“Smart Thermostat” Goes National

Palo Alto-designed device gains popularity.

A smartphone, a Smart Car -- and now a smart thermostat.

A "learning" thermostat designed by two former Apple engineers -- who also just so happened to have led the teams that created the iPhone and iPod -- is now being touted by utility companies across the country, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

A "big Earth Day" for the company indeed, as the newspaper reported.

The thermostat is called "Nest," and the $249 devices connects to the Internet via Wi-Fi and can be controlled remotely via a smartphone. The device "learns" household energy habits, and "learns" to do things like turn on the air conditioning when you get home from work.

Nest inked partnerships with utilities like Southern California Edison and others on Monday, the newspaper reported. Customers with the utilities get a discount.

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