10 Great Apps and Websites for Dads

With Father’s Day right around the corner you might be wondering what you can do to let the dads in your life know they’re appreciated. How about turning him on to great resources that make life easier and help him be more enlightened (or at least entertained)?

According to the smart dads I queried, these 10 apps and websites are tops:

Houzz

Anyone taking on a remodeling or home-building project must check out Houzz. More than 60,000 architects, contractors, and designers have uploaded more than 481,000 amazing images, organized by space or style, for construction and design projects. If you want more information about the professionals who uploaded the photos, the site displays other projects in their portfolios, client recommendations, and information about how to reach them. Some photos even include information about what colors and materials were used and where you can buy them. 

Hipster Habit App

If Dad has a bad habit he’s desperate to change, this “paper app” might just do the trick. Co-created by Buster Benson, one dad who’s an expert at creating healthy habits, Dad can print it out his habit-breaking resolution, fold it up and put in his wallet to encourage him to stick wih the plan.

Golf GameBook

The Golf GameBook app was developed by golf pros to let Dad record his golf performances and share them with other players and teams. He can upload photos from the course, see where he and his friends rank on leader boards, wage friendly bets and participate in contests such as longest drive or closest to pin. Available for iPhone or Android.

Life360 Family Locator

For the slightly paranoid dad, this app displays the locations of family members and lets them check in with Dad to say they're okay or set off an alarm if they need help. Life3

60 Family Locator indicates safety points such as fire or police stations, as well as the home locations, photos and charges on record of sex offenders—all according to the phone’s current location. Free to use on iPhones or Android smartphones, but $5 a month for up to 5 family members using non-smartphones.

Lifehacker

Guys love the Lifehacker website not only for its tech reviews and news, but for helpful tips on things such as how to keep fish from sticking to the grill or how to be more productive. Even better: the free Android app available at the Google Play Store.

Tykoon

Tykoon is a free family financial tool that specializes in chore, allowance, and money management, teaching kids financial lessons using real money and through real life experiences. Kids can earn, save, donate, or spend money while Dad (or Mom) keeps watch. Check out the Techlicious full review of Tykoon.

Motoman

Motoman.tv is a fantastic web TV show for motorheads and for regular dads who were wishing they were driving something a little perkier than a Honda Odyssey. Motoman drives awesome cars, gives you the story behind them and interviews automotive industry big shots.

Familiar.com

This Familiar platform is great for keeping grandparents and other family members up-to-date with the latest pics Dad is snapping or uploading to Facebook or Picasa. It’s basically a photo sharing app that works as a shared screensaver, so when users upload photos to the private network they get shared across everyone’s devices and computers. Download it for your PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android phone or Kindle Fire.

Print Central

Every dad will like how this iOS app lets him print from his iPad to most wireless printers—not just AirPrint Printers—without additional software. It’s $5 in iTunes.

TED.com

At Ted.com, you can watch talks given by brilliant people speaking about riveting topics—a much better way for Dad to kill 15 minutes of his time than playing a game on his phone or tablet.. Dad can search for talks by date or popularity on subjects including technology, entertainment, business and global issues. Dad can also find speeches that others have rated as persuasive, courageous, ingenious, fascinating, inspiring, beautiful, funny or informative.