Dads and Grads 2008: Graduation Gifts

For Dads or Grads who love reading and gadgets, Amazon's Kindle is a great gift. The Kindle is a 10-ounce electronic book reader that's lighter and thinner than a paperback but has enough room to hold 200 digital books. Its free built-in wireless capabilities let you download (sans computer or Wi-Fi hot spot) books, blogs, magazines, and newspapers to read on the high-resolution screen. There's a built-in keyboard for taking notes and built-in access to both Wikipedia and the New Oxford American Dictionary.

If you like the looks of the tiny Flip camcorder, don't buy it until you check out the Creative Vado camcorder. The Vado is smaller and cheaper than the Flip, has a bigger screen, and records up to 2 hours of video - twice as long as what the Flip can do. The Vado also has a rechargeable battery, a USB plug that lets you connect it directly to your computer, and built-in software for easily uploading your masterpieces to YouTube or Photobucket. Best of all it's thinner than a deck of cards, so it fits easily in pockets and purses.

Last November Wired magazine had a feature on rolling suitcases. The editors give the highest praise to the L.L.Bean Rolling Adventure Duffle because it's lightweight, affordable, made out of water-resistant nylon, and has extra straps and handles for securing and hauling your stuff. Plus it comes in 15 colors and 3 sizes. Real Simple magazine, in its 2007 travel issue, also gave the bag high marks. Note: Only the medium size meets airline carry-on requirements.

Celebrate with the good stuff- Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label champagne. And present it in one of these handy champagne cases. Think of it as a bottle that comes with its own gift wrap. The neoprene and leather case keep the bottle cold, and some cases have included champagne glasses. Once the champagne is gone, you can save the case for toting future bottles, or remove the insulation and use it to store other things.

For graduates who are going places, the Lonely Planet travel journal offers 160 lined pages for taking notes, recording deep thoughts, or launching a career as a travel writer. The journal's also got conversion tables, a world time zone map, international dialing codes, funny and inspiring quotes, and a durable transparent plastic outer overlay.

With a rugged design, 2 headphone jacks, an 8" swivel screen, and up to 6 hours of battery life, this lightweight portable Sony DVD player makes long road/train/plane trips fun. It also plays CDs and MP3s, displays digital photos, and comes with an adapter for your car. Ideal for frequent travelers, kids, or anyone who doesn't like watching movies on a small iPod screen. More portable DVD players.

Nixon's Murf watch looks so cool, Steve Jobs probably wishes he'd designed it himself. Available in several colors, the watch looks like something out of the 1970s, especially the one shown here with the wood grain effect. The large square face is half covered, but the time is displayed in the lower half on rotating hour and minute wheels. There's also an LED light so you can see the time in the dark. But be warned: We hear it's quite heavy. How retro! More Nixon watches.

If you're looking for a compact digital camera that takes amazing photos and isn't too expensive, look no further than the Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS. The successor to last year's popular SD1000 (which now costs less than $160), this 8-megapixel camera offers great image quality, optical image stabilization, face detection, fast performance, and minimal shutter lag. It's got a 2.5" LCD display, an optical viewfinder, and comes in 5 different colors. More Canon cameras.

Based on her lauded commencement address at Sarah Lawrence College, this stirring essay by bestselling author Ann Patchett offers hope and inspiration for anyone at a crossroads, whether graduating, changing careers, or transitioning from one life stage to another. With wit and candor, Patchett tells her own story of attending college, graduating, and struggling with the inevitable question, What now? See also: What Color Is Your Parachute?.

Send your grad off to the pool or the beach with some sunscreen, sunglasses, a magazine, and a plush new beach towel. Big spenders can go for the $200 Gucci towels, but our favorites are the $29 "Suzani" beach towels from Pottery Barn, shown here.