????據美國國家消防局（National Fire Protection Agency）進行的調查統計顯示，73％的煙霧探測器由于線路斷開、損壞或缺少電池而未能在失火期間發出報警聲。簡單來說，這些設備只會發出吵鬧甚至刺耳的聲音。Nest Labs公司首席執行官（CEO）托尼?法戴爾解釋說：“用戶為此感到心煩。他們想要安裝煙霧探測器，但他們只是想睡個好覺，也想能夠不受干擾地做飯。”

????問題是，近幾十年來煙霧探測器并沒有多少改進。因此，法戴爾著手設計了一款充分利用當今科技的煙霧探測器。（法戴爾說：“我們認為有一個更好的方式來解決這個問題。”）

????他的成果是什么呢？就是Nest Protect。這款產品外形方正，正面是由孔眼形成的向日葵圖案，看起來不太像過去幾十年的煙霧探測器，而更像是一臺小型機頂盒或者Mac Mini電腦。預計下月會在美國部分零售商——包括亞馬遜（Amazon）、蘋果（）Apple、百思買（Best Buy）和家得寶（Home Depot）——開始銷售。Nest Protect的售價為129美元，白色，配有有線和電池供電兩種款式。而黑色版的Nest Protec將由Nest Labs網站獨家銷售。

????Nest Protect改變了煙霧探測器通知用戶出現緊急狀況的方式。借助于一個叫做“小心”（Heads Up）的功能，Nest Protect會用一個真人的聲音發布訊息，比如“小心，飯廳里有煙霧。”如果這臺設備檢測到煙霧或一氧化碳水平緩慢上升時，這項功能可以作為早期預警。晚上家里有小孩在睡覺時，Nest Protect不會發出傳統的警報聲，而是發出一個女性的聲音。法戴爾之所以做出這個決定，是因為他看到的一項研究表明，小孩更有可能對人聲做出反應，而對響亮的蜂鳴聲卻不太會做出反應。如果威脅迫在眉睫的話，那么Nest Protect會繞過“小心”功能的提醒，直接發出警報聲。不管怎樣，解除警報聲很簡單，這要歸功于內置超聲波傳感器和活動傳感器。大家不需要爬上椅子去解除警報聲，只要在離Nest Protect六至八英尺（約1.8-2.5米）的范圍內揮揮手即可。

????一個LED環燈提供多種功能。在發生緊急情況時亮紅燈，當用戶夜間關燈后會閃綠燈——表明傳感器和電池的能量水平都處于良好狀態。如果夜間有人在它們下面走過，或者只是想要一個夜間燈光的時候，這個LED燈也會發光。由于Nest Protect具有Wi-Fi無線網絡連接功能，一臺Nest Protect可以與安裝在不同房間的其他Nest Protect進行通訊，向臥室里的人通報地下室發生失火。 Wi-Fi 連接還使用戶能夠借助用于Nest Thermostat溫控器的同一款應用程序的更新版本來控制Nest Protect。

????對于Nest Labs而言，發布一款煙霧探測器作為其第二項產品，是在推出溫控器之后下一個合乎邏輯的選擇。這家公司目前的員工人數約為170人，已從包括KPCB（Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers）、谷歌風投（Google Ventures）和夏斯塔風投（Shasta Ventures）等投資者那里籌集到至少8,000萬美元。法戴爾談論煙霧探測器這個想法已有一段時間了，而一些Nest Thermostat用戶曾經要求能得到Nest Protect。而且，家用報警器產品類別的業務完全要比恒溫器多。法戴爾承認：“煙霧探測器的年銷售量是恒溫器的三四倍。”???

????According to the National Fire Protection Agency, 73% of smoke detectors fail to go off during fires because they were disconnected, broken, or missing batteries. Simply put, these devices can be loud, even ear-piercing. "People were annoyed," explains Tony Fadell, CEO and founder of Nest Labs. "They wanted to do the right thing, but they just wanted to get a good night's sleep, or they wanted to be able to cook without annoyance."

????Trouble is, detectors haven't evolved much in recent decades. So, Fadell went to work on designing one that takes advantage of today's technologies. ("We think there's a better way," Fadell says.)

????The result? Nest Protect, a square-shaped device with a perforated sunflower pattern that looks little like smoke detectors of decades past and more like a small set-top box or Mac Mini computer. Expected to arrive next month at U.S. retailers including Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL), Best Buy (BBY), and Home Depot (HD), Nest Protect will sell for $129 in white wired and battery-powered models. A black version will be sold exclusively via Nest's website.

????The Nest Protect changes the way users are notified of emergencies. With a feature called "Heads Up," a human voice pipes up with a message like, "Heads up. There's smoke in the dining room." It serves as an early warning if the device detects slowly rising smoke or CO levels. Instead of a traditional alarm, a female voice may also sound off at night in a home where children are sleeping, a decision Fadell made after reading a study that suggested that children are more likely to respond to a person's voice as opposed to loud beeping tones. If the threat is immediate, Nest Protect bypasses Heads Up and sounds an alarm instead. Regardless, turning off the alarm is a simple matter, thanks to built-in ultrasonic and activity sensors. Instead of climbing on top of a chair, one just has to wave their hand within six to eight feet of the device.

????A ring of LED lights serves several functions. It lights red during an emergency and briefly goes green after a user turns the lights off in the evening, to indicate sensors and battery energy levels are in good shape. The LED lights also illuminate when someone walks under them at night or merely wants a night light. And because Nest Protect has Wi-Fi connectivity, one model can communicate with others in different rooms, notifying someone in the bedroom about a basement fire. Wi-Fi also enables the user to control Nest Protect with an updated version of the same app used for Nest Thermostat.

????Releasing a smoke detector as its second product was the next logical choice for Nest, which employs around 170 people and has raised at least $80 million from backers including Kleiner Perkins, Google Ventures (GOOG), and Shasta Ventures. Fadell had kicked the idea around for a while, and some Nest Thermostat owners had asked for one. There's also simply more business in the household alarm product category. "Three to four times more smoke detectors are sold per year than thermostats," Fadell admits.