Nest Thermostat moves ahead to third generation

The Nest Learning Thermostat has become quite popular, at least in the tech community. It learns from a user's habits and can be remotely accessed via an app on a phone or tablet. In fact, it can even be controlled using a Harmony Ultimate Home remote control.

Now the product has edged forward into its third generation, bringing a slimmer and sleeker design, as well as being "more beautiful", at least according to Nest.

The device has now been on the market for four years, which is hard to believe. "Before the Nest Learning Thermostat came along, nobody even thought about that beige box on the wall. Other than it was annoying, complicated, and kind of ugly", states Maxime Veron, product manager at the company.

But the design change isn't everything. There are new features involved, as well. One is called Farsight. It acts as the name implies -- "When you walk into the room, Farsight lights up and shows you the temperature you set or the time. You can even choose a digital or analog clock face. It’s big and bright -- you can see it from across the room".

The latest model also has more temperature sensors and claims to be more accurate than before. It will also notify the user if it detects a problem with the furnace. It does this by reading the shutoff patterns. The customer will be notified by a message on the phone.

The new model is available now for $249 and Nest promises future updates.