I am quite sure that your man just loves to listen to music (all men do). Well use that interest of his as inspiration for a good present. You could get him a cd that he has been dying to get, or if he is not too fond of cds then you can get him downloads for his mp3 player. There are gift certificates for purchase online that will be perfect to give him on his birthday. With these certificates he can download music, and other things for free. That would be something that any music loving man would want.
Now there is a downside. The downside is it does take time. So if you're already feeling overwhelmed and frazzled yes this could feel like another huge to-do cool tech on your list.
She will usually be happy to tell you about her cool phone, and its features. Ask her if you can try out the built-in camera, and take a picture of her. (Japanese girls LOVE posing Unique gadget gift ideas for tech enthusiasts pictures.) She will then huddle in close with you to see how her picture turned out. Now you've closed the "physical gap," and you're laughing and chatting with her.
As stated earlier, Innovative new tech gadgets to watch out for are an awesome gift for both women and men. Anything from an iPhone to a netbook or an e-Book reader works for many women as well. Or you may get some girlie accessories for gadgets that she already has, such as a designer's laptop bag, or a pink iPig (an iPod dock in the shape of a pig, in case you had no clue what that was).
On the sound and vision side, check out the amazing range of MP3, MP4 and MP5 players. One of my suppliers visited me the other day with a new high-definition MP5 player. When I think about what was available three years ago and compare it to this devise that plays movies and TV shows in high-definition, it amazes me.
Give him some quality time. Spending time with your father is probably the most important of Father day gifts, especially if you live a long way away. He'll appreciate it more than anything you could possibly buy.