Tado, the smart thermostat that can automatically moderate the temparature of your home, is now available to buy in the UK.
With the Internet of Things, smart cities and connected everything, central heating is one of the areas just waiting to be dragged into the next generation – and Tado’s not alone, with rivals in the form of other companies like Honeywell and Nest , it’s going to be a hotly contested space.
Unlike a normal thermostat, Tado’s system is controllable from a smartphone (iOS or Android) thanks to a little box you plug into your router.
This connection allows the app to send data to and from your phone, and is what allows it do to things like switch off your heating automatically as you leave the house, or use GPS to sense when you are approximately 20 minutes from home and then switch it on again, so that your house is nice and warm when you get there.
It’s a pretty appealing prospect, particularly with winter drawing in.
The system itself is relatively simple, once installed, and the idea is that with most of its functionality automated, you really shouldn’t have to set things manually at all – that’s not to say you can’t though, of course.
It really does promise to be properly smart too. Tado knows that houses heat up and cool down at different speeds and will learn over time what works best for your home. It also knows that some days will be unseasonably warm or cold by checking weather reports automatically online, and then makes adjustments to your heating schedule for the day.
Similarly, that GPS feature that senses when you’re approaching home and switches the heating on can also learn that perhaps you only work around the corner so are within range of your house all day. In this scenario, rather than keep the heating on all day in anticipation of your arrival home, it keeps it at a lower temperature, ready to heat up quickly when you do actually start to return.
The app also supports more than one user too, so the whole family can get in on the Tado action.
While this is all great in theory, those features depend on one key thing: getting it installed, a feat I never achieved.
When I attended the UK Tado launch in London a few weeks ago, the product was being pitched as primarily self-installable. The exact words bandied about were “if you can change a lightbulb, you can install this” and “if you can put together Ikea furniture ,you can do this”. I can do both of those things, but following Tado’s instructions nearly got me into hot water – pun intended.
Because each system needs to be tailored to your heating system – the type of boiler and thermostat, plus potential external controllers – each comes with its own self-installation workflow. Unfortunately, while the section to remove the mains-wired thermostat was correct, the section on connecting it to the boiler wasn’t, meaning, if I had I followed it, I would have incorrectly connected the Live, Earth and Neutral wires directly into my boiler’s control panel. Fortunately, I did not.
Instead, I let Tado know and they provided me with a new set of instructions, and while less incorrect, they were still incorrect and resulted in no power to my boiler whatsoever. I then rolled back what I had done and decided I no longer wanted to install the Tado myself. I can change a lightbulb, but that has never involved tampering with my mains electricity before.
Again, I let Tado know the situation and as a result of the feedback the company said it will no longer recommend self-installation as the default. Instead, an engineer is now the recommended default installation method and will be provided free of charge for customers that buy the system between now and January 2014. After that, it’s chargeable – currently listed on the site as £89.
This means that from January, it’ll cost £249 for the Tado kit and £89 for installation. Delivery is just under £10, making the total £347.80. There’s also an option to rent the system, at £6.99 per month. The total cost for taking this route for 12 months is £182.68 (including the initial installation and delivery costs) and then £83.88 for each year after that.
While not prohibitively expensive, the apparent need for an engineer visit does add quite significantly to the overall price. Renters might also want to bear in mind that your landlord or management agency is unlikely to be too pleased with you having changed the controls for the central heating, so you’ll probably want to have it removed before you leave – meaning another engineer visit or braving it on your own.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that there’s a good chance it might not be compatible with the system in your next house too, if you’re renting your home.
For home owners or people with no imminent house move in sight, these kind of concerns are, of course, less of an issue.
The kind of experience that Tado is aiming to deliver is undoubtedly the future of central heating, but with a few companies already in the space – or looking to soon enter the UK market – like Honeywell and Nest, whether Tado will be the company to crack it remains to be seen.
For home owners wanting to modernise their central heating and potentially save a little cash too, Tado is one of the options available right now – and with a consistently good design running throughout Tado, whether that’s the UI on the apps, the website or the (incorrect) workflow I attempted to use – it certainly looks like something I’d be interested in using. I just wish I’d managed to have gotten it installed.
Featured Image Credit – Tado
Moto G hands-on: Motorola ignores low-end smartphone expectations with this stylish sub-$200 handset
Motorola’s thought process behind the Moto G is simple: Offer a well-designed, mid-tier Android smartphone at a price that beats every other handset in its class. For starters, the Moto G costs just $179 for the 8GB version, or $199 for the 16GB edition in the US. For an unlocked, off-contract device that’s a tempting offer, especially given the serviceable specs running underneath.
The Moto G has a 4.5-inch, 720p display with a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor. It runs Android 4.3 out of the box, but Motorola is already promising an upgrade to Android 4.4 by January.
That should be welcomed by both Android purists and everyday consumers alike. We went hands-on with the device in London to give our first impressions.
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First impressions:
The success of the Moto G rests on its compromises. Given its incredibly low price-tag, Motorola is restricted with the specs that it can pack in under the hood. In short, this simply isn’t a replacement for the Moto X , Nexus 5 , or any other high-end Android smartphone.
Instead, Motorola tackles some of the key problems plaguing low-end devices. The touchscreen is crisp and clear, with accurate color representation and a pleasing degree of contrast. It’s responsive too, which results in a surprisingly quick, fluid user experience when considered next to the 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor. This device won’t set any new records in the benchmark tests. It will, however, hold up when you start running multiple apps and executing more power-intensive tasks.
As with the Moto X, Motorola uses a skin on the Moto G which is almost identical to stock Android. This is Android 4.3, admittedly, but it’s without all of the clutter and bloatware that often plagues devices created by HTC, Samsung and other handset manufacturers.
The Moto G also uses a contemporary design. It’s pleasant to look at and the interchangeable covers gives it a playful, customized look. The 4.5-inch display is also perfect for smaller hands and makes it a very pocketable device. The industry seems to be swaying towards Android smartphones with larger form factors – to see a company ride against this is admirable and refreshing.
During our brief hands-on period, we were unable to draw any real conclusions from the battery life and camera. From a software and performance perspective though, the Moto G favored very well. If you’re after an Android handset at a rock-bottom price, this seems – at first glance anyway – like a great option.
Real guitar gaming amps up this fall with Rocksmith 2014 Edition and BandFuse: Rock Legends
Out of the ashes of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band craze, games that utilize real guitar controllers are cranking up the volume this fall with the arrival of Ubisoft’s Rocksmith 2014 Edition and a new challenger, BandFuse: Rock Legends.
Ubisoft is showing off the new Session Mode in Rocksmith 2014 Edition at E3. Players will be able to customize AI bands that respond to and feed off of the users’ actions.
We’ve heard this promise from music games before, but this time it does appear to be quite intelligent and musically-grounded. Players have a wealth of options, such as different tonal modes and genres.
The 2014 edition, which we’ll forgive for coming out in October 2013, addresses several complaints from the original game, such as loading times and frustrating menus. It arrives on PC, Mac, Xbox 360 and PS3 with songs from Alice in Chains, Aerosmith, Smashing Pumpkins, Oasis and more.
Rocksmith has done well since its initial release in 2011, selling over 1.5 million copies. Ubisoft touts the game as the “fastest way to learn guitar” according to a national study, noting that 95 percent of players say they’ve gotten better at the instrument after playing the game.
Also at E3, I went hands-on with BandFuse: Rock Legends . The game, which has attracted big name guitarists like Slash and Zakk Wylde, scrolls guitar tabulation in real-time and supports four players: two guitars, a bass and vocals.
As an average guitarist and better-than-average Guitar Heroist, transitioning to the BandFuse interface was relatively seamless, though learning to move up and down the fretboard while keeping an eye on tabs will take some time.
http://www.youtubeom/watch?v=9GLiWgBdFLk
Like Rocksmith, BandFuse promises to teach beginning guitarists how to play, though the educational aspect isn’t being promoted as heavily. A $60 version of the game will come bundled with a proprietary cable, and kits including a Squier Stratocaster guitar will retail for under $200.
BandFuse’s developers said that when they showed their work to Harmonix co-founder Alex Rigopulos, who helped develop both Guitar Hero and Rock Band, he said it was the game that Harmonix had originally wanted to make.
Admittedly, real guitar gaming has a steep learning curve, but I’d argue it’s not noticeably steeper than that of a first-person shooter or real-time strategy game. The lack of building real guitar skills was one of the chief complaints about the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises, and, arguably, one of the reasons for the demise of the cheap plastic guitar and its related games.
The fact that both games work with just about any electric guitar or bass is a plus, as it eliminates the need for expensive single-use controllers. Existing guitarists will simply be able to use their own axes, and beginners would have had to purchase a guitar anyway if they were learning through more traditional methods.
Judging by their E3 demos, Rocksmith and BandFuse are going to be a blast, so you can start looking forward to rocking out with your friends this fall when they hit the market.
Related: Quincy Jones on technology, music and his Playground Sessions piano learning startup
Image credit: iStockphoto