Brain waves We've all heard about devices getting more compact and smaller—but how about disappearing all together? Facebook is working on research that would let brain waves type commands and even control devices. At the social media site's developer conference in San Jose, CA, Facebook's head of Building 8—the super secret research arm of the company—talked about how the company wants to build a neural network capable of typing 100 words a minute, without attaching or implanting anything in your brain. (Phew.)

Regina Dugan, who previously led DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (the military's research arm), talked about how much faster communication could be if you just type directly from your brain. (And imagine how much faster you could post on Facebook...) Dugan also talked about a technology that could let you hear and understand words through vibrations on the skin, akin to a sensory braille.

Swipe and go In-store retailers already have a lot of competition online—so no one wants to lose a sale at the register because it's too hard for a consumer to buy something. We walk through the many ways stores can upgrade how they ring up a sale. Because if buying something is more tricky than clicking a few buttons, your profit is going to walk away.