Nest

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtaCHW2e5oA
Following today’s big Nest announcements, the company released a broad overview video of the company’s philosophy and from it we can conclude that the company has much bigger ambitions than just thermostats, smart webcams and smoke detectors. In the video Nest thoughtfully breaks down a large number of household items that can become smart with many of them already made smart by other companies like Wemo, Ring and others.
Of particular note, I’ve heard personally that Nest was working on sprinkler management and the front door security products. Most of the others aren’t big stretches.
Here’s the full list from the video:
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A couple new hardware items have just hit Google’s online store – the just-announced Nest Protect (2nd gen) and Nest Cam, and Razer’s Forge TV.
Following the Nest Cam outed by Best Buy earlier today, Nest did in fact take the stage this morning to announce its new lineup of products. Besides the Nest Cam, Tony Fadell and company showed off the 2nd generation Nest Protect smoke detector, a new mobile app for Android and iOS that brings all of the company’s new products together, and more. Unfortunately, the company’s flagship Nest Thermostat didn’t get any hardware upgrades today…
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Best Buy has just outed Nest’s new Nest Cam hardware before the company’s event set to kick off at 10 AM PDT. As you can see right now on Best Buy’s website, the device is available to pre-order for $199.99 with free shipping, and mentions the previously-leaked new Nest app as well as more previously-unknown details on the product.
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We told you Wednesday that Nest has some new hardware in the works (likely to be announced at its upcoming June 17th event), and now droid-life has come out with press images of the new Nest Cam—an update to the hardware and branding of the current Dropcam Pro. We also mentioned yesterday that Nest has a new app in the works that will work with all of Nest’s hardware, and it looks like we get to take an early peek at that too…
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Nest has a press conference planned for June 17th, but Tony Fadell and company haven’t mentioned—nor hinted—up to this point what they might be working on. Possibilities range from a refreshed Nest Thermostat, to new hardware for the company’s Protect CO2 and smoke alarm, to new Dropcam hardware, to a sweet new smart mailbox (maybe based on Google’s April Fools joke from earlier this year?).
Reports have claimed that the Google-owned company has an entire lineup of new hardware in the works, including new versions of all of these products (sans the mailbox, of course). We can corroborate this information, as we’ve also heard from people familiar with the products in testing that Nest does indeed have new hardware being trialled in small groups, along with a brand new app that will tie everything together…
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Nest sent out press invitations last week to an event on June 17th, and we speculated that it might mean that the company is ready to announce its first Dropcam successor since being acquired by Google in June of 2014. Now, thanks to an FCC filing that we’ve uncovered (published to the FCC website on May 28th), it seems more likely that the company is getting ready to announce the next generation of its security camera…
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Nest hasn’t made any substantial announcements since the company was acquired by Google last year, but it looks like that might change soon. In a press invite that’s very short on details, the company asks a select few publications to join for “a Nest press conference” scheduled to take place Wednesday, June 17th, in San Francisco…
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Tony Fadell, founder of Nest and current head of Google Glass, presented in March at TED2015 to share his thoughts and experience designing for Apple, Nest, and now Google. A few months after he first gave the talk, it has now been uploaded to YouTube and is open and viewable by everyone…
He doesn’t spend any time talking about Glass, unsurprisingly, but he does talk about now Google-owned Nest. He spends several minutes talking about how to notice things around you—things that have become daily pains—that have may be victim of habituation and worth finding a solution for.
It’s interesting and worth a watch:
Stephen and I are off to Google I/O 2015 this week (the first time we’ve sent 2 people – for double the coverage!) but we wanted to preview what we we’re excited about this week. I’d run through the list of expectations but Chance already made 90% of the list when the sessions were launched. Go check it out. Here’s what I’ve been hearing…
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Logitech, maker of the popular Harmony series of remotes, announced in a blog post today that it is partnering with Google-owned Nest for deeper integration between their respective products. Logitech says that owners of the latest Harmony remotes can now have all of their entertainment devices automatically power off when a Nest Protect alert begins to sound.
SolarCity has partnered with Nest to offer a free Nest Learning Thermostat to the next 10,000 customers in California to sign up for solar panels.
This special offer combines two home energy solutions that can cut power bills as well as homeowners’ carbon footprint, and allows homeowners to experience these benefits with one easy package through SolarCity.
The offer includes the company’s no-upfront-cost deals – the only conditions are that you have a Nest-compatible air-conditioning system and that you agree to connect Nest to SolarCity, most likely to allow it to collect anonymized data …
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Google-owned programmable thermostat company Nest today published a blog post in which it breaks down exactly how much money using a learning thermostat can save. The post, and the included infographic cite “two independent studies” and claim that using a Nest saves customers approximately 10-12% on heating bills and 15% on cooling bills. In total, that’s an average of $131 to $145 a year.
Two Nest executives have flown the coop, The Verge reported today. Dropcam co-founder Greg Duffy has decided to leave the company, according to sources at the comany cited by the Verge. Yoky Matsuoka, vice president of technology for Nest, has also decided to bow out after what the report describes as a “culture clash” between the two companies threatened to drain Dropcam of its creative spirit.
Matsuoka, who helped create Google’s X division, will reportedly be heading to Twitter, though it’s not clear what role she will play. Duffy joined forces with Google when Dropcam was purchased by Nest last year for $555 million. Nest, of course, was already owned by Google at that point. Where Duffy will go next is unknown.
Prior to becoming a Nest-owned company, Dropcam released Dropcam Pro as its flagship camera in October 2013. At that time the regular Dropcam remained available at a $50 discount to its new counterpart.
Fast forward to today, Dropcam has announced that it will discontinue support for all models other than the Pro version as of April 15th. But instead of leaving its first customers out in the cold, Dropcam has announced a free upgrade program for the original Dropcam and Dropcam Echo.
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Update: Google has made an official blog post detailing the changes to the Glass project. More information below.
It looks like Google may finally be preparing Glass for primetime as a number of changes around the company’s heads-up display product were revealed today. Most notably, the Glass project will be moving from the experimental Google X group to its own unit under the leadership of Tony Fadell, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Next of note, Google will end the current run of its Glass Explorers program on January 19th, removing the current version of Glass from sale to individuals; however, the WSJ includes that businesses and developers interested in purchasing Glass can still do so through an application process. The Glass at Work program, which has continued to grow, will live on beyond the Explorer Program’s imminent demise.
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Nest’s smart thermostat is getting smarter, thanks to a number of new additions to the Works With Nest connectivity program, ranging from your car to your washing-machine.
Some of the applications are obvious, such as your August smart door lock setting the heating or cooling to Away mode when you leave the house. The Kevo lock goes one better, letting Nest who is home and away, so that their preferred temperatures can be used …
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Google Search is a powerful tool that you’ll find on almost any Android device. Its ability to start listening to your voice after you say the hotwords “OK Google” makes it convenient to use and fun to show off. Most people assume the hotword detection only works when you’re in the Google Search app or if you’re using the Google Now Launcher, but when using a device that’s on Android 4.3 or higher, you can set up Google Now to listen for the hotwords from any screen–even when the display is off on some devices…
It was only a matter of time following Google’s acquisition of home automation company Nest earlier this year that users would begin receiving the best of both worlds. One of the first marriages of each company’s products and services is Google Now integration with Nest, allowing for users to control the smart thermostat using voice commands.
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From 9to5Toys.com where we are rounding up all the best Black Friday deals we have two huge headliners on the almost never discounted Nest product line (that Google picked up along with iPod-father Tony Fadell earlier this year):
The Nest Learning Thermostat (2nd generation) for $199 shipped. That’s $50 below list and the best price we’ve ever seen.
You can find it at Amazon, Best Buy, Lowes and Abt for $199 for a limited time.
The Dropcam Wireless HD Video Monitoring Camera can be found for $99.99 with free shipping. That’s $50 below list and the lowest price we have ever seen on this cloud-based camera/recording system.
Available for $$99 ($50 off) at Amazon and Best Buy.
With a 107° degree field of view and 4x zoom, Dropcam keeps you connected with people, places and pets in sharp 720p HD video.
Head over to 9to5Toys for the Best Black Friday deals on the web. A little more background on Nest:
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Nest recently rolled out a barrage of new commercials to promote its collection of home automation gadgets and we have to say they’re pretty entertaining. The Google-owned company has produced four adverts: one for its smart thermostat, two for Dropcam and a single piece for its swanky smoke alarm.
Nest recently announced a new sales partnership with Irish utility firm, Electric Ireland that will give the energy provider’s customers an option to receive a free smart thermostat from the Google-owned company after signing a two year service contract. This partnership give’s Mountain View’s growing home automation arm a shot at Electric Ireland’s rather large customer base.
Your Nest smart thermostat should get a little smarter at some point over the next week as the company rolls out version 4.3 of the software, providing improved auto-scheduling and faster access to info at-a-glance.
A single push of the ring displays the information shown above, which includes weather, outdoor temperature and humidity. This has, says Nest, been the biggest customer request, allowing them to check what they should wear before heading out in the morning. Getting access to additional information, like yesterday’s energy usage or tomorrow’s schedule, is now available simply by turning the ring left or right …
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