thermostat

Nest, makers of the Learning Thermostat, said Tuesday that it has bought MyEnergy, a move geared towards helping customers and utilities alike get a better handle on power usage.

In a release, Nest said that MyEnergy has built a nationwide user base with an online service that provides users with a single place for studying their power usage and bills. The tool is meant to allow people to track their usage and costs and to compare that usage both over time and to neighbors. The company's utility partners use the service to offer their customers, especially those who aren'… Read more

With all of the 10 hottest years on record having come since 1998, it's hard to deny that things are getting hotter. And as the temperature rises, so too does society's power usage.

With that in mind, Nest, the maker of the Learning Thermostat, has just issued its latest software update aimed at increasing people's comfort, while at the same time reducing their energy bills.

Last week, the company unveiled Nest Energy Services, a set of initiatives available to customers of certain utility companies that has a similar goal. But the new software update works for anyone … Read more

After succeeding at the once inconceivable task of making thermostats sexy, Nest is now out to change peoples' relationships with their utility companies, and make the energy industry more efficient in the process.

Today, Nest, the company founded by Tony Fadell -- the "godfather" of the iPod and fellow former top Apple employee Matt Rogers -- rolled out its next big effort.

While many had speculated that the company's follow-up to its Learning Thermostat would be another smart home appliance, the company instead unveiled Nest Energy Services, a broad initiative aimed at attacking the problems of general … Read more

Honeywell doesn't get any more specific than referring to "other 'smart' thermostats" in announcing its new Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat this week, but the feature and price similarities between Honeywell's new product and the Nest Learning Thermostat couldn't be more clear.

For $249, the same price as the Nest, the Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat will provide a similar set of functions to help you regulate and customize your home heating and cooling. Like the Nest, Honeywell's thermostat lets you program temperature settings on the device itself and remotely via iOS and Android devices. It also has … Read more

I feel like I might be the only person in the world who loves the poor Chromebook Pixel. It's just so misunderstood, with its ridiculously high price, its tiny 32GB hard drive, and its odd 3:2 screen resolution. But the design is just so gorgeous (drink), and the touch screen is so exciting, and the Chrome OS is so simple and Web-based! Perhaps you'll fall in love like I did ... or be wildly skeptical like Jeff Cannata. Check out this week's Unboxing, and find out.

On the other hand, Jeff is delighted by the idea of … Read more

Barcelona is the place to be, and not just for the cafe con leche, the jamon iberico, or the incredible melted-stone facades of such Gaudi creations as the Sagrada Familia or the Casa Mila. Forget all that nonsense. It's all about the phones.

Mobile World Congress just wrapped in Barcelona, and with it came a bevy of new product announcements, ranging from Ubuntu and Firefox operating systems to new Samsung tablets, new phablets from LG and ZTE, a new Wi-Fi coffee-maker from Qualcomm, and...well, no, no Samsung Galaxy S4. That's next week. But this week's episode … Read more

Any self-respecting geek or cheapskate has no doubt had his eye on the Nest Learning Thermostat, the sexy (yes, sexy!) programmable thermostat that learns your heating and cooling habits and uses that knowledge to lower your bills.

Alas, you have to spend money to save money: the Nest sells for a rather steep $249. But not today: Lowe's has the Nest Learning Thermostat for $198 shipped, plus sales tax where applicable. And you can do a little better still if you start your purchase at TopCashback, a rebate site that's currently offering 6 percent back on Lowe's orders. … Read more

Nest, the next-generation thermostat company focused on saving energy, has closed a major round of funding, according to a new report.

Nest has raised $80 million on a valuation of $800 million, GigaOm is reporting today, citing people who claim to have knowledge of the deal. Google Ventures led the funding round. Venrock, another venture-capital firm, also participated in the round, according to GigaOm.

The Nest Learning Thermostat has proven to be a huge hit. In October, CNET Reviews Editor-in-Chief Lindsey Turrentine reviewed the Nest and gave it a full five stars out of five, or "spectacular," rating. … Read more