http://techcrunch.com/2014/01/13/google-just-bought-connected-device-company-nest-for-3-2b-in-cash/
The assimilation continues!
The assimilation continues!
They're not buying it for the thermostat or the smoke/co2 detector. They're buying it for its sensors technology.CoRP said:Thermostat company...$3.2 billion. Jeez louise.
Don't get me wrong, it's a cool product, but I'd love to know what the multiple to sales is.
We have this and it's awesome, can man the alarm via the phone as well.Saints Rest said:If I ran NEST, the next product I would be looking to make is remote door lock with video/audio feed to your phone. It would allow you to lock up from your phone, but also unlock remotely from your office (for example) if a plumber or other tradesman came a-knocking. It would allow you to see (perhaps even record) a stranger who rings the bell.
Our IP-enabled thermostat is awesome--we work weird and erratic hours. I have our home and work PCs set up so they know when our cell phones are connected (turn on heat/cold) or not, and from work they'll tell the house to turn on the HVAC when we leave. If we're not home in 30 minutes it dials off again, but if we are it's pretty comfortable by the time we walk in the door. We can also explicitly ping it to turn on if we remember and are headed home.canderson said:We have this and it's awesome, can man the alarm via the phone as well.
That said, I don't get nest. Our programmable thermostat with daily functions works and we haven't had to adjust it in years.
What do you use for a phone? Seems like it should reasonable to trigger with something like Tasker or even on{X} though I admit to not being an expert on either. on{x} certainly has lots of location aware examples in their recipes.SumnerH said:I only wish I was friends with someone whose house we passed 10-15 minutes out on the way home. That would rock. In 5 years, GPS will enable it.
Yup DoorBot (getdoorbot.com) is a video doorbell. It's my buddie's company, they were just on Shark Tank. It works with Lockotron to unlock the door.Saints Rest said:If I ran NEST, the next product I would be looking to make is remote door lock with video/audio feed to your phone. It would allow you to lock up from your phone, but also unlock remotely from your office (for example) if a plumber or other tradesman came a-knocking. It would allow you to see (perhaps even record) a stranger who rings the bell.
bluefenderstrat said:Google toilet is inevitable at this point. Data is data!
smastroyin said:One app to find them?
smastroyin said:And possibly design/UI/marketing since Nest is basically the only consumer good on the market that has been successful at getting people other than power users to buy into home automation. Which then adds to the primary goal of assimilation since people will install even more stuff in their house and google can get even more info.
I believe Google also put in a significant amount of VC before this.
smastroyin said:One app to find them?
jayhoz said:
I'm not sure what you are asking.
There is one app that you pull up to control all of your connected devices. Instead of opening your Honeywell app for the thermostat and a D-Link app for the cameras and a Schlage app to unlock the door, you do all that from the Staples Connect app. Individual devices are listed by device type or by the room they are located in. The app also allows you to set up Activities. One could be "Leave for Work". It would turn off the lights, lock the door, and turn down the heat at a set time.
about 11xCoRP said:Thermostat company...$3.2 billion. Jeez louise.
Don't get me wrong, it's a cool product, but I'd love to know what the multiple to sales is.
This is really just a rebranding and basic packaging of a whole bunch of existing Home Automation products. It's a good idea. I work in high tech and work on complex systems daily and home automation is still totally frustrating to me to along with a very high barrier to entry. Traditional HA controllers require either a $500-ish controller or a PC and expensive software. There are open source versions but they bring all of the joy of open source to the already murky world of HA. Anything that moves us into the world of easy and ubiquitous HA is a good thing. And they are not alone.jayhoz said:
I'm not sure what you are asking.
There is one app that you pull up to control all of your connected devices. Instead of opening your Honeywell app for the thermostat and a D-Link app for the cameras and a Schlage app to unlock the door, you do all that from the Staples Connect app. Individual devices are listed by device type or by the room they are located in. The app also allows you to set up Activities. One could be "Leave for Work". It would turn off the lights, lock the door, and turn down the heat at a set time.
jercra said:This is really just a rebranding and basic packaging of a whole bunch of existing Home Automation products. It's a good idea. I work in high tech and work on complex systems daily and home automation is still totally frustrating to me to along with a very high barrier to entry. Traditional HA controllers require either a $500-ish controller or a PC and expensive software. There are open source versions but they bring all of the joy of open source to the already murky world of HA. Anything that moves us into the world of easy and ubiquitous HA is a good thing. And they are not alone.