Home security is yet another field in which Google has spread its tentacles, and for which Nest Labs – Google’s home sensing department – is responsible. Nest Cam is their latest project, based on technology offered by Dropcam, a last-year acquisition.
It’s so much alike what Dropcam developed with its first generation, that the Nest Cam is basically an upgraded version. Very much so, as the new prototype has the ability to film footage at full 1080p high definition, better than Dropcam’s 720p.
Nest Cam is said to have improved capabilities of distinguishing between movements captured on video, which translates into sending more accurate alerts to users when they are away from home. Moreover, the design for Nest Cam is slimmer, its night vision has significantly improved and it comes with tripod mount.
Nest Labs’ latest baby will soon become available in seven countries, including some in Europe, but also in Canada and the U.S.
Having the possibility of reviewing what your Nest Cam recorded will be conditioned by buying a subscription. If users pay subscription fees of £8 and £24 per month, they get to keep the video for 10 and 30 days, respectively.
Along with the unveiling of the Nest Cam in a San Francisco event, Google also announced the second generation model for its Protect device, a “smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector.” Nest guarantees this one will be even better at detecting fires with a better reaction time. The device will become available next month at the price of $99.
It was a very productive event for Nest, as the department also released a new mobile and desktop app that acts as a master remote control for all the Nest devices. Nest Cam comes as the third product of the company, after Nest Protect and Nest thermostat.
Nest’s products are part of a series of Internet connected devices that allows Google to collect even more data from its customers. Fortunately, the current policy requires the user to authorize Google before it can gather any potentially sensitive data.
According to Greg Hu, Nest’s leading product manager and director of its developer program, the user can opt out of this setting, but if they allow it, several third-party services alongside Google will be able to interact with Nest devices.
Nest was purchased by Google last year with more than $3 billion (£2 billion), eager to expand in the young market of the so called “smart home.” After Nest, home camera maker Dropcam was the next on the acquisition list, for which Nest paid $555 million.
Plenty of users already use Dropcam’s cameras – which can stream live over Wi-Fi – as vigilant eyes for when they are not at home.
Image Source: i4u News