Nest makes its Seasonal Savings program free for all thermostat users

To help customers save energy (and money) this summer, Nest is offering its Seasonal Savings feature for free to its connected thermostat users in the US and most of Canada. The feature makes small tweaks to Nest thermostat settings to help reduce en...

Dish launches a WiFi and TV service aimed at apartment dwellers

Last week Dish announced a new service designed to make smart home technology available to all, now it's launching another service that makes modern tech accessible to everyone. "Dish Fiber" is a combined WiFi and livestreaming TV bundle for those li...

California bill doesn’t want Netflix to be taxed like a utility

Proposed legislation in California aims to prohibit video-streaming services, such as Netflix, Hulu and YouTube, from being taxed as utilities by local municipalities. The AB 252 bill, called the Streaming Tax Relief of Entertainment And Movies (STRE...

White House says broadband is a ‘Core Utility’ just like power and water

Think you could survive in this day and age without access to a broadband connection? The White House has its doubts. A recent report from the Broadband Opportunity Council (under the auspices of the Oval Office) described broadband connectivity as...

Nest acquires MyEnergy, inherits better analysis tools for its customers

Nest acquires MyEnergy, inherits better energy analysis tools for its customers

Nest, maker of the award-winning Learning Thermostat, announced today that it's acquired MyEnergy, an online service that lets you consolidate energy bills and share them with friends and family. Until recently, Nest's intelligence was limited to the confines of your home. This changed last month when the company launched Energy Services, which lets the thermostat communicate with participating utilities, making it aware of peak pricing and energy crunches. By acquiring MyEnergy, Nest will be able to help its customers manage energy more efficiently through better energy analysis tools. It also gives Nest another way to share information with utilities by tapping into MyEnergy's user base, which covers 1500 territories in 50 states, including areas without smart meters. Full PR after the break.

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Razer Game Booster enters closed beta, ready to fine tune your rig (video)

Razer Game Booster enters closed beta, ready to fine tune your rig

Normally we associate Razer with hardware. Gaming mice, keyboards and headsets are the company's bread and butter. It even has a laptop geared expressly towards the serious pixel pusher. But, you might be surprised to learn it's also in the software business. The latest member of its burgeoning application family is the Razer Game Booster. Based largely on IObit's app of the same name, the new downloadable utility will crank your rig to 11. There are three basic features, the most important being Game Mode which, with the click of a button, shutsdown unessential services and programs to keep your PC focused on the task at hand. (We assume that involves killing something or other with a large weapon.) There's also a calibration guide that ensures your drivers are up to date and your essential gaming files are properly defragged. Last is Share Mode, which allows you to take screen shots or capture live audio and video to preserve your accomplishments. For now Razer Game Booster is in private beta, but you can request an invite at the source link. And don't miss the PR and video after the break.

Continue reading Razer Game Booster enters closed beta, ready to fine tune your rig (video)

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Razer Game Booster enters closed beta, ready to fine tune your rig (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Sep 2012 03:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nest partners with Texas utility, offers intelligent thermostat to energy-conscious households

Nest partners with Texas utility company, offers intelligent thermostat to energyconscious households

What's next for an energy-efficient thermostat designed by ex-Apple engineers? A limited promotion with a utilities provider to make it even more legit, that's what. Now that Nest has broached online mega-retailer Amazon's virtual shelves, the next stop on its trendy household domination tour's taking it to Reliant, a Texas-based electricity company. Bundled into the utility's "Learn & Conserve" plan, qualifying residents that sign-up for a two-year rate will receive one of the stylish, WiFi-enabled units, making the business of managing their energy settings a stylish and remotely controllable (via Android or iOS app) affair. Of course, you don't need to be a resident of The Lone Star state to call one of these your own -- Best Buy, Apple and Lowe's will also eagerly claim your cash in exchange for this home-monitoring wündergadget.

Nest partners with Texas utility, offers intelligent thermostat to energy-conscious households originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jun 2012 14:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Facebook inks partnership with Opower, looks to socially compare home energy usage

Facebook oPower energy usage
Google passed, and Microsoft reckoned it had better things to do, but Zuckerberg's Castle is seemingly willing to pick up where those two left off. In what may go down as the strangest Facebook decision since the rejection of Valentina Monetta's video as best in the whole wide world, the company is launching a new social energy app that'll tap into technology from the National Resources Defense Council and Opower. Initially, the app will reach some 20 million households, and it's designed to help eco-curious Earthlings compile and benchmark usage data to see how their home stacks up against others. Within territories with utility participation, people can connect their utility account directly to the app to track progress and share energy saving accomplishments with friends. Unfortunately, the whole process looks rather manual for now, and privacy overlords will no doubt question the motives for requesting even more information from Facebook users; that said, it's totally possible to engage in the Opower tracking sans a Facebook account. To get going, give those source links a look.

Facebook inks partnership with Opower, looks to socially compare home energy usage originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Apr 2012 17:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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