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Ring launches its cheapest connected doorbell yet
The new camera doesn't have a battery, and costs just $60.
Engadget giveaway: Win a trio of Nest products courtesy of Bitdefender!
With more internet-facing smart devices in homes than ever before, it's wise to consider securing that digital portal. The Bitdefender Box connects to your home router, providing an easy-to-setup shield for all the data flowing through it. It scans for malware and adds a layer of protection to help keep your data and IoT devices safe from prying eyes. That security can also extend to your Mac, PC and mobile devices (iOS and Android) when you're away from home by using Bitdefender's Private Line feature. For a limited time, Box is available for just $99, which is half off its regular price and includes one year of the company's subscription service. To help promote this deal, the company is providing one lucky reader with a Bitdefender Box and Nest's lineup of IoT products including the Protect, Thermostat and Cam. All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning this smart and secure home combo! Winner: Congratulations to Charlie P. of Boise, ID!
Rhino horn cameras promise to catch poachers in the act
Anti-poaching teams can only do so much to protect rhinos. Their immediate presence can deter rogue hunters, but a lot of the slaughter happens before these teams even know that something's wrong. That's where non-profit group Protect's RAPID (Real-Time Anti-Poaching Intelligence Device) should come in handy. The system uses a blend of heart rate sensors, GPS tags and cameras drilled into one of the rhinos' horns (don't worry, it's painless) to warn conservationists when a rhino is under threat. If a rhino's heart starts racing or suddenly goes still, observers get an alert that lets them turn on the camera to see if something's wrong. Ideally, this will prevent poachers from even firing a shot -- they know that they'll likely be caught within minutes if they chase or kill a tagged animal.
Nest's home security camera comes to the UK
Last month, Nest unveiled two new products that could make your home a whole lot safer: a revamped Protect smoke alarm and a wireless Nest Cam security camera. Both quickly debuted in the US and now, they're available in the UK too. The new £159 Nest Cam is clearly inspired by Dropcam -- the startup that Nest acquired last year for $555 million. The hardware offers some useful improvements though, such as a magnetic base (with tripod mount) that can be easily attached to most home surfaces. It also shoots in 1080p and uses eight built-in infrared LEDs to record and detect motion after dark. You can check the camera's live feed from your phone and "soon" Nest will be launching its Aware cloud backup service (£8 per month) so you can review anything from the last 30 days.
Nest's smart thermostat will warn if your pipes are going to freeze
Nest didn't just show off its first self-branded home monitoring camera and a revamped smoke detector at its big event. The home automation firm also gave its Learning Thermostat an update that, if you like, will warn you if the temperature falls outside of a preferred range. You'll know if it gets so cold that the pipes are likely to freeze, or if it's scorching enough that your pet will pass out. The climate controller also works in closer harmony with the Protect. It'll show carbon dioxide and smoke alarms that you might otherwise miss, and can shut off your air conditioning or heating to prevent smoke from spreading. It'll take about two weeks for Nest to push the thermostat upgrade to your home, but you can grab the necessary mobile app revamp (which unifies control for Nest's devices) as of today.
Nest's second-gen Protect is better at detecting fires
Nest's Protect smart smoke and CO alarm has been getting better with age thanks to software updates, but now it's time for a hardware upgrade. Nest has just announced a brand new Nest Protect, with improvements in both the hardware and software department. For starters, it's loaded with what Nest call a "split-spectrum sensor," which is said to be better at detecting both fast-burning and slow-spreading fires than the photoelectric smoke detector the first-gen Protect uses. A new smoke chamber also greatly reduces the chance of false-positive alerts due to dust or bugs. Also, you can now test the device's speaker, horn and its sensors from within the companion app, as well as silence the smart smoke detector's screams from your smartphone when you burn your dinner.
Nest devices start talking to Google, washing machines and your car
Nest's Learning Thermostat and Protect smoke detector are now part of a much, much larger universe. The company has just launched a developer program that lets third-party apps and devices talk to Nest hardware, making it do things that aren't possible through official software. The initiative is kicking off with a whole host of partnerships in place, in many cases with feature updates either available now or due in the near future. Chamberlain's garage doors can now tell your Nest thermostat when you're home, while Mercedes-Benz lets you check the temperature on the road; Logitech's Harmony Ultimate remote can lower the heat in mid-movie, and Jawbone's Up24 fitness tracker can tell Nest when you wake up.
Nest Protect smoke alarm returns with a lower price following safety recall
Earlier this year, Nest recalled the Protect smoke detector after it realized the product's standout feature (the ability to silence it with a hand gesture) made it potentially unsafe to use. In response, Nest halted sales, and disabled "Wave" control on existing devices using the product's built-in WiFi connection. Now Protect is back: The company resumed sales tonight, with the Wave feature still disabled. And hey, the price is lower too -- $99, down from $129. For now, you'll have to silence the device the old-fashioned way -- by pushing a button. That said, a Nest spokesperson told us the company is working on an easier way to silence the alarm, even if hand gestures aren't the way to go (people might silence the device when they didn't mean to). If you wanna buy it now, be our guest; just remember that you're no longer paying for gesture control, but other features, like a built-in nightlight, sleek design, spoken warnings and the ability to control the device remotely using an app. Still a good feature set if you ask us, though it was probably wise of Nest to cut the price. Update: For those of you who already own a Nest Protect, you might be eligible for a $33 refund -- if you purchased it before June 15th, have it paired to your Nest account and had the device connected to the internet after April 3rd. You can find more information about that here.
Nest stops selling Protect smoke alarms, says they can be accidentally silenced
If you're one of the connected home buffs that owns a Nest Protect smoke detector, do yourself a favor and turn off its wave-to-dismiss feature just in case. According to an open letter from Nest CEO Tony Fadell, the company is concerned people could activate that feature without knowing it. Worst case scenario? It gets quietly enabled and doesn't warn people of a fire as quickly as it should. Fadell's missive was a little light on detail, but a FAQ shared by the company explains it a little better. Because of some quirks in its sensing algorithm, "movements near the product that are not intended as a wave can be misinterpreted" as a command to disable the alarm. The Wave feature was one of the Protect's little luxuries -- who likes getting up on a chair to push a tiny button on a blaring alarm? -- so it's a little surprising to see it acting so sketchy. As you'd expect, Fadell was quick with the assurances: Nest hasn't heard of anything like that happening in the wild, and the company is temporarily halting Protect sales until the team has worked out those algorithmic kinks. Meanwhile, Protect owners who have their units connected to the internet can expect the wave feature to be disabled automatically within the next 24 hours. On the off chance that this whole thing leaves a bad taste in your mouth, you can contact Nest for a full refund too.
Nest's Protect smoke detector warns you before it's about to go off; coming soon for $129
Gosh, we were really excited to tell you what Nest's latest product is (we really didn't think you were going to guess), but then someone had to go and spoil the surprise. At any rate, the news is now official: Nest is indeed coming out with a smoke / carbon monoxide detector and yes, the product is called "Protect." As you can see in the photo above, Nest is trying to do for smoke detectors what it's already done for thermostats. Which is to say, it's trying to take a mundane household object and make it sexy. Well, sexy and smart. It wouldn't be a Nest device if it didn't have WiFi built in, allowing you to control the settings and check the battery life using a mobile app (it's available for iOS, with Android versions in both Google Play and the Kindle App Store). Also, the WiFi connection allows one Protect to talk to another. In the event of an emergency, all of the Protects in the house will go off, using a female speaking voice to let you know there's a fire or CO. But wait a second, what if there's no emergency? What if you just slightly burned your artisinal grilled cheese? In low-threat situations like this, Protect will warn you that it senses smoke, and then give you a chance to wave away the alert with your hand -- yep, the same way you'd wave away smoke itself. As you'd expect, the grace period depends on the urgency of the situation: if you've just been cooking dinner, you might be able to wave away the alert before the alarm goes off, but if there really is fire, you understandably won't get the luxury of a warning. Meanwhile, on the back end, the Protect can work in tandem with a Nest thermostat, so that if the Protect detects carbon monoxide, Nest will shut your heat off (many CO leaks are related to heating).
Nest reportedly working on smart smoke detector dubbed Protect
Now that Nest has rolled out its second-gen smart thermostat, it looks like it's gearing up to reveal its next project: an intelligent smoke detector dubbed Protect. Jessica Lessin, formerly of the Wall Street Journal, first broke word of the device and now AllThingsD is chiming in to confirm its existence. Specifics are slim, but it's said Protect will connect to the outfit's existing A/C hardware (presumably over Bluetooth), lending it long battery life since it won't need a WiFi chip. Lessin notes that a subscription-based monitoring service and the ability to sense carbon monoxide have been considered, but ATD's sources say the contraption won't be tied to a monthly fee. An official unveiling is expected to occur soon, and retail availability could come by year's end. Now that intelligent smoke detectors appear poised to head into homes soon, we can only hope they're as charming as Gilbert Gottfried. [Image credit: Katy Warner, Flickr]
Google, Wikipedia and others protest SOPA / PIPA
At this point, SOPA needs no introduction. But if you've been diligently ignoring it up until this point, good luck getting through January 18th as an uninformed citizen. Google, Wikipedia and a host of other websites are either going dark or making huge, unmistakable statements on their homepages in protest. Google's tagline? "End Piracy, Not Liberty." Pretty much says it all, really. If you've spotted another site rebelling today, shout it out in comments below -- and while you're in the shouting mood, give your local officials a holler and let 'em know just how much you disapprove.P.S. - An amazing breakdown of this whole thing can be found here at reddit.
BlackBerry Protect moves to wider beta, ready to secure your stuff
After a limited beta last year, RIM's BlackBerry Protect service has been opened to a wider test audience with tweaks based on feedback collected in the first round. As you might recall, Protect is a fairly standard-issue suite of security features to put your mind at ease in the event your phone meets its maker or the hands of a thief, including location capability, a remote alarm, wireless backup, and -- of course -- the doomsday remote wipe option. It's available in North America and parts of Latin America for the moment through App World's Test Center, though RIM promises to open it to additional regions "in the next couple of months."
Mac 101: Protect your data with FileVault
If you use a notebook Mac, then the risks are higher for getting your computer stolen. However, Apple has included a tool to protect your entire home folder (documents, pictures, movies, etc.) right within OS X. FileVault protects your computer against stolen data by encrypting/decrypting your home folder each time you login and logout. To use FileVault, you must first set a Master Password. This password is a fail-safe if you forget your user login info. However, if you lose both your user login info and the master password, you will not be able to decrypt your home folder and your data (if not backed up in unencrypted form) will be lost forever. To set the master password, navigate to System Preferences > Security > FileVault > Set Master Password. Once you have the master password set, you will be able to turn on FileVault and begin protecting your data. Click the "Turn on FileVault" button in the FileVault section of the Security preference pane. You will be asked for your master password, and a disclaimer will be displayed explaining the process. Please note that you will not be able to login to your Mac via SMB (Windows file sharing) after turning on FileVault. FileVault provides a high level of data security, but some applications have a history of incompatibility with the feature; it's also very important that you have a secure and solid backup strategy if you choose to use FileVault. For best results with Time Machine, make sure that your FV home folder is upgraded to the Leopard image format (if you were using FV under Tiger, you may have to turn it off and back on to convert your home folder) and log out of your account periodically to allow backups to run.
Forum post of the day: Random acts of kindness
Of course there's a lot of bad blood between Horde and Alliance, but every once in a while we work together. About half of the times I've done the Ring of Blood quest line in Nagrand I've seen Horde and Alliance fighting side-by-side. There are some other quests that seem to promote this behavior like "Even Gronn have Standards" and "The Skettis Offensive." Some things just bring out our cooperative souls. Sometimes we just find ourselves compelled to do nice things. Sukalin of EU-Anarchronos told a tale of a complete stranger coming to his rescue:Just a few minutes ago, I was running down through Stranglethorn Vale on my 20 Warlock, so I could get to Booty Bay and eventually The Barrens to do my Succubus quest. I kept getting attacked by beasts and dying, though. About a quarter of the way down I was attacked by a tiger and was reduced to about 5% health when a Troll Shaman called Ayisah shocked the tiger and saved me! I was grateful, of course, and expressed my gratitude in the form of emotes - but in addition to that she helped me travel down the rest of the zone by following close behind me on my way to Booty Bay.
Rich Corinthian leather for your DS Lite, not your wallet
Tired of your Nintendo DS looking sad and forlorn in it's simple plastic shell? Ready to upgrade that sucker to ultra-executive wannabe? Then wrap it in leather with primo stitching, and fool everyone in the boardroom into thinking you've got some fancy new PDA, while you secretly unravel the secrets in Hotel Dusk: Room 215.Sister site DS Fanboy has the goods on the covers for the DS only, which appear to come in dark brown and ... light brown from Cataloger (Japan). What, no black? C'mon, we need a black leather case for our black DS lite with black stylus. Fortunately, you can pick up a black and tan (delicious) case for your DS Lite over at Play-Asia, where Hori has three different shades going on, plus a nifty retaining strap.When you start buying accessories that are more expensive than what's inside, then it might be time for a little self-examination. Then again, we just can't help ourselves.[Thanks, Anon I Mousse]
It's goin' nowhere
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/THIS_Wiimote_is_goin_nowhere'; We knew the straps were a little weak. This user decided to protect his loved ones and shiny TV set in the most authoritative way he knew how: chaining that wand to his wrist, nuclear-bomb-code-briefcase style. We ourselves have used thick shoelaces at parties to ensure ... ah ... inebriated members of the populace wouldn't deface and destroy; how about you guys? Come up with any creative solutions in the realm of protective measures?[via VG Cats]
EFF technologist on DRM, Apple's role and the bigger picture
Seth Scoen, an EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) staff technologist, has an interesting blog post in which he analyzes some of the arguments surrounding DRM, Apple's role and how DRM affects the market in more ways than simply locking down content. He also hopes to remind those who have gone astray from the meat of the topic that getting caught up in the Mac vs. PC (and Apple vs. Microsoft) debates in the DRM world only serves to muddy the issue, much like many political debates get too caught up in 'Democrat vs. Republican' rivalry.One of the more important arguments that Seth examines in terms of DRM as a whole and how it affects market competition is that of 'it's the record labels, not Apple who are to blame for the use of DRM'. Seth cites an EFF post from May, 2004 in which their own Fred von Lohmann wrote about his chance to ask the iTMS head lawyer as to whether Apple would stop using DRM if the record labels got really drunk one night lifted their requirement of it. The lawyer reportedly answered "no", which prompted Seth to remind us that DRM clearly isn't just about protecting content - it's also about protecting profitable and closed products like iTunes + iPod, and, perhaps even more importantly, Apple isn't the only one trying to do this.Seth's post offers some interesting perspective on these DRM arguments, and it refreshingly delves deeper than the "Apple's solution is terrible which means you should use Microsoft's" banter. Check it out.[via BoingBoing]
