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Honeywell's smart Lyric security system lets you tell it what to do
After Nest's thermostat seemingly caught it off guard, Honeywell came back solidly with its own snappy-looking Lyric thermostat. Now the home control veteran is trying to build some more momentum with the launch of its second Lyric product: a "professional grade" home security system. It includes cameras, plus intruder, motion and smoke detectors, all managed by a touchscreen controller. The system accepts voice commands, which can trigger events like turning off the alarm, while simultaneously switching on the lights and turning up the heat. Honeywell says the system will also use your smartphone location and products like smart lights and locks to give you a wide range of automated scenarios.
Honeywell's £229 voice-activated smart thermostat comes to the UK
For a while, Honeywell's range of smart thermostats was pretty limited in the UK. While the evoHome Controller certainly held its own against rival devices like Google's Nest and Tado, the company decided to bring its Single Zone Connected Thermostat to UK shores last week, and is now ready to let Brits control their heating using only their voice. The aptly-named Voice Controlled Thermostat basically acts like Google Now for your boiler; you get its attention by saying "Hello, thermostat," and then issue commands to make it warmer/cooler or change the temperature by a set number of degrees. Like Honeywell's other controllers, the Voice Controller Thermostat also comes with a companion app, allowing you to program the heating remotely and save energy while you're out the house. If you fancy some hands-free heating, Honeywell's new thermostat is now available for £229 from its wide network of official UK suppliers.
Honeywell brings its £139 smart thermostat to the UK
While Honeywell might be synonymous with home thermostats, upstarts like Google's Nest have forced the company to remain on its toes. It showed US consumers that it could deliver a self-aware thermostat earlier this year, but in the UK, its connected options are relatively limited. That's changing somewhat today, with the company bringing a new low-cost solution to Britain. The Single Zone Thermostat, which has already enjoyed success across Europe, is designed to add smart features to your existing heating setup, like smartphone controls and remote scheduling. It's no Lyric or Nest, but thanks to an accompanying "internet gateway," the thermostat can sufficiently automate your home without the need for extensive and expensive upgrades. It connects to Honeywell's evoHome smart zoning system, too, letting you add another point of control in one of up to 12 rooms. Together, the Single Zone Thermostat and internet gateway will set you back £139 when it launches later this month -- a more affordable option for those who want advanced control over their home heating but don't want to pay through the nose for it.
The government insists airlines replace WiFi-allergic cockpit displays
A fleet of 737s and 777s are definitely in line for an upgrade, now that the Federal Aviation Administration has ordered airlines to replace their cockpits' displays with ones not vulnerable to WiFi signals. Let's go back a few years to understand what's going on here. See, back when the use of wireless internet aboard airplanes was only just starting to take off, Boeing conducted a test, which discovered that WiFi signals affected 737 and 777 cockpit displays. These screens, which showed pilots important flight data such as altitude and airspeed, flickered and even blanked out completely in the presence of WiFi. In one particular bad test run, the screen remained blank for a full six minutes.
Wink wants to simplify the smart home with a universal app and $80 hub
You've probably never heard of Wink, but you may soon encounter its logo ("Wink app ready") or its smart home router (the "Wink Hub") the next time you go shopping at Home Depot. The logo will appear on a range of WiFi-connected devices from different manufacturers, including air conditioners from GE and thermostats from Honeywell, signifying that they can all be controlled via the Wink app for Android and iOS. The hub unit, which will go on sale July 7th priced at $80, will act as a secondary router for Wink-compatible devices that communicate over Bluetooth, Z-Wave or Zigbee wireless protocols instead of regular WiFi -- it's something Wink describes as a reluctant but necessary addition in order for these other sorts of devices to be easily controlled via its platform
Engadget Daily: 3D printed body parts, hands-on with the Lyric thermostat and more!
Today, we investigate the reality of 3D-printed body parts, take a closer look at Honeywell's Lyric thermostat, peruse the OnePlus One's innards and learn about the Wall Street Journal's predictions for Apple's rumored wearable. Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.
Honeywell's Lyric thermostat is a worthy Nest competitor (hands-on)
Last week Honeywell announced the Lyric, its answer to the Nest learning thermostat. Today, we got a chance to see the WiFi-connected smart device in person. Retailing for $279 starting in August, the Lyric stands out for its geofencing feature, which uses smartphone location info to know whether you're home -- and to tweak the settings accordingly. When you're away, energy-saving mode is activated, and when you get within seven miles of your house, your preferred temperature will kick in. Honeywell thinks (well, hopes) you'll choose its product over the Nest for this reason, citing both the convenience factor and the energy savings.
With the introduction of HomeKit and the Honeywell Lyric, a Nest acquisition by Apple would have been foolish
Google's $3.2 billion acquisition of Nest was interesting on a number of fronts. Not only did it result in a slew of ex-Apple employees finding themselves under the employ of Google, but it also prompted many to wonder, "Why didn't Apple buy Nest?" After all, on paper it appeared that an Apple/Nest acquisition was a match made in heaven. Not only was the company led by former Apple executive Tony Fadell, but the design of the Nest Thermostat itself was lauded for bringing a more intuitive and compelling user experience to an otherwise boring thermostat market. While it remains to be seen what Fadell and his team come up with now that they have the full weight of Google behind them, two recent events bear out that Apple acquiring Nest would have made a great headline, but wouldn't have necessarily been a smart strategic move. First, we have the Honeywell Lyric. Yep, Nest isn't the only game in town anymore as the company long associated with thermostats has decided to jump into the 21st century with its own take on a modern thermostat. The device looks awfully similar to Nest's design and was designed to be a mobile-based product. The Verge recently ran an extensive review of the Lyric and it looks like a serious competitor to Nest on all fronts. You can check out some of the Lyric's features over here. Now imagine, for a second, what the landscape would look like if Apple had acquired Nest. The team would be toiling away at new iterations of the Nest Thermostat, and just like that, Apple is expending resources to compete against Honeywell and other competitors. Which brings me to point number two; the recent introduction of HomeKit. Introduced at WWDC 2014, HomeKit provides a new framework for connected devices within the iOS ecosystem. HomeKit is expected to work with home items as varied as locks, lights, doors, thermostats and more. What's more, Apple at WWDC announced that it had partnered up with a number of big name companies, including Honeywell, Philips, iHome, Haier, and Osram Sylvania. Nest may be the front runner with respect to thermostats and the like, but HomeKit has a broader objective, namely to make iOS the central hub for all connected devices. More so than manufacturing and selling peripheral devices like thermostats on its own, Apple is aiming to make the HomeKit framework so prevalent and appealing to developers that all third party hardware peripherals will want to tie into it. From Apple's vantage point, competing in all of the areas where HomeKit is looking to make an impact would be an exercise in futility. A far simpler approach, and indeed the one Apple pursued, was to let third party manufacturers continue to do what they do best and develop an attractive framework they can tie their products into. Further, with Apple aiming to get HomeKit off the ground, what better way to scare away partners than to tell them that, "Oh yeah, we'll also be competing against you guys." Instead of selling a swing set, Apple is creating a playground for others to join. All together, the impending release of Honewell's Lyric thermostat and Apple's HomeKit suggest that Apple's ideal role in the burgeoning smarthome market is as a facilitator, not an active participant. To that end, Apple buying Nest would have made for a short term sexy headline, but a long term impediment on the company's longer term plan to make the entirety of the iOS experience more attractive than anything else out there on the market.
Honeywell thermostat lets you set the temperature using your Pebble smartwatch
Honeywell may now be looking to take on Nest with a new sleek and stylish thermostat, but it's still making sure that users of its other connected systems enjoy updates too. In a bid to make things a little easier for owners of it evohome smart zoning thermostat, the company has extended support to the Pebble smartwatch, offering up room-by-room heating control from the comfort of your wrist. Honeywell's new smart bundle allows you to set the temperature of in each zone (or room) in your home and turn the heating on or off with the push of a button. The app can also immediately enable or disable any of the preset evohome quick actions, which is especially helpful if you've forgotten to shut off the heating before you fly off on holiday. If you've installed Honeywell's zoning thermostat and also own a Pebble, you can grab the new app and watchface from Pebble's app store using either your iOS or Android device.
Engadget Daily: an interview with Phil Spencer, Nintendo's new 'Zelda' game and more!
Today, we interview Xbox head Phil Spencer, get a quick preview of Nintendo's new open-world Zelda game, watch Honeywell take on Nest with its new Lyric thermostat and drop our jaws at a $1.6 million, 370-inch TV. Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.
Honeywell's Lyric thermostat has the looks and smarts to take on Nest
Honeywell has been in the connected thermostat game for a long time now. So when Nest came along and stole its thunder, you had to know the company would go back to the drawing board and return with its A-game. So here it is, the Lyric -- a decidedly Nest-like thermostat with a simple round body and a sizable display. The ability to show the current temperature or weather forecast is nice, but the proximity sensor shouldn't be overlooked. The screen automatically turns on as you approach, and stays off the rest of the time, so it doesn't constantly bathe your living room in orange light. You can physically turn the body to change temperatures obviously, but the selling point here is clearly the connectivity. The Lyric app (for iOS or Android) lets you adjust your furnace on the go and can be programmed to automatically boost or drop the temperature based on your GPS location. But, more than that, it can alert you to when you need to change the filter or have your furnace serviced. It will even direct you to a trusted Honeywell professional. The Lyric is available now through licensed professional contractors. But if you're you're the do-it-yourself type, you can pick one up for $279 at the beginning of August.
Honeywell's Bluetooth air purifier gets pollen alerts from your smartphone
Your air conditioner may already be connected to the web, but what about that lowly air purifier gallantly battling dust in the corner? If a completely connected home is on the docket, prep your 270 bucks and get ready for an upgrade. Honeywell's latest air purifier includes integrated Bluetooth, letting you use your Android or iOS smartphone to turn the device on when you enter the room, control cleaning levels, set a schedule and track when it's time to swap out the HEPA filter. But it takes automation even further, pulling pollen and mold alerts from the web via your smartphone and adjusting fan levels automatically. The HPA250B, which can accommodate rooms of up to 310 square feet, is available from Best Buy for $269.99.
Honeywell's evohome puts a smart heating system in every room, is now available in the UK
You don't need Google to tell you that fancy, net-connected and smartphone-controllable heating setups have caught on, blazing a trail for other home automation tech and the mysterious internet of things to follow. UK energy merchant British Gas launched its own wireless thermostat not too long ago, and now Honeywell's upping the stakes with its evohome multi-room system (a bigger, badder version of an old evohome product sold for "specialist installations."). In addition to the main controller that pairs with your boiler, you can also pimp your radiator valves with wireless nodes to create up to 12 different "smart zones" that can be managed independently. As you'd imagine, this means you can concoct some pretty elaborate schedules using the tablet-like touchscreen remote or via the Android and iOS apps. The system will also learn things about your crib, like how it long it takes to heat up and cool down, so you're only using energy when you need to. And, if you've left a window open, any nearby radiator module will know as much and shut itself off in protest of your wastefulness. Available in the UK from today, the basic Connected Pack (sans valve nodes) will set you back £249 without installation, which can't be any more complicated than rigging up a Sonos, can it?
Spark shows how to build a Nest-like, open source thermostat
Wish you'd had the foresight to build the Nest thermostat and get Google's attention? You can't travel back in time, but Spark may give you the next best thing. It just posted a walkthrough showing how to build a smart thermostat of your own. The device centers around both the company's WiFi-equipped Spark Core as well as off-the-shelf displays and sensors from Adafruit, Honeywell and Panasonic. Its software won't compete with anything from Nest, but you can both change the temperature and view historical data from most any modern web browser. More importantly, it's open source -- you can program your own features or simply learn how things tick. While Spark's thermostat won't be an easy DIY project unless you're good with a CNC mill, it's proof that you don't need a vast array of resources to build your own climate controller. [Thanks, Binoy]
Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat learns habits, matches your neon decor (video)
Honeywell has had WiFi-capable thermostats on the market for some time, but few of them would be a great match for home interiors that have escaped 1980s beige chic. The company's new Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat is going a long way toward bringing that design fully into the present century. Owners can color match the touchscreen interface with the paint on their walls, down to very exact shades. Of course, the thermostat wouldn't be much of a competitor in the Nest era if it didn't have some of that namesake intelligence underneath. As with its main rival, the Honeywell system has (already existing) Android and iOS apps, and can tell how long it takes to change the temperature; it's also aware of when filters need a change based on furnace behavior. If you're on the cusp of a home renovation and don't want anything so gauche as a differently-colored screen, home improvement shops should have the Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat this May for $249.
AMD, Intel and RSA team up, form the Cyber Security Research Alliance
Sure, it's not the first elite cybercrime-fighting team we've heard of, it's also not everyday you hear the likes of Intel, Lockheed Martin and AMD buddying up on research. The companies are looking to address the "complex problems" in cyber security, with the private, non-profit group (which also includes Honeywell and RSA/EMC) aiming to work somewhere between government-funded security research and commercial products already out there. The Cyber Security Research Alliance is already in talks with NIST, and plans to launch a security research symposium early next year. The CSRA will also start tracking cyber security R&D, "prioritize" those aforementioned challenges, and hopefully come together for the greater good.
Honeywell unveils Dolphin 70e Black: a ruggedized smartphone that can take a wallop
Honeywell's pulled back the curtains on its Dolphin 70e Black smartphone for folks in jobs where hardware needs to endure some rough and tumble. Pricing or detailed specs weren't revealed, but the handset packs a 4.4-inch capacitive touch screen, an area-imaging scanner, up to 12 hours of battery life, weighs in at 7 ounces and measures up at 0.75-inches thick. Boasting an IP67 rating on its resume, the phone is dust-proof and can survive a dunk in water. When the ruggedized device ships in February, it'll come pre-loaded with your choice of unspecified versions of Windows or Android.
Honeywell next up to get a patent license from Microsoft, goes the Android handheld route
Stop us if you've heard this one before: a company that wants to start using (or keep using) a Google OS strikes a patent licensing deal with Microsoft to avoid the legal barrage that will invariably follow if it says no. It's Honeywell singing the tune this time, and the company has reached an agreement that will let it use Android or Chrome OS on devices like a new edition of the Dolphin 7800 rugged handheld (shown here) without perpetually looking over its shoulder. Neither side is going into the specifics, although Microsoft has steered Honeywell into using its boilerplate copy about royalties trading hands. The truce won't help the prices of Honeywell devices; even so, it's good news for developers and customers who've been part of the company's official Android feedback program. We're still yearning for the day when we can get root access on a Honeywell thermostat.
CE-Oh no he didn't!: Tony Fadell calls Honeywell out on patent claims
Smart thermostats might not be the cut-throat world of litigation like, say, mobile phones, but that doesn't mean the odd feather doesn't get ruffled from time to time. Nest CEO, Tony Fadell, is understandably protective of his company's product, so when competitor Honeywell laid a stack of patent infringement claims at his door, unsurprisingly he was none too pleased. How displeased? Well, enough for him to drop this clanger: "Honeywell is worse than a patent troll." Then going on to quantify with "They're trying to strangle us, and we're not going to allow that to happen." We think that makes his feelings on the matter pretty clear. Well, when you've been SVP of Apple's iPod division, it's easy to see how patience with such things might wear thin.
Honeywell and Opower team up for cloud-connected smart thermostat
Normally we wouldn't get too excited about a thermostat, even a so-called smart one. But, unlike what normally passes for a "smart" home heating solution, Honeywell's upcoming touchscreen devices are going to be paired with some real brains courtesy of Opower. Details of the partnership are still a little thin, but we do know that customers will be able to program and monitor energy usage, not just from the thermostat itself but, via internet connected devices like smartphones. Opower will even provide suggestions for trimming energy bills. The first trials are expected to begin in the next few months through utility companies, but Honeywell eventually expects to offer the devices through broader retail channels. Check out the full PR after the break.
