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Nest's Learning Thermostat lands in the UK for £179
Nest officially entered the UK market last year with the launch of its smoke and carbon monoxide detector Protect, but curiously, the Learning Thermostat the company's known for remained exclusive to North America. That changes today, however, with immediate availability of the clever thermostat across the UK. The now Google-owned Nest actually starting working towards the launch over a year ago, but unlike the US and Canada where temperature control systems are fairly standardized and digital thermostats extremely common, Brits have an eclectic mix of boiler setups, and analog/digital thermostats. Making the Learning Thermostat compatible with all these arrangements meant Nest had to conjure up some additional hardware in the form of Heat Link: a box that jacks directly into your boiler and takes orders from the thermostat. You can use existing wall wiring to directly connect the two, but they can just as easily communicate over WiFi all the same.
Weekly Roundup: Comcast acquiring TWC, the Galaxy S 5 and more!
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Daily Roundup: Lumia Icon headed to Verizon, the Galaxy S 5 and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Nest is now officially a part of the Google family
Prepare for a world of Google-controlled thermostats, smoke alarms and no doubt other mysterious projects we don't know about yet. Shortly after receiving the green light from the FTC, the search giant announced that its $3.2 billion acquisition of home automation company Nest is now a done deal. Google's already touting Nest as the perfect partner to "enhance its suite of products and services," and is allowing founders Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers (both ex-members of the original iPod team) to continue operating the company under its own brand. Google's involvement brings its fair share of privacy concerns, but Fadell says Nest doesn't intend to change its current privacy policy, and that any future changes will be both transparent and opt-in. While we don't fully know what Google has planned, now that it has swapped smartphones for smart homes, we guess it could make a good start simply by making Nest's existing products available in more countries, as they're barely known outside of the US.
Chromecast, Google Play, Nexus 5 and Google Wallet had a very good 2013
The numbers are out, confirming that, yet again Google's rolling in the dough. And on its Q4 investors call, Google informed us that, while ads still butter its bread, other sources of income are growing in importance -- non-advertising revenue essentially doubled in 2013, with $1.65 billion coming in the last three months, not counting Motorola, of course. That increase is due partly to a strong holiday season this year, powered by sales of Nexus devices (particularly the 5) and Chromecasts, and the Play Store continuing to move more apps and games. Nikesh Arora, Google's senior VP and chief business officer, said that consumers' general shift toward mobile platforms has helped drive the Play Store's economics upward, and that in turn is driving many more folks to opt into Google Wallet. When asked how many Wallet users and credit cards Google's got, Arora played coy. "It's a number that we're happy with," but if you "take a look at the number of Android users out there," you can get a sense of the scale of the opportunity. Needless to say, it seems that Arora is feeling bullish about the prospects of both Wallet and the Play Store in 2014. Oh, and before you go thinking that Nest will aid in the Nexus hardware lineup's upward trajectory, don't. Google CFO Patrick Pichette said that the goal of the acquisition is to help Nest scale up its market reach worldwide and that Mountain View will bring its vast resources to bear to make it happen. So, don't expect to see any Nest-ified slates or phones anytime soon.
Daily Update for January 20, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
Nest promises not to force any privacy changes on customers after Google's takeover
Google's acquisition of Nest prompted more than a few privacy concerns, legitimate and otherwise -- will you have to share temperature data with advertisers? You won't, as long as CEO Tony Fadell has his way. He told those at the DLD Conference that there aren't any plans to change Nest's current privacy policy, and any changes will be both transparent and opt-in; your smoke alarm won't start posting Google+ updates without permission. It will be a while before we see how well the company lives up to its promise, but it's good to know that Nest's ideal connected home won't be too connected. Check out Fadell's privacy remarks in the video below at about the 12:49 mark.
Weekly Roundup: Google acquires Nest, President Obama speaks out on surveillance and more!
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Adobe's Lightroom for iPad makes a brief appearance, Google acquires a Nest, and other news from Jan. 12-18
With so much news and so many stories flying around every day, we here at TUAW thought it might be good to offer a quick "executive summary" of some of the most important news events from the past week. How do we measure the criteria for this round-up? Well, it's a work in progress, but the basic formula goes like this: "No rumors, no speculation, just news. If someone had been cut off from the Internet all week and came back today, what would be the stories you'd want to make sure they knew about? Or, to put it another way: what are the news stories from this past week that I'm likely to still care about in another week?" Obviously there's a certain amount of subjectivity in picking any kind of list like this, so we'll leave the comments open for awhile, in case you would like to suggest some bit of news we left off. Adobe's Lightroom for iPad briefly surfaces It looks like Adobe's Lightroom is making the leap to the iPad. 9to5Mac briefly spotted a listing for the software, with a subscription price of $99 a year, briefly on Adobe's site. When they inquired about it, Adobe pulled the link. With the release on the horizon, maybe there's hope that Apple will eventually do the same thing with Aperture. Adobe demonstrated a prototype for it in 2013. 9to5Mac says the software will sync with the desktop version of Lightroom. Apple's Anti-Trust Ebookcase The saga of Apple's anti-trust ruling in the eBook case continues to make the news. Apple sought the removal of court-appointed antitrust monitor claiming a litany of unnecessary expenses and inconveniences, but this week the judge ordered Apple and antitrust monitor to play nice. The whole thing still smells funny to many of us. Salon described it as Amazon's bogus anti-Apple crusade which didn't have the negative consequences anti-trust suits are meant to avoid. Dropbox down, but not hacked Dropbox experienced a rare bit of out downtime this week. Some well-timed pranksters tried to claim they had hacked the site, but Dropbox explains they had brought it on themselves. They outlined the problems in a post-mortem. Your Dropbox data was never at risk, but if it had been, the fine folks at Agile remind you that your Master Password is your defense from Dropbox breaches, real and imagined. Google bought Nest to the disappointment of the entire Internet Google bought Nest this week, which seemingly disappointed the entire Internet, and flooded Twitter with thousands of variations of approximately three jokes about a future update requiring a Google+ account to change your temperature. The Verge explained Why is everyone disappointed by Google buying Nest? in case you need someone to explain it to you. But my favorite response of the week was Joy Of Tech showing how Google/Nest had finally "disrupted" the market. Software Updates of Note The OmniGroup released OmniOutliner for Mac version 4. It requires OS X 10.9, and can be purchased either from the Mac App Store or directly from OmniGroup. You can download a demo from OmniGroup's website. (As always, I recommend purchasing directly from developers unless you must have iCloud. Developers can give you upgrade pricing, which Apple seems not to want to offer.) The Pro version is $100 ($50 upgrade) and the standard version is $50 ($25 upgrade). They also offer educational pricing. If you have any interest in making eBooks, you should check out Vellum which tackles the difficult process of making eBooks which are compatible with the Kindle, Nook, and iBooks. You can download and try the app for free. You only pay when you want to generate the actual files. This week they announced unlimited eBooks can be made for $300, or you can make 10 for $150, or 1 for $50. The unlimited version includes all future updates to the app. Some deals you don't want to miss There are no shortages of deals around. You can find them at http://deals.tuaw.com/ or by following our daily deals, but I did want to make sure that I made special mention of two: Save 50% in Take Control's Post-Holiday Ebook Sale: "Through 25 January 2014, you can add any number of our ebooks to your Take Control library for 50 percent off. All books are DRM-free and available in PDF, EPUB, and Mobipocket (Kindle) formats, so you can read wherever, whenever, and on whatever device you like." Get the all new Box for iPhone and iPad + 50GB free (Active Jan 15 - Feb 15, 2014). See the support page for nuts and bolts.
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]
Daily Update for January 14, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some of the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
Why Apple didn't buy Nest
With Google announcing yesterday that it acquired the Tony Fadell-led Nest Labs for a cool US$3.2 billion, an emerging narrative is that Google caught Apple asleep at the wheel. For many who keep a close eye on tech, an Apple/Nest Labs acquisition seemed like a match made in heaven. I myself was quick to hop on this bandwagon, writing yesterday: [There's a] commonly held view that Nest Labs was an Apple acquisition just waiting to happen. Nest's Thermostat was largely viewed as an Apple-esque product insofar that it simplified what was otherwise a cumbersome and confusing activity. It may sound absurd, but the Nest Thermostat really worked to make home temperature automation seem cool, and more importantly, approachable. Given that Fadell has deep roots at Apple and that home automation via mobile devices is becoming more prevalent, many assumed, or perhaps hoped, that if any company were to acquire Nest it'd be Apple. But the more I thought about it, the more it became clear to me that Apple purchasing Nest, especially for billions of dollars, just didn't make a whole lot of sense. Because Google and Apple are such fierce competitors, and because Apple is waging an all-out proxy war against Google via its ongoing legal battles with Samsung, it's only natural to assume that a notable Google acquisition is a de-facto Apple loss. The reality is much more nuanced. Nest products won't help drive more iOS sales Apple has tens of billions of dollars in the bank, a handsome sum primarily derived from good, old-fashioned hardware sales. Even software titles that used to generate cash flow for Apple are now given away for free to the masses, with OS X Mavericks being the most obvious example. To that end, it's hardly novel to state that Apple's software business exists to drive hardware sales. As a result, Apple is exceedingly concerned with ensuring that its software remains intuitive, powerful and a step above the competition. Consequently, Apple isn't interested in getting into the thermostat or smoke detector business. What really lights Apple's fire is making sure that iOS is so big, so prevalent and so important that hardware and peripheral manufacturers from all over the map view iOS integration as a necessity. There's no denying that Nest Labs is doing some really cool work and has already put out two really great and forward-thinking products in just three years time. And again, there's no denying that Nest's products have a distinctive Apple-y vibe to them, a fact which shouldn't come as much of a surprise given that the company was co-founded by two highly regarded Apple alums. That notwithstanding, assume for a second that Apple was the company that purchased Nest Labs. Now what? Now Apple all of a sudden finds itself selling thermostats and smoke detectors. And it paid $3.2 billion for that privilege? Where's the win there? Put simply, would a Nest Labs acquisition ultimately have helped Apple sell more iOS devices than before? I don't see it. In stark contrast, Apple's cheap-by-comparison $356 million acquisition of Authentec directly led to Touch ID, the flagship feature on the iPhone 5s. Hardware sales-wise, Nest Labs would be a micro hobby to Apple Fadell has said that the Nest Thermostat is in nearly 1 percent of US homes. Not too shabby. But Apple in its most recent quarter sold 33.8 million iPhones. That figure is equivalent to 10.6 percent of the entire US population (33.8 million iPhones per 317 million people). Apple is a huge company, so much so that it still considers the venerable Apple TV a hobby, even though it has cumulatively sold more than 13 million units, with the majority of those sales having occurred since 2013. So while Nest has some great products, its product line would be nothing more than a micro hobby for a company as big and profitable as Apple. Apple already has and will likely continue to have the benefits of Nest/iOS product integration Home automation and internet-connected devices are becoming more of a reality with each passing month. Consequently, Apple's doesn't need Nest's products under its umbrella when they already interface with iOS. Of course, it's only natural for cynics to ask, "Well sure, how long is that going to last?" Addressing that very question, Fadell, the iPodfather himself, explained in an interview with The Verge that we have nothing to worry about: Well look, at the end of the day, customer choice is essential. And we don't make products that compete with Apple, nor make products that compete with Google. Our customers come in both iOS and Android flavors, and I hope our customers can still buy the products they want to purchase wherever they want to purchase them. And sure, you can question Fadell's sincerity of Larry Page's intentions if you want, but Google would be a fool if, at some point down the line, it made Nest products that didn't play nicely with iOS. If anything, history suggests that Google wants to be part of the iOS ecosystem while Apple is the company overly concerned and paranoid about sleeping with the enemy. Perhaps Google Voice rings a bell? Ponder this question: What type of person would buy a thermostat or smoke detector first and then base a subsequent smartphone purchasing decision on compatibility issues? The short of it is that as long as Apple continues to sell iPhones faster than they can make them, Nest on iOS isn't going anywhere anytime soon. $3.2 billion for a lone company? That's not something Apple does Another reason why an Apple/Nest acquisition doesn't add up is because, quite frankly, it just doesn't add up. Google is paying $3.2 billion for Nest Labs, an astronomical amount for a company as stingy as Apple. For some context, Apple's most expensive acquisition to date was the $404 million it paid to acquire NeXT (and Steve Jobs). Now if we take a look at Apple's 10 most expensive acquisitions with a publicized purchase price, here's what we come up with. NeXT - $404 million Power Computing - $100 million P.A. Semi - $278 million Quattro Wireless - $275 million Intrinsity - $121 million C3 Technologies - $267 million Anobit - $390 million AuthenTec - $356 million PrimeSense - $345 million Topsy - $200 million Taken together, that comes out to $2.7 billion. And for you currency sticklers out there, note that eight of the above 10 acquisitions were made after 2010. Point being, even if we look at Apple's older acquisitions in today's dollars, Google's $3.2 billion purchase price is still astronomical by Apple's standards. Let's hail Google, not rag on Apple With an acquisition as big as this, and one involving quite a number of former Apple employees no less, it's only natural to reflexively ask, "Should Apple have acquired Nest?" For the reasons listed above, I don't think such an acquisition would have made much sense. Indeed, re/code reported last night that "Google was the only serious bidder and Apple was not in the mix." That said, I think you have to give props to Google for plunking down $3.2 billion for an inventive company with a creative and talented executive team. Whatever Google has in mind, one can only surmise that it has to be big given the large purchase price. For those keeping score at home, the Nest acquisition is Google's second most expensive to date, only trailing its $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility back in 2011. I think it's important, and undeniably interesting, to have a company like Google so focused on cool technology that it has no shame in releasing products first, no matter how shaky, random or unprofitable, and asking questions later. Google Glass, anyone? I mean, Google this past December acquired Boston Dynamics, a company renowned for building pretty jaw-dropping futuristic robots. And now Google has spent a boatload of cash to acquire Nest Labs. Who the heck knows what Google's product roadmap looks like these days, but you can safely bet that they have some interesting ideas in the works. Apple undoubtedly does too, but $3.2 billion for a company that sells sleek thermostats and smoke detectors just doesn't coalesce with Apple's DNA. It does with Google's. Interesting hypothetical -- What if Microsoft bought Nest? Imagine for a second that Microsoft, and not Google, acquired Nest Labs for $3.2 billion. Would the discourse be any different? I think it's reasonable to assume that if the leader-less folks up in Redmond spent $3.2 billion on Nest, they'd be lampooned for overpaying.
Nest reaffirms iOS support, and other news for January 14, 2014
The biggest tech news of the last 24 hours was Google's acquisition of Nest. Many customers considered what that means for the future of Nest and iOS. To calm any fears, several Nest execs have confirmed that Nest's products will always support iOS. Now, the company has also released a FAQ confirming it: Will Nest continue to support iOS so I can have the Nest app on my iPhone or iPad? Yes, absolutely. We'll continue supporting iOS, Android and modern web browsers so you can check in on your home and control the temperature from wherever you are. In other news: Variety is reporting that The Social Network and West Wing scribe Aaron Sorkin has turned in the script for Sony's Steve Jobs biopic, which is based off of Walter Isaacson's biography. Final Cut Pro X may gain the ability to edit 3D video sometime in the future if a patent application is any indication. Apple has been granted US Patent No. 8,631,047 for "Editing 3D video." The patent details how to manipulate a stereoscopic three-dimensional image. Apple has lost a bid to oust its court-appointed monitor. US District Judge Denise Cote has denied Apple's request to remove Michael Bromwich, who's bound to ensure that Apple abides by anti-trust laws. Apple believes Bromwich has a personal bias against the company.
Google buys Nest, former Apple exec speaks with the Verge on the purchase: News from Jan. 13, 2014
The big news this afternoon was Google's acquisition of Nest Labs, home to the Nest thermostat, a Nest smoke alarm and the startup grounds for two former Apple alums, including Tony Fadell. The general consensus in the tech world turned out to be a collective, "what?" As Yoni Heisler pointed out: Second, and from a more practical standpoint, is the commonly held view that Nest Labs was an Apple acquisition just waiting to happen. Nest's Thermostat was largely viewed as an Apple-esque product insofar that it simplified what was otherwise a cumbersome and confusing activity. It may sound absurd, but the Nest Thermostat really worked to make home temperature automation seem cool, and more importantly, approachable. Fadell spoke with the Verge on the acquisition and declined to talk about any dealing with Apple other than to re-emphasize that further Nest products will be iOS and Android compatible. Other news from this afternoon included: Apple's attempt to get rid of its antitrust monitor has failed, Reuters reports. Judge Denise Cote said she wanted the endeavor to succeed, adding that she will file her decision explaining why she denied the request soon. Apple's lawyers have said they will appeal. It's no surprise that one of the driving factors behind the grand larceny reports in New York City over the past dozen years is the adoption of Apple's iDevices -- starting with the iPod. Data collected by the Wall Street Journal showed that while other crimes have decreased under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg's tenure, grand larcenies are on the rise. The New York Times has taken a look at the impact of the iPhone in India, and how Apple has responded by offering different sales strategies tailored to the Indian culture. CNNMoney takes a look at what the American press tends to get wrong about the relationship between China and Apple. What will your verse be? To go along with its new iPad commercial, Apple has put up a companion area on its website that convey the story of how different people use their iPads. Snapchat is reassuring customers that it is trying to address the rapidly growing amount of spam on its service. A new report takes an intriguing look at how Mac's fortunes in the PC department have changed since 2004. The latest beta of iOS 7.1 shows that you can delete the over-the-air installation files, which will be an asset to those who don't want to upgrade to the latest version of iOS. Ars Technica takes a look at the rise and fall of QuarkXPress. Kick back and relax with some of these features: TUAW 1 to 1: Brett Terpstra 5 fun and useful things you can do with IFTTT's iPhone location triggers Is Apple's App Store partly to blame for declining music sales? How to use TextExpander to grab your location and enter it into a document Rumor Roundup: Zero revolutionary devices
Daily Roundup: Google aquires Nest, SimCity goes offline, Mark IV hands-on and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Breaking: Google acquires Nest Labs for $3.2 billion
Hold on to your hats, folks. We interrupt this otherwise slow news day with some breaking news. Google today announced the acquisition of Nest Labs for US$3.2 billion in cash. Nest Labs, of course, is the purveyor of the highly touted and well-received Nest Thermostat and, more recently, the Nest Protect smoke alarm. Google's press release reads in part: Larry Page, CEO of Google, said: "Nest's founders, Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers, have built a tremendous team that we are excited to welcome into the Google family. They're already delivering amazing products you can buy right now--thermostats that save energy and smoke/CO alarms that can help keep your family safe. We are excited to bring great experiences to more homes in more countries and fulfill their dreams!" Tony Fadell, CEO of Nest, said: "We're thrilled to join Google. With their support, Nest will be even better placed to build simple, thoughtful devices that make life easier at home, and that have a positive impact on the world." There are a few factors that make this acquisition particularly interesting. For starters, Tony Fadell is a famed Apple engineer and executive who helped steer Apple to the tech mountaintop thanks to his incredible work with the iPod. A former Apple executive joining Google? That's big news. Incidentally, Nest co-founder Matt Rogers is also an Apple alum, having worked on the original iPhone, the iPad and 10 generations of the iPod. Second, and from a more practical standpoint, is the commonly held view that Nest Labs was an Apple acquisition just waiting to happen. Nest's Thermostat was largely viewed as an Apple-esque product insofar that it simplified what was otherwise a cumbersome and confusing activity. It may sound absurd, but the Nest Thermostat really worked to make home temperature automation seem cool, and more importantly, approachable. Given that Fadell has deep roots at Apple and that home automation via mobile devices is becoming more prevalent, many assumed, or perhaps hoped, that if any company were to acquire Nest it'd be Apple. But, alas, it was not to be. More so than ragging on Apple, one has to give credit to Google for going all in with Nest and ponying up $3.2 billion in cash. Apple of course has the cash for such an acquisition if it so chooses, but remember that Apple in its entire history has never even spent $500 million on a single acquisition. The notion that the company would now spend $3.2 billion for Nest Labs is, to be blunt, wishful thinking. Lastly, and notably, Google in its press release writes that "Nest will continue to operate under the leadership of Tony Fadell and with its own distinct brand identity." Well played, Google. Well played.
Google acquires Nest's line of home automation products for $3.2 billion, pledges continued support for iOS
We'll be honest: if you told us a big company was going to buy Nest, we wouldn't have guessed Google. After all, the home automation company was founded by Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers, both ex-members of the original iPod team. Heck, the Nest Thermostat is sold at Apple stores, and is referred to in the blogosphere as something of an honorary Apple product. But whaddya know? Google just scooped up the outfit for a cool $3.2 billion. That bit of inside baseball aside, Google is being quick to assure users that Nest will continue to operate under its own brand -- not unlike Motorola. Quoth Mr. Fadell: "Google will help us fully realize our vision of the conscious home and allow us to change the world faster than we ever could if we continued to go it alone. We've had great momentum, but this is a rocket ship." Also, to answer the obvious question you're all asking: yes, Nest will continue to offer apps for both iOS and Android. That means Apple fans will still be able to tinker around with their thermostats and Nest Protect smoke detectors even after the acquisition goes through. There's also a possibility that Google's other products will eventually integrate more tightly with the Nest lineup, but so far, Google is staying mum. "Nest's product line obviously caught the attention of Google and I'm betting that there's a lot of cool stuff we could do together, but nothing to share today," said Rogers. In a pair of blog posts, Nest's founders promised the company would keep its "distinct brand identity" and that it takes privacy seriously, with a policy that limits the sharing of customer info to improving its services. Until that day comes, then, we'll leave you to speculate -- feel free to leave your best guesses in the comments.
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: Nest founder Matt Rogers
Home-automation company Nest, co-founded by Apple expats, is rethinking the staid world of home appliances, from thermostats to smoke detectors and beyond. VP of Engineering Matt Rogers will join us to discuss his company's vision for a more connected home. January 8, 2014 5:00:00 PM EST
Evening news roundup for January 6, 2014
Good evening! Here's the Apple news for Jan. 6, 2014: There are a couple hours left until midnight, which means if you haven't downloaded the final gift from Apple's 12 Days of Gifts, you'll need to hurry up and do so. The giveaway ends with a mini album from The Rolling Stones. Apple will announce its Q1 2014 earnings on Jan. 27 at 5 PM ET/2 PM PT. An audio webcast will be provided after the earnings release. We will have full coverage of the earnings report on TUAW. The latest numbers from ComScore show that Apple's hold on the US smartphone market has risen to 41.2 percent. Even though Android runs on a larger percentage of phones, iPhone usage continues to far outpace the Android competitors with Samsung phones coming in at 26 percent. It's not the best time of year for the Nest thermostat to be having issues, and a 4.0.1 update has been rolled out to address WiFi and battery problems. However, Nest tells TechCrunch that the 4.0 release isn't behind Nest having issues with cycling on and off or just not working altogether. Customers like Clayton and Richard (seen above) have been flocking to social media to report Nest problems ranging from annoyance to disaster. Some say they've come home or woken up in the middle of the night to a freezing cold house. When they investigate their Nest, they find it turning on and off repeatedly, or suddenly out of battery. In some cases it's shut off or down their heat. One unlucky customer had his pipes freeze because his house got so cold. Pebble unveiled a $250 Steel version of its smartwatch for CES this year. It's up for pre-order now and will be on sale Jan. 28. The company also said it's preparing to open its own app store by the end of this month. Finally, kick back and relax with some of these features that appeared on TUAW earlier today: The Book and I: How the iPad has changed my reading life 8 Time Machine excuses that don't make sense Cut the Rope 2 perfects the art of having in-app purchases without being a jerk Waterfield Designs Outback Solo bag for iPad Air: Style and substance The most frustrating thing you've never noticed about your iPhone's home screen Rumor Roundup: '2014 is the Year of (x)' 10 tips for getting the most out of your Apple TV
Nest Protect review: a smoke detector for the smartphone generation
Back in 2011, Nest did the impossible: It made thermostats sexy. Apple veterans Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers applied their iPod-designing expertise to the largely utilitarian world of home-climate control, creating the Learning Thermostat, an appliance aimed squarely at the gadget-obsessed citizens of the smartphone age. And then, earlier this year, Fadell and Rogers took on another traditionally banal (but utterly important) aspect of home life: the smoke detector. The conceit of the Nest Protect was to bring some of the same aesthetics and smart features that made the company's first product a success. The result is a smoke/carbon monoxide detector with mobile device connectivity and a range of expressions that go far beyond the old beeping alarms, as well as a unique gesture feature that lets you silence the device with the wave of a hand. Admittedly bummed at the inability to test the Learning Thermostat in my prewar New York City apartment building, I happily jumped at the opportunity to review the Protect. So Nest sent along two devices, a can of something called a "smoke detector tester" and, thankfully, thorough instructions on how one goes about testing smoke detectors without accidentally burning the house down.
