An enterprising, 22-year-old web developer has come up with an app that combines two cutting-edge technologies: the Nest Learning Thermostat and Google's upcoming Glass eyewear.
Nest Labs, founded by former Apple engineers Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers, launched the Nest Thermostat in 2011. It is a $249 Wi-Fi enabled sensor and thermostat compatible with most 24V HVAC systems. The thermostat automatically regulates temperature by "learning" a user's habits, then implementing them as scheduled tasks. Additionally, users can set their desired temperature manually via iOS and Android apps.
The company's marketing stipulates "all you need to do is change the temperature for a few days to teach Nest." While Nest has been received warmly and is now in its second generation, "learning" essentially amounts to remembering a user's preferred temperature as well as the time of day they tend to be home. Once the device ascertains these variables, its function becomes simply to set the thermostat to "away mode" or to bring it out of it. And while this might not sound especially groundbreaking, Nest Labs claims it can help reduce heating and cooling costs by as much as 20 percent.
The app, or Glassware, is called Glass Nest and is an unofficial offering created by James Rundquist. Still in early development, the Glassware already looks very promising. It displays the current temperature readout from a Nest thermostat and through voice commands, allows users to do pretty much anything the iOS and Android apps are capable of.
Unfortunately, even if you're one of the lucky few currently in possession of Google Glass, you won't be able to load Glass Nest currently, as it isn't accepting any new users. All is not lost, though: if you have some coding skills (which you probably do since Glass is only in the hands of developers at the moment), Rundquist has posted the source code for his Glassware online for others to experiment with.
