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News & Trends: With Father’s Day looming up ahead, it’s crunch time. There are a precious few weeks left to find a unique and thoughtful gift that duly imparts just how much you love and appreciate the Dads in your life – the one who created, raised, comforted and supported you and/or the one with whom you’re rearing and nurturing your own children.

This Father’s Day gift guide offers some luxurious yet functional products Dad is unlikely to expect…and very likely to love. Each item listed is fabulous in its own right, but will still appeal to Dad’s practical side.

Commemorative Edition Jorg Gray 6500 Chronograph Watch – $325
Imagine your dad wearing the exact same watch as President Obama. He can for less freshly minted coin than you might expect. Having received a Jorg Gray 6500 Chronograph wrist watch from his Secret Service detail on his 46th birthday, President Obama has been seen sporting this tantalizing timepiece on such historical occasions as the Democratic Nomination Speech (August, 2008), Presidential Election Victory Speech (November, 2008), Inaugural Swearing-in Ceremony and Inaugural balls (January, 2009), and signing his first Presidential Proclamation (January, 2009). In response to the extraordinary demand this has created for the 6500 all around the globe, Jorg Gray now offers a commemorative edition of the watch in recognition of Barack Obama’s historic appointment as the 44th President of the United States.

The Commemorative Edition Jorg Gray 6500 Chronograph watch exudes an understated elegance that, while contemporary, evokes traditional principles that will never go out of style. The handsome watch features brushed or polished solid steel cases, a matte black dial, Italian buffalo leather strap, high precision Japanese chronograph movement, scratch-resistant mineral crystal, and date display. Dad can also take a dive with this watch because it is water resistant up to 100 meters. A matching ladies version is also available.

For those unfamiliar with Jorg Gray, the company is an American private label luxury watch maker turned global brand that creates cutting-edge timepieces with a classical sensibility. The company is renowned for excellence in craftsmanship, attention to detail, precision, and use of fine, superior quality materials. Jorg Gray timepieces are visually striking and notoriously bold in design, with product lines adored equally by both men and women worldwide across a range of categories: classic, sports, fashion, retro, and high-tech. (www.jorggray.com)

HP Officejet 8500 Wireless All-in-One Printer – $399
Printing, scanning, copying and faxing has never been quite so sexy as with the HP Officejet 8500 Wireless All-in-One Printer, which has a sleek and sophisticated exterior conceived by the visionaries at BMW Designworks USA. This top-of-the-line, all-in-one peripheral combines the efficiency and convenience of wireless technology with the durability, speed and high quality output HP is known for.

A boon for Dad in both form and function, this machine is more than a pretty face. It does it all – print, scan, copy and fax – and with a velocity that will allow Dad to get it all done far quicker so he can spend time where he prefers – on the golf course, sailing the high seas or manning the grill. This hot rod of a printer produces up to 35 pages per minute in black and up to 34 pages in color. What’s more, embedded hard wired and wireless networking capabilities will allow Dad to quickly capture, manage and share documents with up to 10 users at home or in the office.

For those Dads who are striving to go green, he’ll be duly impressed with the HP Officejet 8500’s ENERGY STAR® qualified rating and enviro-conscious capabilities, such as two-sided printing and copying, a junk fax blocker, faxing to network folders and email boxes, PC Fax Send software, and the ability to scan directly to a computer. The HP Officejet 8500 also allows dad to economize by delivering professional color documents for fully 50 percent less energy usage and cost per page than competitive laser printers when using HP Officejet inks. With this model’s high capacity ink cartridges, Dad cam print more pages and replace cartridges less often, saving him both time and money.

Printing photos is also a snap with the HP Officejet 8500, which will allow Dad to slip a memory card directly into an embedded slot and preview, select and print high-quality pictures via a 3.45-inch color touchscreen LCD. (www.hp.com)

Rosetta Stone Learning Language Software – $259-$549
Is Dad jet setting from one international locale to another and, if so, can he do more than say “hello,” “goodbye,” and “thank you” in various dialects? Help him enjoy and benefit from these trips far more by conversing more fluently in foreign languages as he globe trots. Luckily, this no longer requires hours of classroom tutorial or struggling to decipher an “English-to-Whatever” translation dictionary to learn a new lingo.

Rosetta Stone learning language software is perfect for peripatetic papa’s who would enjoy speaking in a foreign tongue more proficiently beyond simple pleasantries and basic tourist questions. This self-driven software, which is far superior to any other technology-based learning language packages on the market today, is perfectly suited for those Dads who may not have the time, patience or inclination to sit in a classroom, struggle with audio tapes, or cobble together conversations from a translation dictionary.

Rosetta Stone offers 31 different dialect far beyond the ever-popular French and Spanish, including Japanese, Dutch and Swahili to name a few. Unlike other learning language software that focuses on dull drills and rote memorization techniques, this company employs scientifically-proven methods, such as Dynamic Immersion and Adaptive Recall, which allows people better learn and retain information. The Rosetta Stone solutions teach communication skills in the same way a person’s first language is learned as a child, which is by connecting the language with its meaning through real-life scenarios. In what serves as the ultimate endorsement, the software is used by NASA, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. State Department for its effectiveness and ability to help people learn additional languages faster and at a more comprehensive level.

Rosetta Stone works on Mac or PC and does not require any additional software beyond what comes as part of the package. If your Dad uses an iPod or other MP3 player, Rosetta Stone’s Audio Companion can also be downloaded, allowing him to continue his lessons on-the-run. Your Dad will revel in his newfound ability to communicate with foreign business associates, colleagues and generally enjoy an enhanced travel experience gleaned through your thoughtful gift of Rosetta Stone learning language software. (www.rosettastone.com)

Ultimate Ears 700 – $229.99
Does your Dad like to listen to music or podcasts, or watch movies and other videos, on his portable device or computer? Readily enhance his audio experience with Ultimate Ears 700 – micro-sized, high-performance, noise isolating earphones that uniquely and adeptly merge fashion, size and performance.

Produced by Ultimate Ears by Logitech, the same company that supplies in-ear monitors to 75% of the world’s touring professional artists, Ultimate Ears 700 micro-sized earphones pack a powerful punch. Most notably, this best-of-breed listening device features two custom-tuned, high fidelity speakers that fit snugly in each ear, delivering a cleaner, more precise and potent audio reproduction. The technology enables broad frequency response to be separated into two high-fidelity channels per ear. Ultimate Ears 700 also includes both tapered silicone and “comply” foam ear cushions that fit more naturally into the ear and create a better seal, supplied in various sizes to ensure a perfect fit. Each ear piece is smaller than a dime, but delivers high level noise-isolation that transmits music as it’s meant to be heard-and experienced.

Ultimate Ears 700 comes with a hard case for storage, ear tip kit, sound level attenuator, and a one-year warranty. (www.ultimateears.com)

***Some or all of the accommodations(s), experience(s), item(s) and/or service(s) detailed above may have been provided at no cost and/or arranged to accommodate this review, but all opinions expressed are entirely those of Merilee Kern and have not been influenced in any way as per the disclosure policy on our “Legal” page***