Christmas gift guide - Tech for dads: Smartphone projectors, jumping drones and robotic lawn mowers

Dads can be difficult to buy for, but when it comes to Christmas a pair of jazzy socks and the same bottle of aftershave as last year simply won't cut it.

They'd rather spend Christmas Day drowning the pudding in brandy and lighting it than opening predictable presents - but don't worry, IBTimes UK is here to suggest some great gadgets for Dad, no matter what your budget is.

Smartphone projector - £15.99

Smartphone screens are already pretty massive, but with this projector they can be made up to eight times bigger, thanks to its magnification lens. So dim the lights, slot your phone into the back, and beam Netflix onto the wall - it's bound to be better than the endless Christmas Day repeats.

Check it out here: Smartphone projector

Smart safe with phone dock - £20

This miniature safe can only be opened by docking your iPhone or Android onto it and entering the PIN into a custom-made app.

Check it out here: Smart safe with phone dock

Leather and wool iPhone 6 wallet case - €30

When you're spending £600 on an iPhone 6, a cheap plastic case is going to look daft. So have a look at Pack & Smooch, a German company which specialises in handmade cases made of leather and wool. This one even has space for banknotes and credit cards.

Check it out here: Leather and wool iPhone 6 wallet case

GoPro Hero - £94

Now cheaper than ever, the GoPro Hero can shoot Full HD video with audio, and 5-megapixel photos. Be sure to combine with a selfie stick and take to every family outing possible. The kids will love/hate you for it.

Check it out here: GoPro Hero

Parrot Mini Drone Jumping Solo - £140

Hobbyist drones are all the rage at the moment, but flying them in British weather isn't much fun, so Parrot has come up with the MiniDrone Jumping Sumo, a smartphone-controlled device which can drive around and jump up to 80cm into the air, always landing the right way up.

Check it out here: Parrot Mini Drone Jumping Solo

Adidas Micoach smart ball - £150

Dad might not be up to much after a 3,000 calorie Christmas lunch washed down with a case of wine, but come Boxing Day this smart football could be just what he's after. Packed full of sensors, the ball streams data over Bluetooth to an iPhone, where you can analyse your kicking technique, ball trajectory, and get tips to improve.

Check it out here: Adidas Micoach smart ball

Withings Activité smartwatch - £320

Most smartwatches are ugly, some are passable, but this beauty by Withings is the only one we'd wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who wants a smart wearable that actually looks like a watch.

Your daily walking and exercise is recorded and streamed to your smartphone over Bluetooth, and all the watch does is show you with a second dial what percentage of your daily goal you have completed.

Check it out here: Withings Activité smartwatch

Robotic lawn mower - £1,199

Your garden might be covered in a thick coating of powdery white snow this Christmas morning (spoiler: it probably won't be), but come spring what better dads' gadget is there than an automated lawn mower? Charge it up, set it on its way and when it returns to base like a loyal companion your lawn will look like Wembley before the NFL ruined it.

Check it out here: Robotic lawn mower

And because some dads are lottery winners...

Vertu for Bentley smartphone - £10,700

We've probably gone a bit niche with these last two, but you can't complain that we haven't catered for every budget. The Vertu for Bentley is the British company's Signature Touch Android handset with Bentley branding and tan leather to match the seats of your car and bulging wallet. It has a sapphire crystal screen and a personal concierge service which can order private planes and Wimbledon final tickets at a moment's notice.

Check it out here: Vertu for Bentley smartphone

Buben & Zorweg watch cabinet and humidor - from £50,000

Finally, we have this - the Grand Collector XL is everything any dad (or Tony Stark) could ever need.

It can store self-winding 59 watches, all of which are automatically rotated to keep them topped up, along with space for whiskey bottles and glasses, a cigar humidor, and a 160kg safe for your most valuable timepieces. There's also an integrated stereo system with Wi-Fi to hook up an iPhone or Android handset.

Check it out here: Buben & Zorweg watch cabinet and humidor