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Google to Acquire Nest

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Re: Google to Acquire Nest

#61

Post by Karunamon »

k-mcgrady wrote: post #48

Very surprised Apple didn't purchase this. Headed by Tony Fadell, brilliant design, I thought it would fit and be a nice diversification for them. However it will be very interesting to see what Google does with this. If I put away the cynic in me for a moment: the more data Google has on me the better their services are for me. I could imagine the Nest thermostat integrating with Google Now and the location data Goo…

^^^^^^^^ So much of this. What I see happening is integration with Now - the system already knows when I leave work and when I leave home, and how long my commute is probably going to be. Instead of a dumb timer, it can adjust the controls based on that information.

Re: Google to Acquire Nest

#62

Post by frogpelt »

chrisrhoden wrote: post #34
Karunamon wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Am I the only one that doesn't get chills up their spine whenever Google breaks into some new market? I see very little possible misuse of temperature preference (of all things...) and very great possible gains. The more intimately a service knows you, the more personalized and relevant data it can bring. And another thing, I am really sick and tired of tempering or being told to temper my enthusiasm for some new tec…

What about the ability to know when someone is in your home and when someone is not? If Google records that data (say, to be able to provide you with a handy chart of your energy use and some ways to improve it), the potential I am more worried about is the fact that the data exists makes it possible to subpoena.

This is already incredibly easy with Android in the fold. They know your WiFi passwords. Of course they know when you're home.

Re: Google to Acquire Nest

#63

Post by sdoowpilihp »

This will give Google access to a very idiosyncratic data set no other major tech company has. It will be interesting to watch how they influence the product line over the coming years, as well as what they do in terms of integration with other google services.

Re: Google to Acquire Nest

#64

Post by k-mcgrady »

Karunamon wrote: post #28
jmduke wrote: post #12

The cynic in me shudders at the possibility of Google adding even more real-world data like temperature preference and lifestyle factors to their massive data portfolio. The idealist in me is incredibly excited at the possibility of Nest's fundamental strengths being bolstered by Google's coffers.

Am I the only one that doesn't get chills up their spine whenever Google breaks into some new market? I see very little possible misuse of temperature preference (of all things...) and very great possible gains. The more intimately a service knows you, the more personalized and relevant data it can bring. And another thing, I am really sick and tired of tempering or being told to temper my enthusiasm for some new tec…

After the whole PRISM/NSA/GCHQ scandal I think there were two roads to take: make your internet life as secure and private as possible (I tried this, it was boring and probably futile) or realise that keeping information private is only going to get more and more difficult. If you come to the latter realisation as I eventually did things like this might excite you. The more info Google has on me the more exciting and useful it's products will be. I'm particularly excited about the future of Google Now.

Re: Google to Acquire Nest

#65

Post by higherpurpose »

minimax wrote: post #7

"Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) announced today that it has entered into an agreement to buy Nest Labs, Inc. for $3.2 billion in cash." Can that be right? $3.2 billion? That's a crazy huge sum.

Sounds like super-higher bubbly valuation to me. They were already valued at 70x their revenues a year ago at $800 million valuation:

http://www.bloomberg.com/video/how-much-is-the-thermostat-co...

Re: Google to Acquire Nest

#66

Post by psbp »

MrZongle2 wrote: post #11

Am I the only one who thought "well, good for the Nest guys" followed by "too bad, it looked like a good product"?

Yeah, motorola products have completely gone down the toilet after that acquisition. They were so great before with fast updates and a wonderful skin of android, and now they're either non-innovative or way too overpriced for the value.

Re: Google to Acquire Nest

#67

Post by sliverstorm »

dictum wrote: post #57
Karunamon wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Am I the only one that doesn't get chills up their spine whenever Google breaks into some new market? I see very little possible misuse of temperature preference (of all things...) and very great possible gains. The more intimately a service knows you, the more personalized and relevant data it can bring. And another thing, I am really sick and tired of tempering or being told to temper my enthusiasm for some new tec…

> I see very little possible misuse of temperature preference (of all things...) and very great possible gains. That's where the problem lies: the greatest gains should come from features/sensors/products not yet introduced. Of course temperature preference is a very weak data point for privacy, but I can think of a few invasive things a future device could have. I don't know if that's actually possible with a device…

Temperature preference is surely less interesting to them than when you are home (i.e. actively cooling/warming the house)

Re: Google to Acquire Nest

#68

Post by Fasebook »

MrZongle2 wrote: post #11

Am I the only one who thought "well, good for the Nest guys" followed by "too bad, it looked like a good product"?

Really? $200 for a predictive thermostat, with a lame excuse to stream energy usage data and proximity data (Nest detects humans) out of your home? Id rather pay $99 to tell health insurance companies how often I exercise, live.

You could get the same benefit from a device for $30 of electronics. It's an overpriced gimmick to justify another selling off of your personal data forever in exchange for nothing but some minor convenience. The price doesn't justify the energy savings or by product manufacturing cost. If Google wants to know how much energy I'm using, they can buy the information from the utilities and subsidize my electric forever. I'm not paying to give it to them.

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