It’s a hot, new product that’s completely sold out until early 2012. The man who conceived the product was largely responsible for the design of the iPod. And just about every review of the product has been wildly positive.

Sounds great… except it’s a thermostat. That’s right. One of the most innovative of the current crop of consumer products is a rethink of the lowly wall-mounted thermostat.

The Nest Learning Thermostat is the brainchild of Tony Fadell, who created the iPod and spearheaded the original iPhone through its production process. With a team of former iPod and iPhone engineers, he has developed an intelligent thermostat that learns which temperatures you prefer and at what times you prefer to change them.

Modeled after the iconic Honeywell circular thermostat, the Nest is simple to operate. Turn the ring clockwise to lower the temperature. Or turn it counterclockwise to raise the temperature. Yet behind the familiar circular shell is a sophisticated array of sensors that measure temperature, humidity, light, and activity.

You connect to the Nest’s features over Wi-Fi using your computer, phone, or tablet. It’s designed to learn your habits automatically, so you can save money on your energy bills. If you turn the temperature down two nights in a row, the Nest will turn itself down for you on the third night. And when you’re away from your home, it will switch over to a more energy-efficient setting. It even tracks your energy consumption so that you can see how much money you’ve saved.

I haven’t had a chance to install a Nest in my home, but I hope to give it a try as soon as possible.

You know there’s a lot of interest in a new product when the company has to move its CES booth to a larger space at the last minute. That’s what happened this year with Orbotix when it introduced Sphero, a robotic ball.

It’s a baseball-sized plastic ball that you can control via Bluetooth using an iOS or Android device. You load the controller app onto your phone or tablet. Then you can roll the ball in any direction using the onscreen steering mechanism. It’s loads of fun, and Orbotix is hoping that developers will use it as a platform for all kinds of games. You might have it solve a maze by rolling around on the floor. Or you might have two players go head-to-head in a makeshift Sumo match. There’s a boost mode you could use to knock your opponent out of the ring.

There aren’t a lot of details available, but I was told at the booth that you can customize the RGB LED light to change color when you bump up against something. It also recharges using inductive technology, so when you set it down into the charger base, it will charge automatically.

The API for the device is open source, so the sky – or more precisely, the floor – is the limit for developers who want to dream up imaginative new activities for this cool, new tech toy.

You’ve probably seen Casio watches that can do this or that gee-whiz function. Very impressive, until you find out how those functions sap the battery life.

That’s about to change with the advent of Bluetooth Low Energy. The latest Bluetooth 3.0 spec introduces simple Bluetooth functions that require only tiny amounts of battery power. This will open up whole new categories of Bluetooth devices that could run for years on a single battery.

Casio hasn’t wasted any time in adopting the new Bluetooth standard. In fact, the Bluetooth profiles that Casio intends to use are just being ratified for some of these functions.

At the Consumer Electronics Show, Casio previewed a prototype watch, labeled accordingly as the Prototype Bluetooth Low Energy Watch.

So what will this future watch be able to do? It will primarily communicate with your Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone. The watch could let you know when you have an incoming call or e-mail message. It could provide a more accurate time by resetting itself to the time provided by the phone’s cellular network. It could pass along your phone’s alarms or vibration functions, such as a reminder for an important meeting. And you could set the watch to beep if you move more than a certain distance away from your phone. That could be handy if you tend to leave your phone behind when you’re in a hurry.

Casio could build these types of functions into a watch today, but they would severely impact the watch’s battery life. Using the new Bluetooth Low Energy profiles, Casio estimates that the watch battery will last approximately two years, even if you use the wireless communication features for 12 hours each day.

Look for this watch as early as the fourth quarter of this year. The Casio rep I spoke with said it could possibly slip into the first quarter of 2012.

Every year in early January, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) takes over Las Vegas. It’s the largest annual tradeshow in North America and the largest tradeshow anywhere devoted to consumer electronics. This year’s show should see the largest number—and widest range—of Bluetooth products ever assembled into one place.

As a member of the press, I’m inundated with CES-related emails and phone calls beginning in November. It reaches a fever pitch around the middle of December. Here are some of the Bluetooth products I’m looking forward to see at the upcoming CES, which runs January 6th through the 9th.

This is a small sampling because many of the manufacturers are waiting for the show to announce their products. That said, some are happy to provide a sneak peak, especially if it means they can quality for a 2011 CES Innovations Award. Two Bluetooth products won awards this year in the Wireless Handset Accessories category. The first is Jabra’s STONE2 headset, which has an unusual shape that wraps behind your ear. As a result, it doesn’t require the typical on-face microphone.

The second is ID8-Mobile’s MoGo Talk XD. It’s the first integrated Bluetooth headset and case that docks onto the back of an iPhone 4. Both products will be on display in the Grand Lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center in a special section devoted to the Innovations Award winners.

I also plan to check out the Creative ZiiO tablet, which will be on display at the CSR (Cambridge Silicon Radio) booth in the North Hall. It’s the first tablet to feature CSR’s aptX codec for high-quality Bluetooth audio. At the same booth, I’ll be able to hear the Conran Audio Dock. It uses the aptX codec and can stream audio from Bluetooth A2DP-compatible media players, smartphones, laptops and tablets.

While in the North Hall, I’ll swing by the ZOMM booth to see the latest version of the ZOMM product. The company describes it as the first wireless leash for cell phones. Connected to your phone via Bluetooth, the keychain-sized ZOMM can flash, vibrate and even sound an alarm if you start to walk away from your phone. With the new version, you can adjust the ZOMM volume from your phone and select the distance at which the alarm will sound.

Other Bluetooth products I plan to check out at the show include Plantronics’ Voyager Pro UC headset. It uses capacitive sensors to know when you’re wearing it, so it can route your calls to the headset. iDevices will be showing iGrill, the first cooking thermometer you can control over Bluetooth using an iPhone or iPad app. IOGEAR will have solar-powered, hands-free Bluetooth car kits. And Orbotix will be rolling out the Sphero, a robotic ball you can control via Bluetooth using an iOS or Android device.

CES will have specialized TechZones throughout the various convention halls. I’m particularly interested in visiting the Digital Health TechZone, because I’m curious to see how many Low Energy Bluetooth health-related devices will be ready to ship in the first half of the year. The Bluetooth SIG will have a booth there. Continua Health Alliance will be there, as well. Continua Health Alliance helped develop some of the new Low Energy profiles.

I’ll have more to report once CES begins. It will be a long and hectic week, so I plan to bring comfortable shoes.

One of the coolest gadgets at this year’s CES was the Sony Rolly. It’s a robotic MP3 player that moves its six moving parts — arms, shoulders, and wheels — in time with the music. It also has two light-rings that pulse to the music through a range of 700 colors. The built-in stereo speakers are designed for 180-degree coverage.

The best part about the Rolly is the software that ships with it. A timeline-based editor will let you sync the movements and light pulsing to specific points in the music. The Sony rep I spoke with at the booth said the script is then saved with the music file, so you could create as many choreographed songs as you like.

It has 2GB of memory for music storage and supports the MP3 and non-secure AAC formats. It also has Bluetooth with the A2DP profile, so you could stream music to the Rolly from a Bluetooth-compatible cell phone or laptop.

Sony hasn’t announced a price for the Rolly. It should be available this Spring.

You know you’re getting older when the high-end gadget that inspires your techno-lust at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is a massage chair rather than a large screen TV or cutting-edge audio system.

The Inada chairs aren’t ordinary massage chairs. They first scan your body with optical sensors in order to find your Shiatsu pressure points. Then they use a combination of rollers and airbags to intelligently tap, scoop, and knead your aching body.

I was able to test-ride the Inada ROBO Chair ($5,999 list price) on the last day of CES, and it provided some welcome relief. This particular model features a newly introduced “3D roller mechanism” and is configured to message your feet, calves, ankles, legs, back, buttocks, neck, arms, and hands.

Once you get over the notion that this powerful machine has you trapped in its grip, you’ll find it surprisingly similar to a professional massage therapist. It was amazing how the chair was able to hone in on the knots in my back and apply just the right amount of pressure.

The downside — apart from the lofty purchase price — could be your ability to have it repaired for a reasonable fee once the limited five-year warranty lapses. It could also be so addicting, you might never want to leave your house.

Update: Want to try out an Inada ROBO Chair? Here’s a list of dealers and showrooms throughout the U.S.