What to get dad (and everybody else)

Father's Day is supposed to be all about dad, but why not get him a gift the whole family can enjoy? 

Here are a few ideas:

Go Blu-ray!

You know dad's been eyeing that Blu-ray player for sometime, waiting for prices to go down. Surprise him this year with a high-definition player and a few movies the whole family can enjoy. Wal-Mart, for example, will be giving out $100 gift cards with the purchase of any Blu-ray player from June 8-14, and will also sell select Blu-ray movies for $15.

If he already owns a high-definition player, then help him grow his Blu-ray movie collection with movies like "Jumper," "Cloverfield," "There Will Be Blood," and war classics like "Patton" and "The Longest Day."

If you really want to make him happy, tell him you pre-ordered his copy of "Transformers" on Blu-ray out September 2 (yes, a little late, but he'll want it anyway).

Netflix's Roku

Dad's favorite TV shows won't be back until 2009, so now what? If you have a Netflix account, check out Roku's Netflix Player, which both Ben and Chris have written about. The set-top box will cost about $99, and provide the whole family ... errr, I mean Dad, with countless hours of entertainment.

It connects to your home network via Ethernet or Wi-Fi to stream more than 10,000 movies and shows to your TV. If you're already a Netflix subscriber, then there's no reason Dad should be missing out on this little gadget.

Never lost again

A GPS is one of those gifts the whole family will enjoy, especially if you go on a road trip together this summer.

I liked the Dash Express because it connects to your home network, and can do Yahoo! Local searches. Dad can send addresses wirelessly to the GPS from his browser, create guides, search for gas stations, and download RSS feeds too, so he won't feel too disconnected when he's on the road.

The price on the Dash Express recently dropped $100 and is now $299 on Amazon. I'm not exactly sure how long this promotion will last, but you might want to get yours while the offer lasts.

If you're not crazy about the Dash, check out other GPS systems over on Dell's website, which is offering a 20 percent discount, or Costco, which also has some great promotions including the Garmin nuvi 760 for $349. The sale will run through June 22.

Stay tuned, as I will posting more gift ideas for dad in this blog.