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NEST Labs Acquired by Google Inc.

by Alex David Jimenez

PALO ALTO, CA – On January 13th of this year, Google Inc. acquired the infant company NEST Labs for an astounding $3.2 billion dollars. The deal came only three months after NEST released its second product, the NEST Protect©. Google, a goliath of a company worth roughly $200 billion dollars, jumped at the opportunity to purchase the rapidly growing NEST before other giants like Facebook and Yahoo! had the chance.

Tony  Matt
NEST Labs© Founders Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers

NEST Labs was founded in 2010 by engineers Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers. Both Fadell and Rogers were employees of Apple Inc. at the time, boasting high-level positions at the company (Fadell has been called the driving force behind the original iPod). They took a large risk leaving Apple to start their own business – one which today has most decidedly been worth the effort. In 2011, NEST introduced their first product, the NEST Learning Thermostat©. The product was a success, offering a new and more modern application to heating and cooling, and utilizing WiFi technology to give users access to their home thermostat with their smart phones or tablets. With the success of the thermostat, Fadell and Rogers engineered their second product, released just this last October – the NEST Protect©. The Protect introduced a new-age look and functionality of the common smoke detector. Sales began to boom with the release of their second product, and Google Inc. saw the potential of the business.

NEST Learning Thermostat
NEST Learning Thermostat

The NEST Learning Thermostat and the NEST Protect both utilize WiFi capabilities, a component in modern technology which is becoming more and more prominent every day. The thermostat is revolutionary in that it essentially “learns” by way of remembering your particular habits and routines in the way you heat and cool your house. The temperature you are comfortable with becomes the norm, and the NEST will adjust it for you, saving you time and energy. At the same time, you can view and adjust the temperature of your home or office from you phone, even when you are not there. This comes in handy when you have a pet or children at home and want to be sure they are comfortable.

NEST Protect
NEST Protect

The NEST Protect is a brand new way of protecting yourself from fire and carbon monoxide. The product basis is the same, sensing smoke and chemicals and alerting you. However, it is far more advanced – in a sense, it’s smart. The Protect talks to you; If smoke is detected, it will first tell you that it senses smoke. If you’re simply burning toast, you can wave at the NEST Protect and it will hush itself- no more screaming alarm from simple cooking. The device is connected to WiFi and communicates with your smart-device. If there is smoke or carbon monoxide detected in your home when you’re not there, NEST will tell your phone. You can act immediately and contact emergency services. If the NEST Protect battery is low, your phone is alerted. No more chirping. Essentially, The Protect is revolutionary because it talks to you, and doesn’t rely solely on screeching loud obnoxious alarms.

Currently NEST Labs products are available only in the United States, though are expected to become a global product soon. The NEST Thermostat and NEST Protect are available through nest.com and found at sever retailers, including Amazon, Apple, Best Buy, Home Depot, and Lowe’s.

Filed Under: TECHNOLOGY, U.S. Tagged With: Apple, billion, Google, Nest, Nest Protect, Nest Thermostat, Palo Alto, smoke detector, wifi

Project M 3.0 Review- Manhattan Digest

by Tim Morris

Project M 3.0 Logo
Copyright Nintendo Source: Max Level
Copyright Nintendo
Source: Max Level

Project M for marvelous.

If you’re a fan of the Super Smash Bros. series like me, you love the fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat action that has been gripping gamers for the last fifteen years now. No series has combined a smooth fighting game experience with skilled platforming as well as Nintendo has with Super Smash Bros. However, if you share my thoughts on the most recent release, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, you know that it doesn’t live up to the standard set by the first two releases. Enter Project M, a game that seeks to capture the greatness of the past. With the ‘M’ standing for Melee, the second game in the series that was released for the Gamecube in 2001, the creators of this homebrew game want their work to highlight what made Super Smash Bros. Melee one of the greatest titles of all-time.

Removing the tripping that plagues Brawl and reinstating small combat mechanics to their Melee counterparts, Project M greatly succeeds at delivering frantic and fun skirmishes that keep me playing for hours. The roster now stands at 41 characters, which includes every playable character from the Super Smash Bros. series. While the creators have stated that the most recent 3.02 release is not a “final” or “gold” version,  they’ve certainly outdone themselves by having a fleshed-out roster. Add in the massive number of usable items, 42 stages, online play, tournament mode, and customization options, and you have a lot to do here.

While the game is epic in both scope and execution, there are some minor, almost nitpicky flaws that I’d like to address. First up is the balancing. Now, Nintendo has never been known to care very much about characters being broken in these games (looking at you, Pikachu from the N64 version and Meta Knight in Brawl), and the creators of Project M have done a nice job rebalancing things, certain characters leave a bit to be desired. Some could use buffs, others nerfs (or debuffs), but since the intent is there to continue balancing I can’t fault them too much. Next, some of the faster characters simply feel too slippery. I’m sure this is by design, but picking up items and managing to avoid suicides can prove to be extremely difficult at times. Finally, the AI. This isn’t as easy of a fix as other areas, but in the original release of Melee, setting CPU opponents on the max difficulty was a definite test of skill that forced you to adapt on the fly. In Project M, even at the highest setting the AI seems to have a penchant for offing itself, whether by simple jumping off the side or by deliberately attacking explosives.

If you’re looking for a game to play with others and already have a copy of Super Smash Bros. Brawl (that, along with an SD card are required to play), look no further than Project M. It faithfully replicates the frenetic gameplay of Melee while adding a few wrinkles of its own in order to remain fresh. Even after the new entries in the series hit shelves later this year, I still see myself firing up this game for long sessions with my brothers and friends.

Final Grade: A

Platform: Wii + SD Card with game downloaded to it + Gecko OS
Genre: Fighting
Players: 1-4 simultaneous
Price: Free (if you already have Brawl)

For more information regarding Project M, including downloads and instructions, click here.

WRITER’S NOTE: I do not endorse or promote any hardware or longterm software modifications to copyrighted equipment and content. Project M is a game that can be played without hacking or modifying anything having to do with the Nintendo Wii or Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, OPINION, REVIEWS, TECHNOLOGY Tagged With: 3.0, brawl, games, homebrew, melee, multiplayer, nintendo, online, party, project m, Smash, super smash bros, video games, wifi, Wii

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