Nest: 3rd Generation #GadgetGeek

Nest is at it again with another update -- this time to the hardware itself.  I bought in on this device when the then-slimmer Nest v2.0 was released and, despite its relatively high cost, I've been a very pleased customer ever since.

But what about this latest hardware update?  Is it enough to finally get *you* to buy a so-called "smart thermostat"?  As much as I love my Nest, if you weren't compelled to buy a Nest before, then I would say..... not...

Update: Nest Protect Improved Value #GadgetGeek

Nest Protect is now only
$99 for 7 Years of Use
 

Last December I questioned the overall value of the $129 Nest Protect.  I wasn't questioning the device's utility or features (it's quite cool) but rather the price versus the fact that it is programmed to stop working after 7 years.  In that posting I chided Nest for not being more forthcoming about the purposefully-limited lifespan in the product's marketing materials and retail packaging.

Some notable events have happened since that post. The upshot of those events is that the Protect's standard price has dropped from $129 to $99.  Considering the average home would require multiple units for adequate coverage (as with any smoke alarm), the device is a decidedly better deal today than when first released.

TIP: Get Nest Protect for less than $99
If you are in the market for the Nest thermostat or one of the two Nest Protect models then your least expensive option is to watch for a general discount coupon from your local home center store such as Lowes or Home Depot.  Lowes routinely offers general discounts of 10% or more -- I saved $25 when buying my Nest thermostat.  Check the Lowes page on RetailMeNot for current coupon codes you may be able to use when purchasing online (select the "in-store pickup" option to avoid shipping costs).

Google + Nest: My wish list come true? #GadgetGeek

Google Nest:
Chrome encased in chrome?

It seems hardly possible that Google could extend its reach into people's personal space even more than it already has.  Every web search, every email and nearly every step (via Android device location tracking) is already in Google's grasp.   Yet, impossibly, Google has managed to extend that reach by buying the right to know when people are home and, in some cases, even where people are in the home regardless of whether one happens to carry an Android device.

The purchase of Nest means Google has added in-home motion sensors (and light sensors and smoke sensors and CO2 sensors) to its growing belt of people-monitoring tools.  Privacy advocates are -- and rightly should be -- concerned over such a wide-ranging and intimate ability to snoop and monitor.  At the same time, however, such an integration of tools makes for some geekily exciting possibilities.  Oh, to heck with privacy -- let's talk about my "Nest Wish List"...

Nest Protect: $129 for a 7 Year Lifespan #GadgetGeek

The new Nest Protect is step #2 in Nest's plans to deliver smart, interconnected household devices that are truly consumer-friendly.

The $129 Nest Protect is a super-smart, wifi-enabled smoke and carbon monoxide alarm that creates a wireless network of sensors that can be managed from a computer or smartphone and can even interact with and extend the capabilities of Nest's existing HVAC thermostats.

The problem?
Each and every Nest Protect must be thrown away after seven years...

Nest v2.0: Taking the Plunge #GadgetGeek

This week we replaced our home's 18 year old HVAC with a brand new system.  Since I didn't feel like that was enough expense already I also took the plunge on the $249 Nest thermostat (version 2).  As part of my review of the Nest's current bag of tricks I've revisited some of the "missing features" I called out in a post 8 months ago...

Nest: Updated But Still Not Complete #GadgetGeek

The Original Nest Thermostat

Nest is the company that brought "Apple-influenced design" to thermostats by creating a beautiful, super-advanced yet super-simple device. The Nest shipped less than a year ago and the company has already unveiled it's successor: a sleeker, more advanced update of the original.

The Nest is to thermostats what the original iPhone was to smartphones: a huge leap forward and a shining example of the type of modern features and design we should expect from our major home appliances. As good as it is, though, the Nest is still not "complete"...