The Nest: Warming up to a newfangled thermostat

— -- Can a thermostat be made sexy? The folks behind the Nest Learning Thermostat that I've been checking out sure think so — they bring an Apple pedigree to a device I'd venture to say you rarely think about, except of course when the temperature in your house is too hot or too cold.

Nest Labs co-founder Tony Fadell used to be in charge of iPods at Apple. As this video shows, the $249 Nest is a thermostat for the digital age, something that is (pun intended) cool to look at and — if the company's claims are met — might actually help you save energy. Here you can get a glimpse at installing and using this modern thermostat, what might be dubbed the "Nest" best thing.

Nest has started taking pre-orders at Best Buy's website and at nest.com. The thermostat will be available in mid-November.

I'll have a more complete review coming soon.