Google recently revealed enhancements to its smart home product lineup, including significant updates to the Nest Learning Thermostat and the Google TV Streamer. Originating over a decade ago, the Nest Thermostat transformed the mundane home thermostat into a smart, energy-efficient device that not only saves money but also helps the environment by reducing energy consumption across millions of households.

What does Nest Learning Thermostat offer?

The latest iteration, the fourth generation of the Nest Learning Thermostat, introduces a suite of upgrades aimed at enhancing both functionality and aesthetic appeal. One of the standout features of the new thermostat is its enlarged dome-shaped crystal LCD display, which is 60% larger than its predecessor. This new display is cleverly designed behind layers of mirror and colored films, effectively hiding bezels to offer a seamless and modern look that appears to float on the wall.

Further refining user interaction, Google has introduced the Dynamic Farsight feature, which allows users to customize the home screen for easier access to essential information such as time, temperature, weather conditions, and outdoor air quality. This feature is particularly designed to provide vital information at a glance, making it both a practical and an innovative addition to any home.

Aesthetically, the thermostat now comes in three polished metal finishes: Silver, Obsidian, and Gold, ensuring it can integrate seamlessly into various home decors. Like a high-end light fixture or designer faucet, Google emphasizes that smart home devices should not only be functional but should also enhance the home’s visual appeal.

The Nest Learning Thermostat, now in its fourth iteration, has been re-engineered to leverage advanced AI for enhanced energy efficiency and optimal home comfort. This smart thermostat automatically adjusts to your daily patterns and preferences to maintain the perfect balance between comfort and energy savings. It not only learns your preferred temperatures but also adapts to changes in your routine, such as unexpected early returns home, by adjusting the heating or cooling schedule accordingly.

The AI-driven capabilities extend to analyzing external weather conditions to optimize indoor temperatures. For instance, it may reduce heating on a sunny winter day when natural warmth increases indoor temperatures, or adjust settings on humid days to maintain comfort levels. These intelligent adjustments are designed to be automatic, but they can also be manually approved or modified through the Google Home app, ensuring users retain full control over their home environments.

Adding to its functionality, the thermostat is accompanied by a redesigned Nest Temperature Sensor. This device helps manage temperature disparities in different rooms, such as prioritizing comfort in a baby’s room during naptime. Homeowners can install up to six of these sensors to fine-tune their settings across various rooms, with the option to average out readings or select specific sensors to activate at different times of the day. The sensor’s discreet, pebble-like design allows it to blend seamlessly into any room aesthetic.

The thermostat also includes a System Health Monitor, a feature that tracks the performance of your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems over time. It detects subtle changes that may indicate potential issues, sending urgent alerts if immediate attention is required. This proactive monitoring can help prevent costly repairs and ensure your systems operate efficiently.

Google is enhancing its commitment to sustainability with the latest Nest Learning Thermostat, designed to support cleaner energy usage directly from your home. The device features Nest Renew, a program that adjusts your energy consumption to times when power is cleaner and less expensive. These small, automated adjustments are designed to not only reduce your carbon footprint but also lower your energy bills, contributing positively to a more efficient energy grid.

Installation of the Nest Learning Thermostat is straightforward. It comes with a new 12-terminal backplate that increases compatibility with a broader range of HVAC systems. Users can easily set it up and manage it via the Google Home app, where all compatible smart home devices can be controlled from one interface. The thermostat also supports automations—for example, if the heat is on and a window is detected open, it will send a notification to remind you to close it, conserving energy.

The interface for the most frequently used thermostat controls in the app, such as temperature adjustments or schedule settings, has been redesigned for greater ease and intuitiveness. Moreover, being Matter-certified, the thermostat can be operated with other Matter-compatible smart home apps, enhancing its interoperability within the smart home ecosystem.

Pricing

The new Nest Learning Thermostat is now available for pre-order at the Google Store and select retailers. It is priced at $279.99 in the U.S. and $379.99 in Canada, with sales set to begin on August 20. Each thermostat purchase includes a Nest Temperature Sensor, with the option to buy additional sensors individually or in a 3-pack for expanded coverage and control within the home.

Gemini powered smart homes

Google Home has experienced a dynamic year, marked by significant advancements aimed at both end-users and developers. At the Google I/O conference, the company expanded its platform, offering developers the tools needed to craft innovative experiences within the home ecosystem. Concurrently, Google’s Gemini models have been instrumental in enhancing daily user interactions through smarter automation and more intuitive device operations.

This year’s updates include major revamps to two of Google’s flagship devices: the Nest Learning Thermostat and the Google TV Streamer. These enhancements leverage the Gemini models to elevate the intelligence and simplicity of these devices, focusing on areas like home automation and camera functionality.

Particularly transformative have been the upgrades to Nest Cameras, driven by the Gemini multimodal models capable of processing video, images, and text. This development represents a leap forward in home security technology, transitioning from basic motion detection to more complex AI features, such as recognizing familiar faces. The true innovation lies in the cameras’ newfound ability to interpret scenes with greater context—recognizing not just the presence of an animal, for instance, but understanding specific actions like a dog digging in the garden.

These enriched AI capabilities ensure that the footage captured and displayed in the Google Home app is not only more detailed but also more actionable, providing users with precise and relevant information about activities around their homes.

Google is introducing a revolutionary feature in the Google Home app that significantly enhances the functionality of Nest cameras: the new camera activity search. This feature allows users to query specific events within their home, such as whether the kids left their bikes in the driveway or if the FedEx truck passed by during the day. The app not only searches through camera history to provide a list of relevant events but also summarizes the information, making it far more accessible than ever before.

This capability represents a monumental shift in home security technology, enabling users to interact with their home environment in a more informed and proactive manner. The promise of such detailed insights into daily activities around the home is transformative, offering not just surveillance but also practical, everyday assistance.

Additionally, Google has been focusing on enhancing its home automation platform. The Google Home app now supports over 100 different connections and controls for smart home devices. To reduce the complexity of creating automations, Google introduces the “Help me create” feature, powered by Gemini models. This feature allows users to simply describe their desired automation in plain language, and the app configures it accordingly. For instance, users can request an automation to lock the doors and turn off all the lights at bedtime, or set reminders for children to store their bikes after school.

Google is set to enhance the Google Assistant’s capabilities within the home environment, leveraging Gemini technology to make interactions more natural and intuitive for every household member. This year, a key focus for Google is on improving the quality of core functionalities such as media playback and setting timers on home devices like speakers and displays. Additionally, a variety of new voices are slated to be introduced to make interactions with these devices feel more conversational and engaging.

The incorporation of Gemini technology aims to transform the way users engage with their home assistants. With these upgrades, Google Assistant on Nest speakers and displays will better comprehend user inquiries, allowing for more fluid conversations. According to Google, users will be able to ask questions in their natural speaking style without needing to adapt to specific phrasing. This means you could ask casual, follow-up questions like, “Is Pluto a planet?” followed by, “Could they change their minds again?” or even inquire about a song with, “What’s that iconic basketball theme song?”

Gemini’s generative capabilities will add a playful element to interactions. For instance, during a family discussion, you could use Google Assistant to argue, “Help me make the case that Crocs are extremely cool — and mention sport mode.”

These enhancements are initially scheduled to roll out to a limited number of Nest Aware subscribers in a Public Preview later in the year. Google expresses enthusiasm and optimism about how Gemini technology will pioneer the next generation of helpful home experiences.

Featured image credit: Google

It is a truth (almost) universally acknowledged that the Internet of Things is going to revolutionise how we live, work and think. From the explosion of sensor data, to connected cars, to the smart homes and cities of the future, IoT is permeating its way into every facet of our lives. Although broaching this field can be daunting, it is certainly worth looking in to the fascinating applications and technology associated with this field- if you’re looking for the latest insights into how IoT will shape our future, this list is a great place to start.

A brief note on methodology- we discovered and ranked influencers based on Twitter activity around “#IoT” and “Internet of Things”, using Keyhole, FollowerWonk, Klout, Onalytica and a little of our own algorithmic magic to compile the sources. The result was a beguiling mix of IoT developers and founders, journalists, politicians and social media tech titans. Think our method missed a particularly stellar Internet of Things influencer? Be sure to let us know in the comments.

1. Tony Fadell
It’s no surprise that the CEO of Nest– a product whose name is synonymous with IoT and smart homes- topped this list. Nest came to prominence for their products Thermostat and Protect. Nest has been revolutionising home automation with every release. The Nest Thermostat doesn’t require programming- the user simply has to turn it up and down for a week as required, at which point Nest will learn your personalised energy usage schedule, which becomes more refined over time. Fadell himself is an insightful speaker on the future of the IoT- read his thoughts on the feasibility of one centralised home automation platform here.

2.  Vala Afshar
Vala is the CMO for Extreme Networks, a company which “designs, builds, and installs sophisticated Ethernet solutions that meet the toughest challenges in network connectivity and IP-based communications”. He’s also a published author, and regularly contributes to The Huffington Post- we recommend reading his concise introduction to the Internet of Things.

3. Kevin Ashton
Ashton was the man responsible for coining the term “Internet of Things” back in 1999, and continues to be an expert of the subject of our interconnected future and present. He is also responsible for this fantastic video, which explains the Internet of Things to the uninitiated in just two minutes. He also an author, co-founder of the Auto-ID Center at MIT (as well as several successful tech startups), and one of the masterminds behind Santiago Swallow.

4. Rob Tiffany
Rob is the Global Technology Lead, Internet of Things and Enterprise Mobility for Microsoft. His role involves overseeing the architecture, development & deployment of many of the world’s largest mobile and wireless solutions for Fortune 100 companies. In addition to his extensive work with Microsoft, is personal website describes him as an “author, mobile + IoT strategist, teacher, entrepreneur, CxO advisor, architect, developer, international speaker, Navy submarine veteran and wannabe sommelier”. As with pretty much everyone on this list, he seems hilariously busy.

5. Glen Gilmore
It’s nigh-on impossible to put together a list of social media tech influencers without Twitter titan Glen Gilmore popping up. Glen is a social business & social media expert; his tweet activity around the Internet of Things mainly focuses around connected cars, with a particular focus on Uber.
6. Timo Elliott
Timo is an Innovation Evangelist for SAP, and well-versed on all things business analytics and future-facing tech. SAP systems run more than 75% of the world’s GDP, and are committed to matching Internet of Things applications to businesses- Timo regularly shares SAP IoT applications, including connected vehicles and “washrooms of the future”, on his Twitter.

7. Simon L Porter
Simon is the VP of European Mid Market Sales for IBM, and a well-seasoned tech veteran, having undertaken 9 different jobs over nearly 30 years within IBM. His Twitter is a treasure trove of insights in cloud, analytics and the Internet of Things- including links to incisively honest literature of the current limitations of IoT.
8. Stacey Higginbotham
Stacey is a Senior Writer for Gigaom, one of Dataconomy’s preferred online media portals for all of the latest tech updates. She has 15 year’s experience in tech journalism, writing for other publications such as The Deal, the Austin Business Journal, The Bond Buyer and BusinessWeek. Stacey is the go-to writer for all things internet, and Internet of Things- if there’s an IoT application worth knowing about, she’s probably already written about it.

9. Ed Vaizey
Ed Vaizey is the UK’s current Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy. His Twitter mainly covers digital innovations, with an unsurprisingly UK-centric focus. Did you know, for instance, that the UK is among the largest markets outside of the US for wearable tech & IoT products, as well as being the most proactive users of ecommerce in the world? You do now.

10. Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino
Alexandra is the Director of DesignSwarm, a design and consultancy firm focused around the Internet of Things, connected devices and physical connections to the web. Founded almost 9 years ago, DesignSwarm was in the Internet of Things game long before the hype hit. She’s also the Founder of IoTAngels, creator of The Good Night Lamp, and an all-round expert on Internet of Things.

(Image credit: Kris Krug, via Twitter)

Ford have been at the forefront of top-down big data analytics from the get-go. In our interview with Ford’s Chief Data Scientist Mike Cavaretta last year, he alluded to the opening of a research centre, to propel Ford’s big data research to dizzying new heights. Now, this plan has come to fruition- Ford’s Silicon Valley Research Center had its grand opening last week. The research center aims to drive innovation in connectivity, mobility, and autonomous vehicles.

Mark Fields, Ford’s President and CEO, hopes the centre will keep Ford at the cutting edge of innovation. “This new research center shows Ford’s commitment to be part of the Silicon Valley innovation ecosystem – anticipating customers’ wants and needs, especially on connectivity, mobility and autonomous vehicles,” Fields stated. “We are working to make these new technologies accessible to everyone, not just luxury customers.”

The announcement outlined that:

1. Ford and Stanford started an alliance to deliver Fusion Hybrid Autonomous Research Vehicle to university engineers for next phase of testing.
2. Dragos Maciuca, an experienced Silicon Valley engineer, joins Ford from Apple to serve as senior technical leader at Research and Innovation Center Palo Alto; additional hiring plans will support Ford having one of the largest automotive research teams in Silicon Valley.

This facility is the latest in Ford’s global network of research and innovation centers, including its location in Dearborn, Michigan, which focuses on advanced electronics, human-machine interface, materials science, big data and analytics; and Aachen, Germany, which focuses on next-generation powertrain research, driver-assist technologies and active safety systems, reports their press release.

Situated in the Stanford Research Park, the facility will accommodate 125 researchers, engineers and scientists.

Some of its projects in key areas, include:

1. Connectivity : Ford is integrating with the Nest application programming interface, targeting home energy and emergency system management while on the road through a series of research experiments.
2. Mobility: As the next phase in Ford’s Remote Repositioning mobility experiment, the Palo Alto team is now testing the ability to drive vehicles located on Georgia Institute of Technology’s campus in Atlanta from the Bay Area to prove out the new technology.
3. Autonomous vehicles: While Ford’s research and development in autonomous vehicles is a global effort, including ongoing work with University of Michigan and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Palo Alto team will expand collaboration with Stanford University that kicked off in 2013.
4. Customer experience
5. Big data and analytics: Ford is leveraging its OpenXC platform to help learn how customers are using their vehicles, and is conducting analytics to detect patterns and learnings that can lead to product improvements or new mobility services.

The opening of this centre marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in Ford’s development, as well as the development of the automotive industry as a whole.

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(Image credit: Marco Ely, via Flickr)

Tony Fadell, a former Jobs Protege & current co-founder and CEO of Nest believes that the idea of one central platform that runs smart homes of the future isn’t quite what things are moving towards.

In a candid interview with Fast Company Executive Editor Noah Robischon,  the Nest chief executive talks about automated homes, among other things and why the Jetsons didn’t quite have it right.

“That’s not the right way to think about it,” Fadell explains. “People don’t buy platforms. They buy one product at a time that somehow differentiates itself from every other product in their life. And then they move onto the next one. And the next one. You need to make standalone, great products, and if they can eventually all talk to each other 10 or 20 years down the line, then great.”

“The people who are pitching those kinds of products, it amazes me,” Fadell added. “They just don’t work.”

The idea for Jetson-esque home has been around for a while now. However, no tangible outcome is owed to the fact that while Google, Apple and Microsoft lead PCs, mobile devices market, household appliances is a whole different deal with GE and Honeywell ahead in the race. “I remember going to Tomorrowland at Disneyland [as a kid], where you have this button and the food would come out and then everything would be magically cleaned,” Fadell recalls in a separate interview, “They’ve been selling this same vision since the 1950s!”

“A few years ago, we were looking for the killer app for the connected home, but consumers have told us they’re not interested in streaming Pandora to their refrigerator,” says Brett Dibkey, a VP at Whirlpool, another Nest partner, reiterating what Fadell said. “We won’t see Jetsons-like benefits for years. It’ll be a more subtle progression toward a truly conscious home.”

Working towards this, Nest has been working to make its product family partner with outside services to join its ecosystem. “Mercedes-Benz recently launched a feature that lets your car speak to the Nest thermostat, so as you drive closer to home, it can start warming or cooling rooms. Customers can also now set up smart LED lightbulbs so they’ll flash red if Protect (another NEST product) detects smoke or carbon monoxide,” reports Fast Company.

With Google’s buy-out of Nest earlier this year, and talk of Fadell being honed to take over Android as head, it only gives a much needed impetus to embark on its endeavour.

Read more here.

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(Image credit: Thomas Hawk)

Nest have unveiled plans to expand their brand in Europe. Both of Nest’s signature products- Thermostat and Protect– will be on available in France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland by the end of September. The announcement was made on Saturday, at the IFA 2014 tech conference here in Berlin, which interestingly does not happen to be on the list of the new countries in which Nest’s products goes on sale.

“While Nest products are currently sold in just three countries, there’s high demand for them around the world,” points out Lionel Paillet, General Manager of Europe, Nest. “In fact, Nest products have been installed by people in more than 120 countries and Nest Thermostats have already saved an estimated two billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy compared to what their owners would have spent on heating and cooling at a constant temperature. That’s enough energy to power 180,000 American homes for a year.”

In order to provide seamless service in these countries, Nest has customized their products with recordings from local actors for the voice of the Nest Protect alarm and marketing, packaging and the company’s online and retail presence as well. Nest is partnering with energy providers Direct Energie in France, Essent in The Netherlands and Lampiris in Belgium to bundle the Thermostat with certain energy tariffs.

Nest has been revolutionising home automation with every release. The Nest Thermostat for Europe doesn’t require programming- the user simply has to turn it up and down for a week as required, at which point Nest will learn your personalised energy usage schedule, which becomes more refined over time. Another facet of Nest’s incredibly advanced thermostat is an Auto-Away feature which automatically turns down the temperature when the house is empty. Nest Protect, an intuitive smoke alarm, can tell the difference between steam and smoke, and includes WiFi integration. It’s always good to see innovative products that are making our homes smarter hitting the European market- our fingers are crossed for a German release soon.

Read more here.

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(Image credit: Scott Crawley)