Google's Nest closing smart-home company Revolv, bricking devices
Nest, a smart-home company owned by Google's holding company Alphabet, is dropping support for a line of products - and will make customers' existing devices completely useless.
It's a move that has infuriated some customers, and raises worrying questions about the rights of consumers in the ever-more connected future.
In October 2014, Nest acquired Revolv, a smart-home device maker, nine months after it was itself bought by Google. The terms of the Revolv deal were not disclosed, and as Re/code reported at the time, the deal was an acqui-hire - buying a company for its talent rather than its products or users.
Seems like we're headed for an Internet of Useless Things. This reminds me of Kurt Vonnegut's book "Player Piano".
Bill Horne Moderator