Google Moves Into Home Electronics With Acquisition Of Nest

A few years back, the folks at Nest came out of nowhere with their sexy, web-connected smart thermostats, treating a heretofore overlooked piece of home electronics with style. The company recently did the same thing for another necessary evil in the home, launching a line of equally sleek smoke detectors. Google apparently saw enough from these two product lines and has decided to buy Nest.

“They’re already delivering amazing products you can buy right now,” Google CEO Larry Page said of the acquisition. “We are excited to bring great experiences to more homes in more countries and fulfill their dreams!”

In an FAQ on the Nest blog, the company deals with possible concerns about its new owners.

For example, Nest says its products will still continue to work with iOS and they will continue to develop the iOS apps tied to its products. And Nest says there will be no change to the warranties on its products.

Given how much information Nest products may have about your home, it makes sense that some would be concerned about this information being shared with the data-mining folks at Google.

“Our privacy policy clearly limits the use of customer information to providing and improving Nest’s products and services,” explains Nest. “We’ve always taken privacy seriously and this will not change.”

by Chris Morran via Consumerist