It’s been quite the four-year journey for Nest Labs, launching two big smart home gadgets and eventually drawing the eye of Google in January of 2014—and it all started with the Nest Learning Thermostat. Today, Nest Labs, now under the Alphabet umbrella, is announcing the 3rd generation of the thermostat that started it all.


Technology is filled with all kinds of rumors and speculation — real and fabricated. BitStream collects all those whispers into one place to deliver your morning buzz.

Looks can be deceiving, especially since the new Nest looks damn similar to the two before it, but it comes with new capabilities that make it a true successor. For one, the thing is 40 percent bigger and with a sharper display. But the real addition is a new feature called “Farsight.”


Before, Nest’s small profile and lower resolution meant you needed to be about three feet away to see what was on the screen. Now, Nest promises “across the room” viewing, so you don’t have to squint to see what your thermostat is up to. “Furnace Heads Up” is another new feature that will run a kind of diagnostic on your heating system twice a year to make sure it’s running properly. This will also make its way to the first and second generation thermostats.

That’s about it. Maybe the most exciting news out of all of this is that the second generation thermostat will drop 50 bucks to $200 (while supplies last) and the new one adopts the old $250 price. If you want to get started on a smart home, now might be the time.

Apple Strengthens Its AR Future: You know Hololens? Microsoft face-puter that’s one-part prototype and one-part pure future? Apple just pulled one of its top engineers, suggesting that it might finally start taking AR and VR seriously. Apple has AR-like features planned for Maps in iOS 9, but these next-level hires would suggest more could be on the way. [9to5Mac]




Remember When Microsoft Had Phones?: Microsoft hasn’t had a flagship Windows Phone in quite awhile, but finally the time is nigh. According to Nokia Poweruser, Microsoft is gearing up to launch the Lumia 940 and 940XL along with the Band 2 and Surface Pro 4 on October 19th. Now that Windows 10 software is out there, let’s get some MS hardware to run it. [Nokia Poweruser]

Why Apple, why: According to a leaked user information sheet, Apple will keep the 16GB model of the iPhone for at least one more year. This seems even more ludicrous than last year because new rumors suggest that the new iPhone camera will be able to shoot in 4k. 16GB? Forgettaboutit. [Cult of Mac]


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