Nikon D60 w/ 18-55mm lens

Dad’s been lugging around that old fusty film camera forever, and it’s not getting any easier to find a place to get his photos developed (you know, the ones he snapped of you last time you visited).

Or worse — he’s using a completely out-of-date point and shoot digital.

He’s excited when he snaps a great picture, but you can’t see it because the screen on the back is smaller than a postage stamp.

Enter the Nikon D60: A full-featured digital SLR that gives Dad a reason to look through the viewfinder and a shape that gives his brain feedback that yes, this is a camera. Plus, “developing” pictures is a snap — and Dad sure likes how cheap digital is.

Nikon D60: Because it’s time for Dad to put down the CoolPix and get a camera that rivals his old film one. (Read the review)

Samsung Instinct

Dad likes shiny gadgets, right? What’s more shiny than a brand new iPhone?

Problem is, the iPhone is a quirky little bugger. All those things flying around on the screen, and Dad’s big hands can’t manipulate the thing. Plus, he’s no Justin Long, so don’t expect him to wear a slouchy hoodie anytime soon.

Enter the Samsung Instinct: Apple may mean “Macintosh” to old Pops, but Samsung still means phone, since Dear Old Dad already has one. But the Instinct bridges that gap — Dad might not be ready for the cachet of the iPhone, but the Instinct keeps him in the running (and on his Sprint plan).

Samsung Instinct: Because Dad’s never been an Apple fan but needs a cool phone to set him apart at work. (Read the review)

Lexmark C532DN color laser printer

Every time Dad comes back from work, he’s grumbling about how the printers in the office are “pieces of junk.” And why wouldn’t he?

Enter the Lexmark C532DN color laser printer. It’s fast, it’s colorful, and it doesn’t use the inkjet cartridges that cost him an arm and a leg last time Mom printed out pictures of the family.

Lexmark C532DN: Because nothing puts a smile on my Dad’s face like a home printer that puts the one at his office to shame. (Read the review)

Lacie Rugged All-Terrain External USB 2.0 Drive

This one’s easy. Remember when Mom printed out all those pictures of the family? Even though that’s over, Dad’s desktop is littered with a bottomless megabyte pit of digital images. And man, it’s making him cranky (and his computer slow).

Enter the Lacie Rugged All-Terrain external drive: With a drive twice the size of his computer’s hard disk, there’s no chance family mug shots will bring the family PC to a crawl (unless Dad shows Mom how to use his brand-new dSLR, of course). Plus, the bright orange coating means Dad won’t lose it under a pile of tax forms.

Lacie Rugged All-Terrain external drive: Because Dad needs a place to put all those high-res RAW and JPEG images of the family he shot with his new SLR. (Read the review)

Mini Cooper S

The SUV craze has really been good to Dad. It allowed him to indulge in his masculine sensibilities in the form of an overly-reinforced automobile (because, after all, how often does Dad drive off the tarmac and go “off-roading”?).

But the economy isn’t doing so well as of late, and the $200 fill-up at the station last week really burns him up.

Enter the Mini Cooper S: Dad was young once, and when he was, he drove a sports car. (Ask him some time.) But those aren’t so hot on the gas either. The Mini Cooper S solves all his problems: It’s easy on the wallet, gets great mileage, turns on a dime, launches off the starting line and can fit in the smallest parallel parking spot at the supermarket with a British cool. What’s there not to love? (Mom would say, “the racing stripes.”)

Mini Cooper S: Because ever since the kids moved out, Dad’s gas-hogging Chevy Suburban has nothing to haul but the cash it takes to fill it back up. (Read the review)