A wonderful way to keep kids interested in the outside world rather than glued to a small screen on road trips, this interactive window design lets riders zoom into passing landscapes, test vocabulary skills and make video games out of scenic surroundings. But you really need to see it to understand its potential, so take a look at the short video below:

The core concept is simple: let windows appear simply transparent, then overlay a series of custom functions that can be adjusted to suit different needs and moods. A child (or adult, for that matter) can opt to label passing phenomena, or draw around animals, trees, houses and more while stopped (then let their work slide off the screen when the car starts up again). Video games can also be designed to incorporate elements creating all kinds of augmented reality possibilities.

It can also be turned to purely functional purposes, making that ‘zoom and enhance’ trick we are often fooled by on CSI shows into a real technique for looking closer at things around us. Screenshots can be captured, too — no more fumbling around for a camera while a cool sight passes you by.

Companies like Taptl are adapting the same technologies for boats and other luxury vehicles, but as with anything: what starts out expensive will only get cheaper and more accessible with time. And as vehicles go driverless, these could end up transforming how we view and use front windows, too.

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Computers keep getting smaller, but our need to type still demands space, be it a cramped screen keyboard of clunky peripheral. Thus the Tap Strap, a flexible plastic gadget that slots onto you fingers.

The operation is simple: tap your thumb on a surface to turn it on, then begin tapping away on that same surface and let a micro-controller unit relay your typing via Bluetooth to phones, tablets, TVs or computers. That surface can be just about anything, from your own forearm to a tabletop or even the top of your head.

Of course, there is a learning curve, but the makers also made Tap Genius, which helps teach users the required gestures. Supposedly it only takes an hour to learn the basics (but presumably not to get to normal typing speed, special characters, numbers and all). The battery lasts for up to three days of idle time or four hours of continuous use, then recharges via micro-USB.

This may or may not be the next quantum leap in input methods, but it does suggest there is room for other configurations than QWERTY, particularly as predictive tech takes off in parallel. It could also be a great game input device and way to interact with virtual reality simulations where you are up and moving.

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As the tech joke goes: have you tried turning it off and back on again? Except in this case, this clever little smart plug (aka the Reset Plug) does the work for you, sensing that the web has gone dark and turning itself off then on until it works.

When your internet goes out, resetting your wifi router and cable modem is the go-to first stop to solve the problem, but requires you to get up, play with cords and plugs, wait, and hope for the best … no reason not to have a hardware solution for this simple but pervasive problem (especially if, say, you are away from home but want your smart home devices to keep working).

For 60 bucks it might seem like a bit of a luxury item, but for those where internet connections are critical or hardware hidden behind stuff in closets or basements, the convenience just may be worth it. Users can also manually trigger a reset remotely via a smart phone app. Don’t need one for your own place? Consider getting it for friends and family who call you every time when their internet goes out.

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The already-inexpensive Raspberry Pi, costing $20 to $30, now has an even cheaper new cousin, the Pi Zero that will run consumers just $5.

Aimed at people learning to program or apply computers to creative applications, thousands of units are already in production though their makers expect demand to outstrip supply for a while to come. You can read more of the specifications below, or check out their introductory video.

The specs are impressive: “A Broadcom BCM2835 application processor, 1GHz ARM11 core (40% faster than Raspberry Pi 1), 512MB of LPDDR2 SDRAM, A micro-SD card slot, A mini-HDMI socket for, 1080p60 video output, Micro-USB sockets for data and power, An unpopulated 40-pin GPIO header, Identical pinout to Model A+/B+/2B, An unpopulated composite video header, Our smallest ever form factor, at 65mm x 30mm x 5mm.”

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If you’re a mountain climber, construction worker, emergency responder or remote soldier, this may be just the tablet to serve your most extreme everyday needs.

Created to function in harsh conditions, the Latitude 12 Rugged Tablet deals well with drops, dust, dirt and mud, able to work in temperatures spanning from below zero to degrees hot enough to start melting parts of your card.

Naturally, its multi-touch screen functions even if you’re wearing gloves and its thermal management system is effectively unmatched in the tablet space – despite all this it has up-to-date Intel CPUs, 500+ gigs of solid-state storage and a 12-hour battery life.

A separate plug-in keyboard can be attached via a robust custom port. The price tag reflects the durability and capability of the machine, costing over $4,000, but if your life depends on a working machine in the field, this may just be a good fit for you nonetheless.

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