Tony Fadell leaves Nest

Nest Labs head Tony Fadell is leaving Nest and its effective immediately. While it may seem like a sudden departure, Fadell claims they have been in transition has been in progress since late 2015. Nest has been going through tons of rough patches since Alphabet, then Google, acquired the company in 2014. There were things like the failed release of a smoke and carbon monoxide detector (due to software issues), complaints of employees about Fadell’s leadership style, and the like. Fadell will be replaced by former Motorola Home CEO Marwan Fawaz but he’ll still stay on as an advisor for Alphabet in the immediate feature.

Source: Nest | Via: The Next Web

Securifi's Almond 'smart' routers now integrate with Nest products

Smart appliances and connected home technologies have been an exciting fork of technology but the disparate platforms as well as the need for an app for each device has made them quite hard to handle.

With a recent software update, Securifi's Almond and Almond+ routers have become capable and powerful control points for various sensors in the Nest family including the Nest Thermostat, the Nest Smoke Detector and the Nest Cam security camera. Zigbee, Z-Wave, and Philips Hue smart home products are already supported by Almond routers, which now makes it one of the best hubs for connected home.

Source: The Verge

GIFT GUIDE: 10 Cool & Useful Tech Gadgets For Families

By Sonya Davidson

While wandering through the Toronto Eaton Centre with my son last night before a show and remembered that there was a new Telus concept store. Since the kid had NOT given any hints as to what he's going to ask Santa for, this was a good opportunity to see what would make his list. 

If you've been to the newly renovated level recently (located just below the future home of Nordstroms) you'll find this new full shopping experience store. Telus is branching out even more to become more than a service provider and accessories retailer to the devices they carry. You can read about it here.

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Google adds Nest integration to iOS and Android apps

Google’s bringing Nest further into its fold with its latest update for its iOS and Android apps. The Google app can now control the Nest thermostat system outside of the standard Nest app. You can even use Google Now voice commands to change the temperature. You just need to say “Ok Google” within the Google app and indicate, for example, “Turn the temperature to 70 degrees.” The Google app will even add a Now card notification according to your location to let you adjust temperature of your Nest thermostat even when you’re not at home.

Source: VentureBeat | Via: MacRumors