Smart home in Mullholland
Google's plan for the connected home seems to have started long before it acquired smart thermostat company Nest for $3.2 billion earlier this year.
The company had started working on an app for iOS and Android called Home IQ,Google Art Director Christopher Bettig recently wrote on his blog.
The app would have controlled a smart thermostat, as well as display the weather and four states: awake, away, home, and sleep.
Even though Google has since scratched the project, these designs (below) provide some insight into what Google may have up its sleeves.
Last December, The Information reported that Google was rumored to be working on smart thermostats to help people manage their home energy.
That project was called "EnergySense." At the time, there was no word on what devices Google would use, but Android Police's source said that "something similar to Nest's learning modes will come in the future."
The next month, Google announced its acquisition of Nest for $3.2 billion.
Google's acquisition of Nest "ought to give utility officials a sinking feeling in the pit of their stomachs," Adrian Tuck, CEO of energy company Tendril Networks, told Bloomberg last month.
Tuck thinks the Nest acquisition could be just the thing that gives Google a back door into the utility industry, given that the consensus is that the battle over the next five years in electricity will be in the home.
Back in 2011, Google introduced Android @Home at its Google I/O developers conference. The idea was to let you control appliances like thermostats and lights via your Android phone. Google was expected to release Android-connected LED light bulbs, but that never happened.
With the Nest team on board, Google may be gearing up to tackle this again.
Check out Google's now-defunct Home IQ app below.
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