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The program marks the first time Nest has
allowed third-party companies to access its gadgets, potentially
opening the door to the rich selection of apps and services that
have made smartphones popular.
More than 5,000 developers have already expressed interest in
developing apps for Nest products, according to the company.
Nest said that it was working with companies including
washer-dryer maker Whirlpool Corp and automatic garage door
opener company Chamberlain. Closing a garage door for instance,
can alert the Nest Thermostat that the user is away from home
and to turn off the heat. LED light bulbs from Lifx can be set
to flash red if a Nest smoke detector senses smoke in the house.
Google acquired Nest for $3.2 billion in January, underscoring
the Web search company's efforts to extend its reach into a
broad field of Internet-connected devices.
Nest on Friday announced plans to acquire Dropcam, a
video-monitoring home security product.
Nest suffered a public relations black eye in April when it
halted sales of its smoke alarms because of a defect that could
cause users to turn the alarm off unintentionally. Nest resumed
selling the device earlier this month, though it has deactivated
the problematic "Wave" feature - an option that allowed users to
stop false alarms with the wave of a hand.
(Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
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