This week on my Top 3 for the TODAY Show:

1. Google Now App for Android and iPhone

2. Slingbox DVR app to watch TV from other rooms, while traveling, all from your smartphone or tablet.

3. SMS Alert app for Android to find your phone, even when the ringer is off!

Father’s Day is coming up quick! But that doesn’t mean it’s too late to get him a kick-butt gift. By combining a few different items together (some tech, some non-tech) you can combine forces with your family and really knock the gift-giving out of the park this year! For Dad’s with a variety of interests, I showed off some great gift combos on HLN TV this morning. Take a look:

For the Dad that Loves to Grill

iGrill:

For Apple and Android devices, $79.99 – http://www.igrillinc.com/

·      Perfect for the griller that doesn’t want to stand over the grill during his party.

·      Grilling and cooking thermometer that connects with your devices via Bluetooth.

·      Allows Dad to hang out with his family and just check his meat via his phone or tablet.

Omaha Steaks

Prices Vary, http://www.omahasteaks.com/servlet/OnlineShopping

·      Order Dad a pack of his favorite grilling meats, seafood, side dishes and even dessert!

·      You can order one type of meat or a huge variety of things for him to grill with.

·      They have great deals on the combo packs and often offer Free Shipping on some packages Read More

Rounding out my coverage of the three major console manufacturers showing off their latest goods at E3 in Los Angeles this week comes Nintendo. Since their latest console, the Wii U, came out last holiday season, Nintendo did not have nearly as much to show off, and far less at stake, than the rivals Microsoft and Sony. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t still a lot to be excited about when it comes to the Wii U.

Nintendo’s family-friendly brand showed through strong at E3 this year, with colorful new titles in the Pokemon, Mario, Donkey Kong, Mario Kart, Zelda, Wii Party, and Smash Bros. series all being shown off. While it’s easy to argue that we’re seeing little new innovation here (there are significant new franchises being created for both the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One), these are established franchises with huge fan-bases who are eager to get exciting new HD upgrades to the games and characters they love.

These titles stand in stark contrast to the family-unfriendly games Microsoft highlighted for the Xbox One, and the more mixed-bag of games coming up for the PlayStation 4. For families with younger children, there is no question—the Wii U is still the next-gen console for you. Read More

One of the developers interviewed in the video that appeared before the Sony PlayStation 4 press event at E3 this year said, and I’m paraphrasing here, that what Sony is looking to do isn’t necessarily about hardcore players in a clan but people sharing and creating together.

In contrast to the Xbox One event, which seemed at best to be a rehashing of the same old Xbox titles aimed at teenage boys and young adults who are interested in only the most violent of games, Sony attempted to set the stage for a more family-friendly press event. How did that pan out? Read on to find out. Read More

Every weekend on Mario’s Top 3 I walk you through all the hottest tech news from the past week. Here’s what I talked about on the TODAY show this past weekend:

Beware of Malware

· A type of malware known as Zeus has infected millions of computers, most of them in the United States.

· Once Zeus has compromised a computer, it stays dormant until a victim logs into a bank site, and then it steals the victim’s passwords and drains the victim’s accounts. In some cases, it can even replace a bank’s Web site with its own page, in order to get even more information- such as a Social Security number- that can be sold on the black market.

· The Trojan, which was first detected in 2007, is only getting more active. According to researchers at the security firm Trend Micro, incidents of Zeus have risen steadily this year and peaked in May.

· Eric Feinberg, founder of the advocacy group Fans Against Kounterfeit Enterprise (FAKE), has noticed an uptick in Zeus-serving malicious links on popular N.F.L. Facebook fan pages such as one created by a group called “Bring the N.F.L. To Los Angeles.”

· Mr. Feinberg said he had noticed an increase in such pages and malicious links in recent weeks. He sent those links to Malloy Labs, a security lab, which confirmed that the links on these pages were serving up Zeus malware. The malware was being hosted from computers thought to be controlled by a Russian criminal gang known as the Russian Business Network, which has been linked to various online criminal activities, ranging from malware and identity theft to child pornography.

· Many of the corrupt FB links had “.tk” extensions on them signifying the websites countries code as Tokelau, a South Pacific territory and a domain used by these Russian criminals. Read More

Steve Harvey asked me to come on to his show recently to talk to Lamar, a father whose heart is in the right place but is having trouble understanding how to raise kids in this new, digital age. He doesn’t use the Internet, or technology at all really, and as such is having a hard time communicating with and relating to his kids. What I explained to Lamar is that in this digital age, the mall for today’s teens is the Internet. The playground is the Internet. So to be an effective parent, you need to be digitally literate to follow and interact with your kids online!

Steve and I discuss a wide wage of issues affecting parents in the digital age. We talk about how text messaging is often more effective than talking on the phone for today’s kids, and discuss strategies on how we can connect with our own children better by using social networks, taking pictures or videos, and using our smartphones in smart ways.

You can watch my entire segment above. For more digital lifestyle and parenting tips, you should follow me on twitter here.

Don’t forget!!! Father’s Day is Sunday, June 16, and if you want to get Dad a killer tech gift NOW is the time to shop! Same goes for all those grads in your family—don’t wait until the last minute to pick up something fun.

Here’s a few cool gift ideas I recently showed off on HLN:

Sphero: A robotic ball you can control with your smartphone or tablet? And also a game controller? The Sphero ball is a really cool piece of tech that can be used in a ton of ways. The Sphero is a robotic ball you can drive around with your smartphone or tablet. $129.00 online. More info at gosphero.com.

Slingbox 350: Let’s Dads who travel and grads who move out of the house take their TV viewing habits with them no matter where they go. Let’s say you live in NYC but your son is going to school in California. The Slingbox will give him access to your DVR and let him watch all his old shows as though he was still living at home. For the Dad who’s constant;ly on the plane and living out of hotels, this can give him a sense of normalcy and routine that other streaming video services won’t be able to match. $179.99 online. More info at Slingbox.com.

Sony Xperia Z: A tablet with all the hottest tech crammed inside, plus one really wild feature: it’s water resistant. $499.99 online. More info at sony.com.

HMDX JAM XT: An awesome wireless speaker at a very affordable price. This thing sounds great, is small and rugged so it’s easy to just throw in a bag and travel with, and it comes in a variety of awesome colors. $69.99 online. More info at HMDXaudio.com.

Whether you’re losing power on your cell phone, looking for a new and cool way to listen to music, or just looking for a new smartphone, I got you covered. Check out the video above to learn what I told Steve Harvey’s crew behind-the-scenes at his show!

Here’s the products I mentioned in the segment:

– MyCharge
– SOL Republic Headphones
– Apple iPhone
– Samsung Galaxy