For one, it can update its own software over WiFi, allowing the company to issue bug fixes and even add features (if they should feel so inclined). More importantly, the device can connect to your WiFi network, which lets it perform a number of valuable functions. If that's all you ever wanted to do with your thermostat, then that's really all you need to know. Just walking up to it and turning the dial will wake it up and allow you to turn the temperature up or down. When nothing is running at all, the background is black and the text is white. The background color of the Nest turns blue when the air conditioning is running, and an orangey reddish color when the heat is running. I like to have it light up when I walk by, because it allows me to see the current setting at an easy glance as I'm on my way to the fridge or the living room. The device has a backlit screen that comes on when you mess with it, or whenever you pass by it (if you have that setting turned on). Overall, it's pretty good-as you've likely already seen, the thermostat itself is a round wheel, similar to the original iPod's moving click wheel, but in thermostat form. The usability of the device as "just" a thermostat is extremely straightforward, and it's the first thing you deal with after installation. What's so great about the Nest anyway? General usability Is the Nest really worth the $250 it costs to obtain one, just so you can have a fancier way of turning the temperature up and down? I think so-especially if you're the "convenience oriented" type (that's PC for "lazy"). Now that I've been using the Nest for several months, I have a pretty good feel for its strengths and weaknesses-at least compared to what is typically available on the market. So when I finally had the opportunity to install a Nest, I jumped at it. Friends and Twitter followers have long asked me to evaluate higher-end thermostats, and I'm always examining the thermostats at other people's houses. I am fascinated by thermostats and their usability, but I also don't like to spend too much money on them-unless the extra cost is worth it. (Listen, it doesn't sound very exciting because it's not, but I like them). I like to think of myself as somewhat of a thermostat nerd. The round, user-friendly device was initially met with excellent reviews, but were these based in reality or were they the result of some Apple-like hype? Founded by the former senior VP of Apple's iPod division, Tony Fadell, along with his partner Matt Rogers, Nest Labs set out to create what is essentially the iPod of the thermostat world. It has been close to a year since the Nest "learning" thermostat was introduced to the public, bringing us one step closer to that elusive home of the future.
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