"With every new gadget seemingly connected to the internet to automate your life, the question arises whether a lot of those items are really useful," said Billy Steele at Engadget. The Oticon Opn, a smart hearing aid that can alert the wearer to blaring smoke detectors and chiming baby monitors even when those items are out of hearing range, promises to be a welcome exception. (Courtesy image) Opn communicates with other internet-connected devices via If This Then That, a popular app that allows users to program gadgets to work together when certain actions are triggered.