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11/21/2024 09:25:08 pm

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Google Now Update Will Offer Nest Thermostat Control

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(Photo : Google) Google is integrating the Nest smart thermostat onto a Google Now card, offering a new way to control the temperature.

Google's Nest already offers its own app to control the smart thermostat, but in the near future users might be able to check what is happening through a Google Now card.

In the next update, Google Now will show updates on the Nest thermostat, including what it is scheduled to do, the current temperature and control through Google voice. Users will still need to use the Nest app to set times and schedules, but for simple updates and changes, Google Now will act as the filter.

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Being able to control the Nest thermostat through voice recognition is a big change. Users will be able to say commands like "Ok Google, set the temperature to 72 degrees" and the thermostat will automatically update.

Users still have not been able to test how well this new recognition service performs with Nest. Google has been working on Google Now for more than a year now and seems to get most sentences right.

This is only the start of the integration between Nest and Google, following the $3.2 billion acquisition earlier this year. The two companies are working to create a smart home platform, adding "works with Nest" partners every few months.

Even though the platform is all over the place at the moment, the end goal is to have a hub on Android, capable of controlling everything in the house and putting devices from different manufacturers together in a schedule.

For example, a smart bed may be able to identify when the user wakes up, notifying the kettle to start boiling and the lamp to turn on. Google is currently offering grants to budding developers, who want to work on the Internet of Things concept further.

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