Google’s smart thermostat Nest is coming back with a third generation, and this time, it’s more in your face than before. By adding new features, such as the ability to sense a person from across the room, and increasing the display’s brightness and size, the company hopes to make the new Nest more visible and thus increase its sales.
To be more precise, the new screen is bigger and brighter by 40 percent that the previous gen, equipped with higher resolution as well. The device is still, however, fairly tiny at 2.08 inches in diameter, so don’t go imagining an unaesthetic and bulky brick on your wall.
With the rollout of the latest Nest at $249, the previous device will be available for a reduced price of $199. It might not seem like a great change to have a bigger and brighter display, but this marks the first product update since 2012. At the same time, it’s the first change made under the signature of Google ever since it bought Nest in 2014.
Nest also seems to want to become more central to your home by increasing its visibility as well as expanding its features. The Nest thermostat is now designed to sense your presence and turn on even if you’re further away and display information like the temperature set for the room or simply the time.
Even though there’s always the Nest’s companion app for interacting with the thermostat’s settings, the company hopes to make it easier to interact with directly and more of a smart-home gadget.
One aspect that has remained the same is the thermostat’s ability to pair with other Nest products, such as the Nest Protect – the smart detector of smoke and carbon monoxide – and Nest Cam. And if you’re using other Internet-connected gadgets offered by Nest, like the door locks and light bulbs, this third gen is also compatible with those.
According to recent statements of Nest spokeswoman Zoz Cuccias, the focus on the Nest’s display is simply a way to encourage users to interact with the thermostat in an easier fashion.
But what if the company would take it a step further and made it a more capable smart-home assistant? Nest might also be thinking of future developments with this new device, however, as a bigger screen could become a useful tool in allowing users to see more data straight on the Nest itself.
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