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Google's Nest wants to connect all of your devices in the one place
Nest has partnered with a number of companies including Mercedes-Benz, Jawbone, Whirlpool, Logitech, and IFTTT which will see their devices connected to its products.
NEST HAS TAKEN a major step towards creating a proper smart home business by announcing its developer programme.
The company, which was bought by Google back in January for $3.2 billion, will work with the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Whirlpool, Logitech and IFTTT to develop software and integrate with Nest devices.
Certain partnerships like Mercedes-Benz will see your car tell Nest what time you will be home at, allowing the thermostat to adjust the heating so your home is at the right temperature when you arrive.
Others like Whirlpool will learn which times see peak energy usage, and delays the start of a wash cycle until it passes, saving energy, while LIFX bulbs will allow users to make it look like someone is home when they’re away by automatically turning on and off your lights throughout the home.
The device will also work with Google Now, which is expected to arrive in the Autumn, and will allow users to control their Nest thermostat through the service.
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In a statement announcing the move, the co-founder of Nest, Matt Rogers, said the programme will go go beyond just linking and remote controlling the devices in your home.
“What we’re doing is making it possible for your Nest devices to securely interact with the things you already use every day. Things like lights, appliances, fitness bands and even cars. Because when we make connections between these different parts of your life, we can create personalized experiences that do even more to keep you comfortable and safe. And help you save energy around the house. Automatically.”
Nest says it only provides developers with the minimum amount of data necessary for their product to work. Depending on the integration, it may include basic home and device data, smoke and CO status, or home and away states.
It doesn’t share usernames, passwords, email or home addresses and lets users know what information will be shared before they use a product.
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At once excited and nervous about where this can go. Would be handy to set oven to 200 deg just as a leave the office in the evening or to turn off heat if I make plans to go out instead of going home on a Feb evening. There is massive potential for privacy intrusion though and it means machines and tech take even more space in our life.
Automatically turn on and off your lights when your out to look like your in, your heating will turn on when your on your way home from work? They already invented that it’s called a timer switch.
Just bought a Nest thermostat two weeks ago. Oh it’s just fantastic. Change the temp while laying in bed…….I’m spoilt now! Looking forward to its integration with ifttt. That should open up a world of possibilities.
Google know all your habits, how long you stay in bed, how often you cook your own dinner, where you work, how often you skip work, the type of depraved sites you frequent, the things you search for. So I wouldn’t bother applying for a job there
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