Smartwatches are fairly new to the mobile scene, but they're starting to take off worldwide, with even fitness band maker Fitbit bringing its own smartwatch, called the Fitbit Blaze, to market (to cater to those of us who still want a smartwatch on our wrists). And yet, there are very few "smart" anythings that seem to work with current wrist wearables. Most of the time, we're hearing that smartwatches "will" do something in the future with a concept video, but there are few things we can do with them in the here and now that will make a difference in the world or that will prove relevant to us.
Smart Thermostat company Nest is back to bring some smartwatch love to its product and service, with the company now adding Android Wear compatibility to its smart thermostat. In other words, you can now use your Android Wear smartwatch to control your home's smart thermostat. Pretty cool, huh?
It makes sense for Nest to add Android Wear compatibility, seeing that Nest is owned by Android owner Google, who is responsible for the arrival of Android Wear -- Google's own wrist wearables platform that is a watered-down version of the mobile version of Android. Google has been doing all it can to make its wrist wearable platform relevant so as to encourage consumers to purchase Android Wear smartwatches. While this is certainly admirable, perhaps increased price reductions on current smartwatches will help in that regard (a 50% price reduction would be excellent and headed in the right direction).
Nest also took time to introduce its new program called Home/Away Assist, a program that helps monitor your home and determine when you're home versus when you're away. Many companies often have trouble monitoring your home because their monitoring systems are based on your phone's location. Unfortunately, you could be five minutes down the street and the smart thermostat could decide to unlock your door and leave your home vulnerable to thieves. Nest works well, whether or not every member of your family has a phone. Additionally, it doesn't unlock your doors until everyone leaves the house (not just you). You'll just need to ask your kids to unlock the door when you get home.
