There's no denying that Apple has been amazing at industrial design for years. Tons of companies strive (and usually fail) to reach the bar that Apple regularly crosses. But what if you took a bunch of ex-Apple designers, and they started building other stuff? Apparently that's the question being answered by a company called "Nest" which is releasing a smart thermostat, that beyond looking awesome, also learns from you and your habits to become much more efficient. It also, conveniently, allows access via computers and mobile phones. My thermostat with a mobile app? Why not? And it is definitely nice looking. And, yes, a bunch of people there, including the founder and CEO, came from Apple, and helped design the iPod and iPhone.

Nest claims that using the thermostat will help you save a ton of money by making your heating usage a lot more efficient -- though it would be nice to see some real world testing on such claims before anyone buys into them. Also, while perhaps not nearly as pretty, we've seen similar home automation thermostats on the market for years, without making a huge dent. It's just not that clear people that care enough to make even the initial outlay ($250 apparently).

Still, I'm intrigued by getting more products out on the market with exceptional design. We need more of that.