Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are pretty low on the list of cool tech toys (“Here ya go, Sal! Plus I even threw in a sweet 9-volt battery!”), but that’s about to change. From Nest Labs, the makers of the critically acclaimed Nest Thermostat, comes the Nest Protect ($129), a smarter and much hipper way to safeguard your people and your stuff. It features a soothing female voice (choose from 3 languages) that lets you know when its batteries are low or the CO levels are high. It also recognizes movement, letting you preemptively wave it off if you simply burnt a piece of toast. Toast: so hard to get right, yet so easy to see Jesus in.