The 'smart home' is a future idea, and GE/Quirky have combined on The Spotter

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnZ2BbCDBTU&w=600&h=315]

Here's the essential idea: it's a small device, and relatively cheap ($49.99). It's produced by General Electric and Quirky, which is basically an open forum for ideas (you submit, people vote on them, every Thursday a panel in NYC moves forward with a few). The Spotter is a multi-purpose h…