Honeywell today announced the Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat, a networked thermostat that allows design-focused homeowners to customize the display to match or accent existing home decor. In addition, the Honeywell thermostat offers Wi-Fi connectivity that allows consumers to regulate energy usage and home comfort through a smartphone app.
Unlikely allies AMD and Intel have been joined by Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, and RSA to form the Cyber Security Research Alliance, a private, non-profit research consortium. The tech giant think tank has been formed to address the growing need for collaborative efforts to address complex problems in cyber security. Priority research areas for the organization will include data and information sharing, control system security, and threat mitigation.
Honeywell has introduced its first rugged enterprise hybrid phone, the Dolphin 70e Black. It sports a 4.3-inch, capacitive touchcscreen that is viewable in direct sunlight and is IP67-rated for resistance to water and dust. It also has what most consumer handsets lack in the form of an enterprise-class, area-imaging scanner.
Nest more formally responded to Honeywell's patent lawsuit both through a rejection of the claims inside as well as by drawing once more on Apple for top executives. The smart thermostat maker claimed both that it doesn't use any of Honeywell's patents but that they were "hopelessly invalid." The arguments were "retreads" of prior art from companies like Volkswagen, obvious technology, or even examples of hiding its own older patents from the USPTO, Nest argued.
Nest signaled its intention to fight Honeywell's lawsuit on Wednesday. In a response, it claimed to be the real innovator with its Learning Thermostat. Honeywell was simply trying to drag down a rival, Nest said.
Honeywell on Monday sued Nest Labs, makers of thermostats, for allegedly violating its patents in the US. Seven patents related to thermostat technology are in contention, with some focusing on methods of operating and programming the devices. The lawsuit also aims to involve Best Buy into it, which sells Nest Labs' thermostats.
Boeing has found one of the few instances of Wi-Fi interfering with an airliner's equipment, tipsters said Thursday. The 737NG aircraft's Honeywell Phase 3 Display Units blank out when close to a strong Wi-Fi signal, including the GoGo in-flight Internet access system. FlightGlobal understood that Boeing had temporarily frozen GoGo installs on all its planes.
Soyo has recently announced it will sell its 82-inch Altura LE LCD HDTV under its Honeywell brand when it enters the US market in late April. The rather large TV will be part of a line-up that begins with 19-inch TVs in various lines, and sports 1080p resolution. It has a 120,000:1 contrast ratio along with a brightness rating of 600cd/m2.
