Nest brings Learning Thermostat to the UK

 

 

Nest is finally launching its sleek Learning Thermostat in the UK, following a series of delays caused partly by our slightly awkward way of doing central heating in this country. It’s simultaneously launched its first utility partnership in the UK with energy provider npower.

The Learning Thermostat has been available for some time in the US and Canada and has been widely praised both for its bold design and connectivity capabilities that allow users to remotely monitor and control the temperature in their house using an app.

Wired.co.uk has spent some brief hands-on time with the Nest and never imagined it would take such pleasure in using something as humdrum a thermostat. Two simple actions — rotating it and gently pressing on it — give you access to the full array of features, and even programming timers this way is astonishingly easy.

The thermostat was designed by Nest founder and CEO Tony Fadell, who previously worked for Apple on designing the iPod. Nest was sold to Google in January this year for $3.2 billion (£1.9 billion), but the company is continuing with its mission of reinventing household tech and making it available across an open platform.

The UK market has proved tricky for Nest to wrap its head around, but that the company’s had a jolly good crack at making its popular piece of kit work for us, redesigning both the hardware and the software of the thermostat so that it will fit in with our way of heating our abodes. Nest has integrated the programmer and the frostat into the thermostat itself and there’s an extra piece of hardware that comes with it — a heat link, which will turn off your boiler automatically when we turn the temperature down.

There are a range of differences between the way we heat homes to folks in the US: we use boilers instead of furnaces; we don’t tend to require air conditioning (no need, believe it or not); we have no idea what our exact “comfort temperatures” are and tend to go with how we feel and our main expectation of our central heating systems is to be able to turn of the boiler at a preprogrammed time.

Nest sure has done its homework alright, but it’s been a longstanding ambition of the company to expand into the UK, which is why when it launched the Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detector last autumn that it did so here at the same time as it launched in the US and Canada.

“With the UK Office of Gas and Electricity Markets saying that UK residents spend on average about £1,342 per year on energy, and heating responsible for over 60 percent of the bill, it’s the perfect time to bring the Nest Learning Thermostat to the UK.” said Lionel Paillet, Nest’s general manager for Europe.”Nest Learning Thermostat customers in the US experience savings of approximately 20 percent on average off their heating and cooling bill and we’re looking forward to helping customers in the UK save as well.”

The potential for saving on energy bills is the main appeal of the Nest Learning Thermostat in the UK and the company knows it too. It’s working with npower to provide thermostats to its six million existing customers and is also trying to incentivise other companies to advertise it to their customers by helping them relieve pressure on the grid and assisting with sales promotions.

Obviously the full range of scheduling features are built in to the UK version of the thermostat, but what Nest is really hoping will help sell it to us are the efficiency features, which are ultimately the elements that will help us to reduce our bills. The Nest Leaf appears on the thermostat whenever you are using energy efficiently and its True Radiant system that prevents your heating from overshooting or undershooting its target temperature. The smartest bit of the smart thermostat are the algorithms that learn your behaviour patterns, but it also helps you to recognise these patterns too by providing you with a monthly energy report.

Nest is currently working on a white paper that will show the full extent of the savings the Learning Thermostat could have on UK energy bills. In the meantime, it estimates that it will knock of an average of between 4 percent and 29 percent, depending on circumstances, resulting in annual savings from £9 to £353.

PRICE, AVAILABILITY AND INSTALLATION

Nest is keen to emphasise that it highly recommends people opt for professional installation of the Learning Thermostat, as it requires fiddling around with some quite high voltage wiring. Don’t be put off by the thought of having to call out an electrician though — Nest has thought ahead and has trained over 200 accredited installers across the UK to come that you can pay for as part of the cost of your thermostat if you so choose.

The price of the thermostat alone is £179 including VAT, whereas with installation it costs £249. If the early adopter in you has been bustling to get a hold of the thermostat for a while, you’ll be glad to hear that Nest has sweetened the deal by offering free installation within ten days to anyone who buys a thermostat within by 8 April. This is also a great incentive to anyone who is umm-ing and ahh-ing over whether its right for them.

The thermostat is available to purchase now from Amazon, John Lewis, B&Q, Apple Stores or Nest directly. An optional UK-only stand for the thermostat is also available for £29 if you’d prefer not to have it fixed to the wall. To check whether there are certified installers in your area you can use the postcode checker on the Nest website.

Source From:( http://www.wired.co.uk)

 

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New Twist on Scam Tech Support Calls Installs Viruses on Victims’ Computers

It’s classic scam: a fake tech support caller claims he needs access to your computer to fix a non-existent bug. But a new twist involves the caller actually installing a virus on victims’ computers.

 

How the Scam Works:

You get a telephone call from someone claiming to be with tech support from a well-known software company. Microsoft is a popular choice. The callers often have strong accents but use common names such as “Adam” or “Bill.” The scammers may know your name and other personal information, which they get from publicly available phone directories. They might even guess what computer operating system you’re using.

The caller tells you that your computer is sending error messages, and they’ve detected a virus on it. He says only a tech support employee can remove the virus, but first you need to grant him access to your machine. If you give the OK, the caller will run a scan of your files and actually point out how the virus has infected the computer. The scammers then offer to remove the virus…. for a fee. Of course, they need your credit card details first.

Here’s the twist. Those who allowed the caller remote access to their computers, whether they paid for the virus to be removed or not, reported difficulties with their computer afterwards, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. Some said their computers would not turn on or certain programs/files were inaccessible. Some victims even reported taking their computers for repair, and the technicians confirmed software had been installed.

What to do if “Tech Support” Calls?   

• Never give control of your computer to a third party unless you can confirm that it is a legitimate representative of a computer support team with whom you are already a customer.
• Never provide your credit card or financial information to someone claiming to be from tech support.
• Take the caller’s information down and report it to your local authorities or the FTC.
• If you did allow a caller to access your computer:
• Change the passwords for your computer, email and online banking/credit card accounts.
• Be sure to run a virus scan
• Consider placing a fraud alert on your credit report if you shared personal and banking information with the scammer.

 

Source From: (http://www.bbb.org)

 

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BBB alerts residents to Microsoft tech support scam

Better Business Bureau is alerting consumers to a phone scam in which the caller claims to be from Microsoft. The caller offers to solve a consumer’s computer problems or sell him or her a software license, all in an effort to gain remote control access to the consumer’s computer.

Recently, several consumers called BBB to report they received a phone call from a “Microsoft employee” who told her he had recognized a virus on her computer.

From almost the instant one such phone conversation started, the consumer realized the call was not made with good intentions.

The man identified himself as being from Microsoft tech support and said he had identified that my computer had a virus the consumer said. The scammer then directed the consumer to go to her computer and proceeded to give directions to ‘get rid of the virus.’

Thankfully the consumer works with computers on a daily basis, realized almost immediately that the directions being given were the same steps she follows when her IT department needs full, remote access to her computer. The consumer did not allow the caller to proceed any further.

According to Microsoft, once these scammers have access to the computer they can install malicious software, steal personal information, take control of the computer remotely or direct consumers to fraudulent websites where they are asked to enter their credit card information.

Microsoft’s Online Safety and Security Centre states that neither Microsoft nor its partners make unsolicited phone calls.

Here are some of the organizations that cybercriminals claim to be from:

· Windows Helpdesk

· Windows Service Center

· Microsoft Tech Support

· Microsoft Support

· Windows Technical Department Support Group

·Microsoft Research and Development Team (Microsoft R & D Team)

BBB advises consumers follow these tips to protect themselves from scammers attempting to access their computer:

· Go through your service provider directly. If you are concerned your computer may be exposed to viruses or other security threats, contact your service provider directly. Some providers offer free tools that can help detect and remove viruses.

· Install virus detection. To help protect your computer from viruses make sure you have virus detection software installed on your computer. This software can also help identify if a virus appears on your computer.

· Don’t trust cold calls. Never give out personal information, over the phone, to someone you don’t know. If the caller claims there is a security threat to your computer, hang up and call your computer company directly.

 · Find a computer repair company you can trust. Go to bbb.org to find a BBB Accredited Business you can trust.

 

Source From: (http://www.bbb.org)

 

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Beware Cyber Scammers Posing as Tech Support

 

 

Dear ABC News Fixer: I think you should let your viewers know about an ongoing scam, in which someone calls and claims to be with Windows or Microsoft, telling you they have detected a virus or a malfunction in your computer. They ask you to log into a website and then they plant a real virus or malware in your computer and hold you hostage for absurd fees to remove it.

I own a company that does computer repair and systems support, and we’ve had customers fall victim to this scam. Please tell your viewers that the real Microsoft would never call you like this.

Alas, many customers are embarrassed to admit what happened, so they pay!

– Michael Bayan, New York, N.Y.

Dear Michael: Your letter came just in the nick of time because this scam seems to have heated up again. You told us this week you had yet another customer with an infected computer from this scam. We talked to her – she’s an adjunct professor at a prestigious business school in New York and no dummy – and here’s how she described the very convincing con:

First, she got a phone call at her office number from someone who said he’s with Microsoft tech support, which had detected some viruses on her computer. She was suspicious, so she asked where he was based. He cleverly said Washington State – where the real Microsoft is headquartered — and gave her a call-back number. She rang him back and he directed her to a website that looked surprisingly real.

Once she clicked on that, her “tech helper” remotely logged into her computer while she stayed on the phone with him. Some windows opened on her screen with “error” messages, supposedly showing all the ways that her computer was infected. He said that her PC’s “insurance” had lapsed, but he could reinstate it as a lifetime policy for just $275 and clean up her computer if she’d just provide her credit card.

That’s when the professor got suspicious. “It sounded like he had a scam script,” she told the ABC News Fixer.”When I realized that I let this guy into my computer … I hung up and called Michael hysterically.”

You told us you were able to clean up the good professor’s computer, which had been infected by malware from the website. Good thing. We’ve read numerous stories online about the same scam, and about consumers who’ve unwittingly let the malware turn their PCs into “zombie computers” that can be controlled off-site by the scammers.

Microsoft has tried to alert users about these scams, which can take the form of a supposed tech support agent or a person selling supposed software. Once inside your computer, these criminals can capture your passwords and user names and potentially access your banking and credit card info.

The scammers find people’s names and phone numbers through public sources and then they guess what system they’re using. With so many people using PCs, they have a good chance of getting it right. They can “spoof” their own number on caller ID so it looks like it’s from another area code.

They say they’re from someplace with “Microsoft” or “Windows” in the name, such as the “Windows Helpdesk.”

But Microsoft says it and its partners do not make unsolicited cold calls to consumers to charge them for computer security or software fixes.

– The ABC News Fixer

 

Source From: (http://abcnews.go.com/)

 

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Computers Cannot Survive By Anti-Virus Software Alone

Over the past few weeks, several widely knows companies have been competing for top spots in many of the major news headlines but, for all the wrong reasons. Retail giant Target, to offer just one recent example, could be forced to pay millions of dollars to cover the direct damages incurred from the recent malware-related data breach that enabled cyber-criminals to steal credit card data from all Target point-of-sale systems located within the United States and Canada. While financial loss is certainly a major concern, the massive hit they will take to their reputation could be incalculable for years to come.

It’s no secret that one of the biggest challenges facing any business is protecting against malware attacks and other cyber-crimes. This recent string of cyber-attacks are some of the biggest (that we know of) in history. They were so massive that the FBI has recently issued a special warning aimed at businesses to tighten up their cyber security infrastructure.

It’s common for most people to say to themselves “As long as Antivirus software is installed and up to date, a computer will be protected.” That’s no longer the case. What worked before doesn’t work now. Standard Antivirus programs are no match for the new zero-day malware outbreaks that are now commonplace in the world of computing. With all of the complex attacks being developed and altered on a daily—sometimes hourly basis, just having Antivirus software installed isn’t enough.

Nowadays IT security experts recommend adding a dedicated anti-malware layer to existing endpoint security software to block the barrage of constantly looming cyber threats. That’s why here at New River Computing, we’ve recently started offering Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Enterprise Edition as a part of our overall security portfolio.  During our vigorous pre-deployment testing phase, we found that by adding the power Malwarebytes to our current deployments of VIPRE Anti-Virus, the combo proved to be unmatched in catching new vulnerabilities, PUP’s (potentially unwanted programs) and zero-hour malware on live client machines. There’s no better real-world test than that!

 

 

Below is a partial list of benefits our clients can gain by adding the power of Malwarebytes to their existing security strategy:

• New River Computing will be able to identify and respond to malware threats in real-time.
• Compatibility with VIPRE Anti-Virus and most other major endpoint security products.
• Detects zero-hour and known Trojans, worms, rootkits, adware, and spyware in real-time.
• File execution blocking prevents malicious threats from executing code and quarantines them.
• Real-time malicious website blocking prevents access to and from known malicious IP addresses.
• Ensures data security and network integrity. Reduces IT helpdesk tickets, ensures user productivity.
• Protects users from downloading malware, hacking attempts, redirects to malicious websites, and “malvertising.”
• Reduce endpoint and network downtime due to malware remediation.
• Prevent data theft.

In addition to all of these benefits, New River Computing can also leverage the power of Threat View to monitor security stats in real-time. It affords us the capability to aggregate the data necessary to evaluate potentially malicious threats on client networks and track user access to potentially malicious websites. Data is streamed to us in convenient chart formats for more efficient security assessment and analysis. We can also track malicious activity on networks by IP address and user login.

You can see why all of these benefits are a must-have in regards to strengthening existing security infrastructures. To find out more about implementing Malwarebytes Anti-Malware technology in your business, please contact Shana, our Business Development Manager and she will fill you in on how easy it is to get started.

Stay Safe!

 

Source from: (http://newrivercomputing.com)

 

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