audio gear. Thankfully, there's an easy way to prevent your parent blowing your inheritance on a pair of B&W Nautilus. Chinese high-end audio masters Fiio produce a wonderfully elegant desktop DAC and speaker pair that'll do the same job as a White Room at a fraction of the cost. The R7 has an Android music player in front that'll connect directly to their streaming service of choice. And it can also play locally stored music, or connect it to another player via AirPlay, USB, Bluetooth, optical or analog audio lines. The R7 can be paired with Fiio's matching set of SP3 speakers that have 3.5-inch woofers, 1-inch tweeters and wonderfully smooth sound. The price all-in is a bit steep, but it might scratch that itch without causing any ructions around the Thanksgiving dinner table. $700 at Amazon I'll make no bones about the fact that, as a dad, I'm writing this guide as much as a vehicle for wish fulfillment as I am to dole out consumer advice. And, like a lot of people. I've gradually grown more and more obsessed with Fujifilm's X-series of cameras. A combination of old-school rangefinder styling, great photo quality and relatively limited supply has made them a hot ticket. The fact the X-series comes with film simulation modes is, for many, the thing that puts it on top over plenty of cameras from other manufacturers. But the high price of the flagship – edging north of $1600 — X100 means it's a pricey and dicey proposition for any hobbyist photographer. Thankfully, Fujifilm has a cheaper and I might even argue better option in the form of the X-T30. It's a step down on the spec list, with an older 26.1-megapixel sensor compared to the 40.2 of its newer sibling. But what it's got going for it is the smaller body size which makes it so portable as to be pocketable, ease of use and the same analog dials for fine-grain control. Not to mention that, when paired with the 35mm f/2 lens, it's wicked fast and takes pretty beautiful shots. I've been into my local camera shop multiple times to try out the X-T30 with this lens but, so far, neither of my kids have picked up the hint and bought one for me. $899 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $900 at Best Buy If anyone asks me what TV to go for, my knee jerk reaction is to recommend LG given the broad advantages it has over its competitors. The company's OLED TVs remain best in class and I think the base-ish model OLEDs offer excellent value for money. 2023's OLED C3, for example, offers plenty of the same features as its higher-priced siblings. There may not be too many extra bells and whistles but for pure picture quality, you're good to go with its massive contrast ratio and great black reproduction. Essentially, it's a TV for people with champagne tastes but something a bit closer to a Bud Light budget. $1,197 at Amazon I suspect a lot of dads fall into the trap of having the ability to buy themselves nice things, but never actually go through with it. (I could easily buy myself a Dremel, for instance, but I still haven't!) One thing they've probably thought about but not followed through on is to upgrade their coffee routine from whatever they bought before you were born. I myself was making at home lattes with instant coffee and a microwave for far longer than I'm prepared to admit. But I was wary about buying a bean-to-cup machine given that they can become a time-consuming hobby in and of themselves. So, after plenty of research, I bought the Creatista Plus, a Nespresso-compatible machine that makes pretty decent coffee at home. As well as producing standard drinks, you can use the built in steam wand to prepare milk for something that's close enough to barista-standard. Now, I'll say that it is a lot pricier than some of the machines in its class, but I chose it as much for how it looked as what it did. Sure, there's a built-in digital display that'll give you fine-grain control over every fact of your coffee, but it also looks like a proper grown-up coffee machine. And it's the sort of thing that should stand proudly on your countertop as it forms a key part of your dad's morning routine. $600 at Macy's Explore More Buying Options $670 at Amazon Do you find that it's harder and harder to relate to your folks as you, and they, get older? Some of this, I'm sure, is down to the media they consume, especially if they've become trapped in the echo chambers found in the basement of your cable TV guide. If they're an avid reader, however, then it might be worth offering them Capitalist Realism by the British philosopher Mark Fisher. It serves as a relatively short, and fairly gentle introduction to Fisher's viewpoint on the culture at large, especially given what's going on right now. At 81 pages, it can hardly be called a weighty tome, and it lacks some of the florid language you often see from philosophy books. Fisher often draws parallels between his points and various pop culture milestones that most folks will be familiar with. A treatise on Office Space's rules around pieces of flair dovetails into an exploration of how politicians focus on metrics for success will hide the diminished quality of whatever they're trying to improve. References to lines of dialog from Heat become points to connect the destruction of community and the way mental health has become an individualized issue, rather than a societal one. And it might just help make your Thanksgiving dinner conversations a little more pleasant in future. $14 at Amazon
Motor 1
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Motor 1
Bad News: BMW Won't Build a New Supercar Anytime Soon
BMW was very close to having a new version of the iconic M1. However, the automaker pulled the plug on that project at the last minute, and it's unlikely BMW will build a new supercar anytime soon. BMW M Boss Frank van Meel told BMW Blog that the company doesn't "want to lose focus" on its high-performance models right now, even if "we are always dreaming about" a new M1-like supercar. However, the company has to "find the right window of opportunity where we have the capacity to work on a car like that." BMW is preparing the launch of its Neue Klasse architecture that will support both electric and gas-powered versions of the highly anticipated M3. It's not expected to go on sale until late 2026 or early 2027, and it's likely consuming a vast amount of engineering resources leading up to the launch. The new combustion-powered M3 will have a gas engine that's unique from the S58 twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six that powers the current model. The new M1 that BMW was supposedly working on would have been a 600-horsepower plug-in hybrid with a four-cylinder engine. BMW worked on the project throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but the powers-that-be decided to greenlight the XM instead. It's likely not a question of if, but when BMW decides to build a new supercar—it just has to happen at the right time. One reason the company greenlit the XM over a new M1 was that it believed today's customers wanted SUVs instead of sports cars . However, the XM isn't selling well , and a new BMW supercar is now sitting on the back burner. Here's More BMW News to Check Out: BMWs Will Look Very Different Very Soon BMW Has a 'Higher Demand' for the M5 Wagon in the US Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Source: BMW Blog Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
Washington Post
17-05-2025
- Automotive
- Washington Post
Report: McIlroy's driver deemed nonconforming ahead of PGA Championship
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Rory McIlroy was forced to use a backup driver in the PGA Championship when his regular driver was tested and deemed to be nonconforming after he arrived at Quail Hollow, according to a report on XM Sirius PGA Tour Radio. McIlroy was tied for last in driving accuracy among the 74 players who made the cut on Friday, hitting only 10 fairways in two rounds. The Masters champion made the cut on the number after a bogey on the final hole when he drove left beyond a creek against corporate tents.
Tom's Guide
15-05-2025
- Tom's Guide
I review headphones for a living, and even I'm confused about how they're named
I'm done. I can't take it anymore — my brain melts at the sheer variety of headphones, specifically the names given to them. Confusing product line naming, annoying product titles that consist of little more than numbers, letters, and dashes — It's all just a bit too much. Perhaps I'm not as clever as I once thought. But still, there should be some thought that goes into how headphones are named, to make it easier to decode for people like me. And maybe you. What's 'professional' about my earbuds? Why is this new pair of earbuds named the same as a product from a few years ago that's still on sale? If you're pulling your hair out at just how confusing the world of headphones can be right now, you're not alone. And if I struggle? I can only imagine what it's like for someone who doesn't literally live headphones. Here's a look at a few of the top headphone makers and their baffling naming conventions. Sony is the first culprit on my list. I get that the XM series headphones are the best wireless headphones you make, but why is there only a letter difference between the headphones and the earbuds? And what's with all the other numbers? The WF and the WH. The former are earbuds, the latter headphones. Ah, great, that works with some of the cheaper models as well — the WF-C710N. But unless I'm in the know, how am I supposed to know that they're not as good as the WF-1000XM5? I guess the price would give it away, but if I were going by name, I wouldn't know. But wait, it gets worse! Linkbuds — without press releases and people like me writing about them at length, how would you know where they sit in the Sony product line? At least they're named better than before, the Linkbuds Fit (which fit into your ears) and the Linkbuds Open (which sit on the outside of your ear). That at least gives you some idea of what they do and how they work without research. Then there's the ULT headphones, with different names again… The XM5s are Sony's premium noise-canceling headphones and our pick for the best headphones on the market. The large, over-ear cushions are incredibly comfortable and the active noise cancelation is excellent. Plus, these amazing headphones still give you up to 30 hours with ANC enabled. You can push that up to 40 hours of battery life with ANC turned check: $329 @ Walmart | $319 @ Best Buy Bose, you're not immune. Your current lineup isn't terribly named. The QuietComfort Ultra headphones and Earbuds are obviously at the top of the product line, while the QuietComfort headphones and earbuds are the cheaper option. Good. The issue is that you can still buy old models of the top-of-the-range models in some places, and they lack the Ultra moniker, despite looking the same. The QuietComfort headphones look identical to the older QC45, and you can still sometimes find the NC-700 headphones in some places. Look, you're trying to do better, but there's still confusion to be found here. The 4.5-star QuietComfort Ultra headphones are the best noise-canceling headphones that you can buy right now. That's thanks to Bose's excellent ANC algorithm, which manages to block more noise than any other pair of headphones we've tested. They sound great as well, boast a decent attempt at Spatial Audio, and while the 24-hour battery life isn't the best, they are still a solid pair of cans. Bowers & Wilkins! You're not getting off scott free. I love your headphones, but the naming is getting… interesting. Before I knew the ins and outs of the B&W headphones line, I thought that the Px8 was the successor to the Px7—but no. The Px7 is its own product line, with sequels and new models. Similarly, the Px8 is now a product line, with successors to the throne. There's the Px7 S2 and Px7 S3, although there was a Px7 S2e (an 'evolution' to the line) in between. Similarly, there's going to be a Px8 S2 at some point. Then there are the buds. The Pi8 — the top of the range buds, makes sense — and the cheaper option are called the… Pi6? Not the Pi7, following the headphones? Don't worry, though, there aren't any S2 or S3 models here. Yet. And what's with all the Pros? And why does it appear in different parts of the name? Apple AirPods Pro 2. Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. Am I going to be using these buds in a professional recording studio? I don't think so – it generally just means 'these are the best ones.' But why. If you're shopping for just a pair of Sony headphones, you could probably work out the names, feature sets and price points on your own and choose the right pair for you. The same for all the big brands, I'd imagine, is true. In a vacuum, the naming conventions in some way work so that you can tell them apart. But, when you are shopping amongst all the brands (and there are more with different naming conventions, like Apple, Sennheiser, and Samsung), it soon becomes a murky mire of names, price points, and feature sets. Choosing headphones is not easy at the best of times, and working out what you want when you can't decode endless product codes and names isn't helping matters at all. What can be done to solve the issue? I mean, some form of uniform naming convention would be nice, like what Bose is trying to do, but even then, it would get confusing if they're named too close to older models. As far as I'm concerned, it's an issue that's inherent to a long-running and well-filled product category — one that's not going to go away. At least it's not as bad as it is for laptops and computers. I'm sorry, computing team — you guys have it rough.
India.com
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- India.com
This SUV Is Hot As Hell! 62 Kmpl Mileage, 360-Degree Camera, 14.9-Inch Touchscreen, ADAS & More - 0-100 Kmph In 4.3 Secs; Price May Shock You
photoDetails english 2890822 SUV With Mileage Over 60 Kmpl Mileage: It would be really hard for anyone to believe that a car equipped with a powerful 4.4-liter petrol engine could ever deliver a mileage of over 60 kmpl. But the BMW, a German car maker, made it possible with the XM, thanks to the plug-in hybrid technology. Apart from the insanely impressive mileage, the SUV also excels in performance, sprinting 0 to 100 kmph in just 4.3 seconds.
