... I'm glad I haven't bought one yet. Now I need to figure out how to build an open source one.
Google to Acquire Nest
201–210 of 590 posts
Re: Google to Acquire Nest
#202$3.2 BILLION All-Cash offer.
Is that Color-level valuation for a Thermostat company?
Or more like Instagram-level... Holy Moly!
Re: Google to Acquire Nest
#203Earlier quoted context omitted.
? Only if you're incapable of telling the difference between commas and periods, I suppose.
It isn't factually dishonest, because it is an accurate number, and anyone can make sense of it. I say it is intellectually dishonest because it reads to me as a clear attempt to make the number appear more impressive. Borrowing from Wikipedia, "intellectual honesty": Facts are presented in an unbiased manner, and not twisted to give misleading impressions It would still be accurate to say it was a $3,200,000,000.000…
Nobody puts commas in the decimal places.
Re: Google to Acquire Nest
#204Remember Sparrow?
Re: Google to Acquire Nest
#205Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
Exactly. I don't care if the government knows when I'm home (they can already figure that out), but imagine if Google's database of Nest info got leaked. Burglars could look at the database and say "Oh hey, look, no one's home right now."
Do you really think burglars could not get their hands on leaked government agency database?
This is just another excuse to throw feces at Google, and HN commenters just don't miss any possible opportunity to do that.
Re: Google to Acquire Nest
#206Re: Google to Acquire Nest
#207So YouTube didn't work as a G+ promoter, so now we'll have to log into our houses with it. Well played Google, well played.
Re: Google to Acquire Nest
#208It's awesome for the folks at Nest, but the first thought through my head was this : I am so starting a smart lawn sprinkler controller company!
Oh please do. Irrigation systems have the clunkiest, most error prone interfaces I have ever used.
Re: Google to Acquire Nest
#209smart phone > smart car > smart house > ... ? ... > smart human I for one see great areas of improvement and possibilities inside the common house. Not that I'd wire up every appliance with a Wi-Fi sensor, but some data can be useful, if only for safety (falling asleep with the oven on: here a sensor could cut the power at a certain condition, or trigger the fire alarm, or ring up the firefighters). Or you left the h…
I know this makes me sound like a terrible luddite or hipster or both, but I've been thinking about all of these smart devices and services and how they may have a somewhat infantalizing impact on people.
I recently met with some people behind a startup built entirely around generating meal plans for you. I understand that it's a useful service (for some types of people). But I worry about the implication that we are now a species that can't even figure out what to eat for ourselves.
Re: Google to Acquire Nest
#210Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Nest really isn't great for that either, aside from what I'd call an adaptive timer based on how you adjust it. What about the auto-away feature?
Depends entirely on where it's located in your home. I've tried and sold a Nest because my home thermostat is upstairs, and the only thing upstairs are bedrooms. During the day, there's nothing to trip the sensor. Your phone makes a much better tracker for such things.
What did you replace it with? The nice thing about connected devices is that, well, they're connected. My Nest is also not somewhere I typically walk by during the day. That's alright, I have a $10 motion sensor in another room I do use, and in 5 minutes set up a rule on my home automation hub that sets my Nest to "home" when that sensor is tripped. That's only possible since Nest is internet-connected and has an API.