Google Challenges Apple for Home-Controlled Devices.
After years of hype and unfulfilled promises, the concept of the smart home looks to be losing the attention of consumers. SAN FRANCISCO — Google’s Nest Labs has rolled out an overhaul of its product line, including new versions of its home-security camera and its smoke alarm, pushing the Internet company deeper into technologies for smart homes.Google’s home automation unit, Nest, did not play a role at Google I/O last month, but that could be due to the company had its own plans, like introducing an all-new line-up of products, and a new single app to run them all.Nest Labs, Inc. (www.nest.com), architect of the thoughtful home, today announced sweeping refreshes and redesigns across the company’s entire product portfolio with the introduction of Nest Cam, the second-generation Nest Protect, new features for the Nest Learning Thermostat, and a brand new app. This is due in no small part to the lackluster innovation emerging from major device makers like Nest, which has prioritized the safe and repetitive over the revolutionary.
The updates, some of the biggest since Nest was acquired by Google last year, include a US$199 (S$268) camera, and a video storage and management service that costs US$10 per month, Mr Maxime Veron, head of Nest hardware product marketing, said yesterday. Nest Cam – With full high-definition (1080p) video quality, a versatile stand, improved motion alerts and night vision, the new Nest Cam allows people to keep an eye on the things they care about from anywhere. Ever since the acquisition of Dropcam by Nest for a whopping $550million, rumors were that Nest will be bolstering the Internet of Things with a new home-monitoring camera, sticking close to the designs of Drop Cam. The Nest Cam boasts few notable non-cosmetic improvements over the Dropcam Pro of 2013, and stayed mostly in line with base expectations for a smart security camera these days, including upgrading video capture from 720p to 1080p resolution. Nest Cam will feature video-capture in 1080p resolution, and can handle up to 30 days of continuous footages when synced with Nest Aware, the next newbie from the box by Nest.
Nest app 5.0 – The redesigned Nest app 5.0 brings together all three products, across multiple platforms, for the first time, making it easier to access and control Nest products. “At Nest, we always wanted to build more than a thermostat,“ said Tony Fadell, Nest chief executive officer. “Our vision was to create a thoughtful home – a home that takes care of itself and the people in it. More than 9,000 developer partners are using the Works with Nest developer program to help seamlessly integrate everything from washers and dryers to cars with our thermostat, smoke alarm and camera. Nest has also announced the new software updates to its smartphone app along with other novel services, like the aforementioned Nest Aware cloud service. They made their mark in 2011 with a thermostat so sleek and forward thinking that people were actually willing to use the word “sexy” to describe something that controlled their furnaces. There are signs that something big could still be on the horizon for Nest, rumors ran wild a few months ago after Nest posted a job listing for someone to lead what they called Nest Audio.
Despite the relentless multitudes of smart light bulbs, power outlets and do-it-all buttons coming from various makers, new concepts are still springing forth from some. That feature is called the “Whole Home Nightly Promise.” Last year, Nest acquired Dropcam, a home camera system that could easily let you monitor activities with your smartphone or tablet. An example of this is that the HomeKit can essentially turn on the lights automatically at around 6pm if that’s when the lights are usually turned on. Last month, Mountain View, California-based Google took the wraps off a new set of technologies for the IOT called Project Brillo, an operating system. In terms of location-based triggers, it will be able to turn off air-conditioning units automatically if it detects that the user has left his or her home.
The battle between Google and Apple for having the ultimate presence in users’ homes comes down to one major difference between the two: Apple is closed, while Google is open. The lack of a unifying home automation framework is discouraging companies from specifying their product focuses as so few of them can easily communicate with each other anyway.
If Google can easily woo device-makers to sign on, the improved compatibility will heighten demand and also discourage every company in the space from making repetitive iterations of the same product. Instrumental to this goal should clearly be Nest, yet the Google-owned poster boy for home automation only mentioned Brillo and Weave as a side note at its recent event.
And because Nest Cam’s sensors know the difference between a flashlight and sunlight, Night Vision won’t get confused and switch to day mode every time a bright light passes in front of the camera. Activity Zones – Create custom Activity Zones around areas of interest – such as a door – so you can be alerted to any activity in a specific area. Advanced motion sensing – Nest Cam uses the power of the cloud to provide more accurate alerts and detect areas where common false alarms occur, like ceilings.
For those outside the United States, Nest Protect, Nest Cam, and the Nest Aware service are arriving in Canada and Europe this summer, including UK, Ireland, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Together with YouTube, Nest is piloting the ability for YouTube creators to stream directly to YouTube Live from Nest Cam, giving viewers a behind the scenes look at their favorite personalities. Initial participations include: Unbox Therapy – Lewis Hilsenteger has built a subscriber base of more than two million by sharing the unboxing process of a wide range of consumer electronics products. Devin will use Nest Cam to give his viewers a live look at the preparation that goes into his amazing stunts. iJustine – Justine Ezarik is a techie, gamer, vlogger and a top personality on YouTube with more than three million subscribers across her channels. According to the Department for Communities and Local Government, dwellings with no smoke alarm accounted for 38% of deaths in home fires in Great Britain, and nearly one fifth of deaths occurred where no smoke alarm worked.
Easier installation – A redesigned backplate helps get Nest Protect level when placing it on your ceiling or wall, and an easy-to-open battery door makes battery replacement easier than ever. Whole Home Nightly Promise – Nightly Promise shows you Nest Protect’s sensors and batteries are working with a quick green glow after you turn off the lights, or a yellow glow if Nest Protect needs attention. Building on the success of Nest’s energy partner program, Nest is partnering with forward-looking home insurance companies to help people stay safe while saving money on their insurance policies. Four out of five firefighters would trust Nest Protect to protect their homes, and insurance companies know that Nest Protect can keep families safe from smoke and carbon monoxide. Specifically, once a month, Nest will tell a participating customer’s insurer if: These monthly reports you share do not include whether the alarm went off, and even if your Nest Protect temporarily loses power or Wi-Fi connectivity it won’t impact the benefits Nest’s insurance partners offer through safety awards.
Customers can enroll with American Family in Minnesota starting today and with Liberty Mutual in Alabama, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin starting this summer. Nest Protect – Provides access to Safety Checkup, which lets you test all your alarms from the app, and App Silence lets you hush false alarms from your phone.
If you have a subscription to Nest Aware with Video History: The Nest app provides a summary of captures events, making it easy to spot moments in your Video History when your camera sensed motion or sound.