thermostats

PARIS -- It will take 10 years before the "Internet of things" catches on widely, said Nest Labs Chief Executive Tony Fadell, whose smart-thermostat startup embodies the technology.

"People think there's this Internet of all kinds of crazy devices that are going to talk to each other. It's going to take some time," Fadell said at the LeWeb show here. "Give it five or eight years and then you'll see machines talking to machines. Then it'll be commonplace in 10 years or so."

The Internet of things is the idea … Read more

When the "Father of the iPod" Tony Fadell unveiled Nest, the "learning thermostat" last fall, it was likely the first time anyone had ever thought of a thermostat as sexy.

Now, less than a year after the first version of the product arrived, bringing Apple style design and user interfaces to what had traditionally been one of the most staid home appliances, Fadell's Palo Alto, Calif.-based company today announced Nest 2.0, a slimmer version of the thermostat that was built to work in more homes and brings new flexibility and features to the … Read more

You can now add Amazon to your list of shopping choices for Nest's thermostat/gadget.

Initially only available through home installers, the $249 climate control device has started appearing at retailers such as Lowes and Apple. It can also be purchased through Nest's online store.

CNET Editor-in-Chief/Nest reviewer Lindsey Turrentine gave it an enthusiastic five-star review, as do 30 of the 50 customer reviews on Amazon. Price seems to be the main sticking point for the less positive reviews.

(Via The Verge)

The Nest Learning Thermostat has found a new home with the folks at Apple.

The company better known for iPhones and iPads is now selling the high-tech thermostat in its online store for $249.95. But the Nest is unlike conventional thermostats.

As befits the term "learning," the Nest can learn and remember your preferred temperatures to automatically keep things cool or warm. It turns itself off when your house is empty. And it taps into the power of remote control, letting you change the temperature from anywhere via your iPhone, iPad, Android device, or Mac.

This is … Read more

The high-tech thermostat created by one of the founding members of the iPod team will soon be sold in Apple's retail stores, according to a new report.

iLounge says it's heard that Nest Labs' thermostat, which went on sale near the end of last year, is headed to Apple's stores and will be sold for its usual $249 retail price.

Apple has more than 360 retail stores around the world. The extra point of sale would add to the Nest's current sales options, which include the company's own online store, local installers, and Lowes stores … Read more

Honeywell today summarily denied counterclaims in a patent infringement suit it filed against thermostat startup Nest Labs.

In a court filing, Honeywell stood by its claims that Nest infringed on its numerous patents in programmable thermostats. The suit was first filed against Nest in February.

Nest responded to the suit in April, saying that Honeywell's seemingly broad patents are "hopelessly invalid" and said Honeywell is trying to stifle innovation.

In today's filing, Honeywell fired back, saying the thermostat heavyweight intends to vigorously defend its intellectual property. The filing said Nest Labs' counter claims are "irrelevant … Read more

Nest Labs today fired back at Honeywell over its patent infringement case against Nest, claiming the thermostat giant is using its patent portfolio to stifle innovation.

The company also hired Apple's former chief patent counsel, Richard Lutton Jr., as it plans for a legal fight with Honeywell in the years ahead.

Founded by former successful Apple engineers, Nest Labs started selling its $250 Learning Thermostat last year and quickly sold out amid rave reviews over its design and ability to automatically set schedules.

Honeywell in February filed a suit claiming that Nest infringed on several of its seemingly broad … Read more

The gadgets in your smart home now come with software updates.

Nest Labs today released the equivalent of version 2.0 software for its smart thermostat on the Web, iOS or Android. The software tweaks for the $249 Learning Thermostat are designed to help people better understand how thermostat changes affect energy usage.

The update presents energy history data over 10 days, a longer period than before and indicates when heating and cooling systems turned on. It can also show what caused setting changes -- the weather, a manual adjustment, or an auto-away setting.

A new air conditioning feature, called … Read more