Hasta La Gadget!

Honeywell has just announced their Prestige 2.0 Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat, which is a networkable thermostat that comes with something which most modern day mobile devices have – a touchscreen display, of course, in addition to a host of internal as well as external sensors to get the job done. Basically, the Honeywell Prestige 2.0 Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat will enabled design-focused homeowners to customize the display in order to have it match or complement the current color that your walls adorn. Not only that, since this thermostat comes with Wi-Fi connectivity, it will make life easier for owners to regulate energy usage and home comfort using a smartphone.

The touchscreen display paves the way for local input, as it will also come with mobile and email alerts that will notify homeowners just when the home’s temperature is not optimal – either too hot or cold, in addition to humidity levels, when the filter requires attention, or if the home loses its power. The thermostat is smart enough to learn on its own the amount of time required to heat and cool the house, making sure that the optimal temperature is achieved at all times. Expect to see the Honeywell Prestige 2.0 Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat arrive in the US and Canada from May onwards at $249 a pop.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: LG Smart TVs Get PayPal Debut, StarTech Portable USB Flash Duplicator,

The humble thermostat isn’t the hottest gadget category, but the Nest thermostat has the right combination of attractive interface and smartphone integration to actually be lust-worthy. Instead of pokey up and down buttons, the Nest shows you the current temperature on an aluminum dial and glows either blue or red if it’s currently heating or cooling your home. After a week of manually setting the temperature, the Nest learns your schedule and starts to control your home temperature on its own. Plus, you can control it from your computer or smartphone. More »

Nest‘s Learning Thermostat has certainly been turning some heads ever since it released less than a year ago. Its small form factor and sleek minimalistic design makes you wonder why all thermostats aren’t made like this. However, the Nest Thermostat is about to get even better. Today, the company announced the second-generation Nest Thermostat that’s both slimmer and smarter.

The new Nest is now 20% thinner than the original and has a solid stainless steel outer ring. They also removed the sensor grille on the front of the original Nest and replaced it with a smooth surface so that the display is uniform all the way around. The new look definitely puts the old design to shame.

However, Nest also made some changes to the inside of the device. First, they made installation easier by putting the mounting screw holes at the top and bottom, and also upgraded the wire connectors to make connecting the heating and cooling components easier than ever. And just like with the original Nest, you’ll find a built-level level on the inside as well.

The second-generation Nest is also now compatible with 95% of low-voltage heating and cooling systems, including 2nd-stage cooling, 3rd-stage heating, dual fuel, emergency heat, and whole-home humidifiers and dehumidifiers. They added a unique connector on the inside that’s now compatible with four different types of wires: W3, E, HUM or DEHUM.

Both the original Nest and the new Nest are getting a big software update as well. Version 3.0 consists of a lot of new features and makes the device even smarter than before. The device will now be able to automatically detect what kind of heating and cooling system you have, as well as provide you with reminders to change your filter. The thermostat is also compatible with Android tablets including the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire. Just download the required app and you’ll be set to go.

The second-generation Nest Learning Thermostat will begin shipping on October 15th and its available for pre-order now at a cost of $249.

Nest Learning Thermostat gets slimmer and smarter is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Thermostat makers aren’t exactly known for their rapid update cycles, so we’ve been wondering just when a company as unusual as Nest would try its encore. If a new FCC filing is any indication, Tony Fadell and company aren’t resting on their temperature-controlled laurels. While we don’t know if it’s a thermostat as such, the “home monitoring device” at the US agency sports Nest’s familiar circular shape while tossing in some previously unseen ZigBee wireless — a clue that there’s home automation harmony afoot, either with other Nest units or with third-party devices. It’s also apparent that Nest is keeping WiFi and won’t venture far from its internet-friendly roots. All of the firm’s secrets will be revealed in March, although we’ll side with Zatz Not Funny and leave the possibility of an earlier announcement that helps us lower our heating bills.

Filed under: Household

Nest home monitoring device pops up at the FCC with ZigBee, greater ambitions originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Sep 2012 22:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thermostats are usually boring little devices that are typically plain rectangles or circles with a manual slider that you use to choose the temperature you want your house to be. The problem for many people when it comes to saving electricity is that if you want to make the home warmer while you’re gone to cut down your air conditioning bill, you come home to a hot house. And while there are plenty of basic programmable thermostats out there, what you really want is one of these high-tech ones hanging on your wall.

Lennox has a new thermostat that’s Wi-Fi enabled and allows you to have a lot more control over your heating and cooling system. The new thermostat is called the icomfort Wi-Fi and it has a nice large LCD touchscreen. That screen shows you weather forecast information for your area and allows you to set your thermostat temperature using the touchscreen. You can even set it to display artwork or a photo of your choice when you’re not programming it.

It also has a one touch Away mode to reduce your energy use while you’re gone. Users can also connect to the thermostat to change the temperature in the home via the Internet or a smartphone. The thermostat can even communicate with a heating and cooling service provider to tell the provider if it needs maintenance. For more info on the icomfort thermostat, head on over to the Lennox website.