Garmin Head-Up Display
A head-up display is the sort of technology you'd find in a fighter jet (that's if you happened to find yourself in one). Rather than having to look down at instrument dials, data is projected onto the pilot's windscreen. Garmin's HUD sets this up for your car. Put it on the dash and stick the transparent reflector panel on the inside of your window or use the clip-on version. Then – here's the rub – you've got to Bluetooth pair it with a smartphone which has either StreetPilot or Navigon apps. The HUD uses the app's sat nav info and beams it up for easy reading. Of course, you could also just have a regular, mounted GPS. But for early adopters, you'd have bragging rights at the start of a technology which will probably become commonplace.
€149 from garmin.com
Logitech Solar Keyboard Folio
A couple of popular tech strands in one here: the tablet keyboard and solar power. So you've a protective folio sleeve that doubles as a stand, with a proper touch-typing keyboard. And it's solar-powered, so no messy USB action with yet more cables to forget/lose/tangle. Even indoor light will keep it charged. It does bulk tablets up a little, but most people already keep theirs in cases.
€130 from logitech.com
Fire Piston
This is a smart expression of an ancient nugget of knowledge: compress a gas and it heats up. Rapid compression, and you can trigger combustion. The Fire Piston works by putting a tiny amount of combustible material, like a sliver of dry bark, into the end of the piston rod. Ram it into the aluminium cylinder, compressing the air, and when you pull it out, the speck is alight. Add it to tinder (you do have tinder?) to start your fire.
$60 (€45) from
wildersol.com.
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