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This is the most overlooked aspect of this acquisition. My brother works in HVAC, and I've seen some of the automation available - - the trouble is that the sy
by stevewillows 13y ago
This is the most overlooked aspect of this acquisition.
My brother works in HVAC, and I've seen some of the automation available - - the trouble is that the systems aren't intuitive to the user and do very little to think on their own outside of if statements from the sensors.
- danudey 13y agoI would have much rather seen this as a technology/algorithm hire from a company like Honeywell or some other established HVAC company, which could have kept selling the Nest (and their new smoke detector, etc.) but also incorporated the technology into higher-tech commercial/industrial systems, where you some companies could probably save millions a year through more intelligent control and management systems.
- lstamour 13y agoI never found my Nest to be all that intelligent beyond "I wonder if he'll notice it's colder now?" "Oh wait, he turned me up, I guess he noticed." It's a game of cat and mouse with that darn auto-away enabled sometimes.
- foobarian 13y agoI find the learning functionality to be a nuisance. What makes it awesome is the design, the remote control, and the scheduling interface.
- CoryG89 13y agoI figured as much. Just seems like a big fuss over a whole lot of nothing though if that's all it is. And 3.2 billion for that? Why couldn't Google just make their own that does exactly the same thing? I think its trendiness is all people really care about.
- lstamour 13y agoIf it helps, as Verge commenters reminded me, it's 3.2 Instagrams, 0.8 Snapchats or 0.4 Skypes. :D
- stevewillows 13y agoHonestly, HVAC is a fantastic industry with plenty of room for innovation. This being said, there's far more accurate automation in industrial applications than around the home. A good example of this work is within airports and casinos. The new Vancouver Convention Centre is something worth reading up on too. For technically-inclined individuals, understanding how water, air and gas move is the ticket to a proper disruption. This goes beyond the bandaid fix of a good, intuitive thermostat, and into the circulation of fresh air and overall design of the home. I will say though, that smoke detector is awesome. Here's hoping that Google doesn't just shut down the good work that's been done.
- bdamm 13y agoOn the contrary, get ready for the Google Home Security System!
- blueskin_ 13y agoComplete with hidden NSA silent remote deactivation codes. "Steve is out of the house" shared publicly on google plus.
- stevewillows 13y agoHa. Robbers can already see if I'm out of the house by my instagram feed.
- blueskin_ 13y agoNot mine. I'd never use instagram - but now I can't buy a Nest thermostat, which I used to want.
- dunmalg 13y agoHigh end commercial/industrial HVAC systems already have automation that far outperforms anything Nest offers. Google up "honeywell comfortpoint".