Can your smart thermostat be smarter?

-

As a lifelong thermostat-turner-upper, I distinctly remember a day in high school when I made a beeline to crank the heat in my family home. Instead of the quiet rumble of the heater turning on, it was silent. I bundled myself in blankets and waited to tell my parents the news: We were going to freeze. Clearly I was being dramatic, but I remember my parents' frustration nonetheless with the broken furnace. 

Not to date myself, but this was before smart thermostats existed. Our thermostat wasn't tracking any minor issues that could become big ones, and it certainly couldn't alert us about them. Fortunately, homes are getting smarter: Starting today we are testing a new Nest thermostat feature that can help alert you to some heating and cooling system (HVAC) issues. With this new feature, Nest is learning how to identify unusual patterns related to your HVAC system, and can alert you to a variety of potential issues. Most of us don't have an HVAC pro on speed dial, so we're also testing out the ability to help customers connect with a professional who can help, starting in select cities.

Get HVAC alerts

Based on information like your thermostat's historical data and current weather, Nest will learn to detect some unusual HVAC patterns that might indicate something is wrong. If it's taking longer than normal to heat your home, for example, there might be a problem with your heating system—even if you haven't noticed anything. 

If your thermostat notices a potential issue we are testing, we'll send you an email alert telling you what your thermostat noticed and which system (heating or cooling) may be having a problem. There will be issues that your thermostat won't catch—but over time and through your feedback, Nest thermostats will get smarter and better at detecting more and more possible problems.

Book a pro

If you receive an HVAC email alert, you may want to have a professional take a look at your system. If a Nest Pro installed your thermostat or previously serviced your system and you want to hire them again, you can often find their contact information on your Nest thermostat or in the Nest app.

As part of this feature test, we are also partnering with Handy, a platform that connects qualified professionals with customers who need their services, to make it easy to find and book an HVAC pro with set pricing. Booking through Handy will initially be available in over 20 metro areas, including Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Las Vegas, and San Diego, and expand to additional regions throughout the testing period.

How do I get alerts?

Sign up to get your Nest Home Report, and you'll automatically receive these new HVAC alert emails. You can also opt out of getting these HVAC alerts at any time. With this new thermostat feature, you now have more insight into your heating and cooling system, to help you look after your home. 



#Google #Android #Smartphones #OS #News @ndrdnws #ndrdnws #AndroidNews

Popular Posts:

Apple is postponing new iOS features in favor of reliability and performance

-
Image
Apple has decided to postpone new features in iOS in favor of improving the reliability and performance of the operating system, as according to a report by Axios. According to the report, Craig Federighi, Senior Vice President, Software Engineering, announced the revised plan to employees at a meeting earlier this month. This pushes features like refresh of the homescreen and in-car user interface, improvements to core apps like Mail and camera experience to 2019. What we will get this year is improvements to AR, digital health and parental controls. Apart from that, the OS will largely feature improvements to performance and user experience. We have seen Apple do this with macOS in the past, where they dedicate one entire update cycle to just refining the OS and make existing features work better. However, we have never quite seen Apple do that on iOS. This is largely due to the hyper competitive nature of the mobile market where competition and customer demands push companies t
Continue Reading....

Do more from your inbox with Gmail Add-ons

-
Image
For many of us, email is mission control—the prompt to generate an invoice, prepare a presentation or follow up on a sales opportunity. With so many to-dos, imagine if you could complete these tasks directly from your inbox without interrupting your workflow. We believe email can do more, which is why we're launching Gmail Add-ons, a new way to work with your favorite business apps directly in Gmail. Gmail Add-ons, built for your workflows Rather than toggling between your inbox and other apps, use add-ons to complete actions right from Gmail. With Gmail Add-ons, your inbox can contextually surface your go-to app based on messages you receive to help you get things done faster. And because add-ons work the same across web and Android, you only need to install them once to access them on all of your devices. Click the settings wheel on the top right of your inbox and then "Get add-ons" to get started. We made Gmail Add-ons available in developer p
Continue Reading....

This is Samsung’s official spec sheet for the Galaxy S8 and S8+

-
Image
The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ have finally been unveiled, and our hands-on experience with the devices is available for everyone to see. Everyone has a pretty good idea about the devices’ specifications at this point, but for those wanting to see it, we have added the official spec sheet offered by Samsung below. Remember, detailed specs are also available from our devices page . Oh, and don’t remember to take a look at what we think about Samsung’s new flagships .
Continue Reading....

Jurassic VR - Google Cardboard

-
Image
Jurassic VR - Google Cardboard Rabbit Mountain Adventure VERSION/BUILD: 1.6.4 UPDATED: 28 January 2018 REQUIRES ANDROID: 4.4 and up FILE SIZE: 66.4 M Walking with the dinosaurs! Roam the earth and experience prehistoric times in Virtual Reality. Celebrating 4+ million downloads! Have you ever wanted to meet Dinosaurs in real life? Experience the ultimate dino ride with Jurassic VR - Google Cardboard Freely roam the open environment en poke round the beautiful cedar evergreen trees to see huge dinos come to life. You can go to any point and see the sites and dinos in VR. Players get to experience the site at their own pace and the mission is simple; enjoy and discover the world of prehistoric dinosaurs before the modern world cities were built. It's like a virtual reality attraction traveling you back to prehistoric times! The ultimate experience There is no need anymore to become an archaeologist and dig the earth
Continue Reading....

DJI Mavic Air: could this be the definitive drone?

-
Image
DJI showcased its new Mavic Air drone in New York. The third quadcopter in this series is of similar quality to its predecessors and can also fold its arms for better portability. For its size, no competitor offers so much in terms of photo quality. Release date and price The DJI Mavic Air can be ordered through the official DJI website  and is also available from other retailers. The drone is available in three colors: marengo grey, white and red. We can buy the Mavic Air in a basic pack with remote control, protections, charger, cover, propeller replacement and a battery from US$799 (£769 in the UK). Often, one battery is not enough so there is a more complete pack available with three batteries, charger for four batteries and two propeller replacements from $999 (£949 in the UK). The red model reminds me of a Porsche. / © AndroidPIT Design and build quality In essence, it is th
Continue Reading....