Let me tell you about the coolest product I never reviewed. It's a wonderfully complex solution to a problem that shouldn't even be a problem. This product, LaneFX, is a microcontroller that interacts with the side mirrors in your car.

You want to change lanes, and you glance in your side mirror. It looks clear. But in your LaneFX-equipped car, you can press a button and the mirror sweeps out to show you the blind spot beyond the limit of your peripheral vision. Then it returns to its normal position. If you flick on your turn signal, the mirror also does its sweep.

It works on either side of the car, and it also has an extended mode for when you want to keep an eye on traffic alongside and behind you, as when you're merging onto a freeway. Now let's say you're going to parallel-park. You slip your car into reverse—and the right mirror angles itself downward so you can see the curb.

Although that's the end of the LaneFX's bag of tricks, it's just the beginning of the ways it can be implemented. You can customize how far each mirror moves, how long it pauses, and how long it takes to get there. You can even make mistakes in hooking up the wires to the mirror motors; the microcontroller has a learn mode so you can teach it which wires to use to control each motion. An LCD screen prompts you through every step of the procedure.