Tado’s smart thermostat, from a European company that competes with Nest , is today getting new hardware that brings multi-room support to the thermostat and allows it to control individual radiators.
First, the system now supports an additional smart thermostat so individual floors or rooms can be controlled independently. It’s much the same as the original thermostat, but provides another spot for controlling it in your home. Additional thermostats will cost £179 (€199) outright or can be rented for £6.99 (€7.99) per month.
The more interesting part is a new smart radiator valve, which directly replaces the old valves on your home’s radiators so Tado can control them individually. That won’t be available until Q3 2016, but Tado is running a beta program for users to test it out early.
Tado is also launching its IFTTT channels today (the link is still pending approval), after announcing it earlier in the year . You’ll be able to use the geolocation features of the thermostat to do things like activate your home alarm when you leave or turn on the lights when you’re on the way home.
I’ve got one of Tado’s early devices in my apartment and love it — being able to control the thermostat via an app is handy and the geolocation features mean I rarely need to actually touch it. We picked it over the Nest as Tado supports furnace modulation support, which can save on the utility bill.
The only thing I’m hanging out for now is HomeKit support which is being worked on , so it can be controlled via Siri.
Tado’s system starts at €249 for a single thermostat and is fairly easy to set up on your own.
➤ Tado
This cool device adds turn-by-turn directions to your bicycle
I love visiting TNW HQ in Amsterdam, mainly to see my great colleagues who are lucky enough to live there, but even as a cyclist I find the priority given to bikes a little difficult to handle.
In the ‘dam, cyclists are top of the food chain on the roads. That’s great for them, but not so good for perturbed pedestrians and drivers who have to guess what they’re going to do next. The Dutch do have fines for bad cycling, but they’re certainly not a total deterrent.
This little discussion on the Dutch way of doing cycling is only to say this – I think everyone needs a SmartHalo, a little device that can be attached to the handlebars of an ordinary bike and hooked up to your smartphone to offer turn-by-turn directions.
SmartHalo offers color-coded prompts that you can quickly glance down to see, rather than requiring you to look at a full map on your smartphone. You put your destination into the companion app and you’re off.
The device also allows you to track your bike if it’s stolen or you’ve leant it to someone, is weather-resistant and has a built-in alarm which activates if someone tries to remove it.
SmartHalo also detects when light levels fall and automatically turns into a headlamp. When you get off your bike, it turns itself off automatically. Its creators claim a three week battery life, but I suspect you’d need to charge it a little more frequently than that.
Now, here’s the kicker – the project is… a Kickstarter campaign. Which means you should be aware of the usual caveats about it potentially not reaching its goal, not being delivered or failing to live up to the initial promise.
That said, the team behind it has already reached $39,000 of its $50,000 goal. The device will be sold for $149, but early adopters can get one for $99. The promise is that it will be shipped by May 2016. I’m actually backing this one.
➤ SmartHalo [KickStarter via Mashable ]
Tesla’s cheapest Model X SUV will set you back $80,000
Electric car maker Tesla released its pricing for the upmarket Signature edition Model X SUV earlier this year, and now it has revealed what the cheapest model will set you back – $80,000. And that’s before adding any options.
Your $80,000 will get you the 70D model, which is an SUV with all-wheel drive. It has a range of 220 miles, does 0-60 in 6 seconds, with a top speed of 140 mph.
The base version is a five seater, but you can add an extra $3,000 to that price tag if you want a six seater, or $4,500 for the seven seat version.
Pricing for the faster and higher spec 90D and P90D models is yet to be revealed.
When Elon Musk, founder of Tesla, described the Model X range, he said the aim was to make an SUV that had the function of a minivan. This is being achieved by the Falcon wing doors, which open up and out to give you more access to the back seats .
Model X customers can now go through Tesla’s configurator to choose between the 70D, 90D and P90D, as well as selecting the additional options like color and interiors.
General production of the 70D Model X has not yet begun, but is expected to get underway in the first quarter of 2016 with delivery dates listed on Tesla’s site for mid-to-late 2016.
In the meantime, you can start saving your pennies since you know what you’re aiming for now.
➤ Tesla Model X