Earlier this year, Google closed a $3.2 billion deal to acquire Nest Labs. Along with the purchase, two innovative products came along: the “smart” Nest Thermostat and Nest Protect.
Nest products stand to revolutionize the way consumers control functions inside their homes using a smartphone or tablet. They also represent a new genre of safety devices, offering an extra warning to smoke or carbon monoxide and a potentially life saving device for the hearing impaired.
The announcement that Nest products will soon integrate with third party products offers a level of device interoperability that should infatuate Millennials and other digitally connected consumers. Nest has opened its application program interface giving developers the chance to create products compatible with their systems.
Notable companies developing products compatible with Nest include Logitech, Whirlpool, and of course Google. And, there are already several integrations completed:
- Mercedes Benz could detect when the car is about 30 minutes away from home and adjust the thermostat to make the house temperature just right for the consumer’s preference upon arrival
- With motion sensing technology, Jawbone Up wristbands will be able to sense when a person wakes up and adjust the thermostat
- Lifx LED lightbulbs are compatible with the Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide alarm system flashing red if smoke is detected.
It looks like the “Internet of things” is coming closer to being a reality.