TechCrunch
Nest Labs' Next Product To Be A Smoke Detector, Per Report
The Nest Learning Thermostat is about to get a sibling. If this report is correct, the company behind the incredibly popular Learning Thermostat is prepping a smoke detector. Yep, a smoke detector — which sounds about right for Nest Labs.
Co-founder and VP of Engineering Matt Rogers recently told me in an interview (view below) that the company is targeting all the white crap in our homes. The boring, the mundane, the products like the thermostat that were previously unloved and ignored. Nest wants to reinvent them. And with the smoke detector, there is a lot to reinvent.
The report is light on details, speculating heavily that the smoke detector could be tied to a subscription account (not likely), link with Learning Thermostat directly (plausible), and hand gestures could silence the alarm (likely).
But the lowly smoke detector is ripe for reinventing and Nest is the company to do it. Like the thermostat before it, the smoke detector is a disconnected device but plays a vital role in homes. Yet, it’s a dumb device. If it smells smoke, it yells. But what if you’re out of the house? What if you *know* you’re going to burn bacon and the smoke detector is located on a 15-foot ceiling? What if you want to check the status of the battery? A connected smoke detector makes a whole lot of sense.
Now Processing $1B Annually, Swipely Announces A Partner Network To Support Growth
Swipely announced today that the flow of payments through its system has doubled since April, with the firm now processing charges at a yearly run rate of $1 billion. It reported a $500 million annual run rate in April, and a $250 million run rate three months prior.
Swipely is notable for its non-traditional location: Providence, Rhode Island. Its CEO Angus Davis calls its home base an advantage, as the talent market is not as constrained as it is in Silicon Valley. And Providence isn’t too far from Boston, he explained, so his company can hire from two major markets.
In case you haven’t heard of the firm, Swipely works with retail merchants – think bars, restaurants, and the like – to improve their payment systems. Integrating with their existing point of sales systems, Swipely manages credit card processing, and provides value on top of those transactions in the form of business analytics, reward programs, digital reputation and so forth. For the average business owner who lacks Internet savvy, what Swipely offers at no cost differential (Swipely matches a customer’s current rate structure) can be compelling.
According to its release, Swipely has grown its payment volume by at least a 100% compound rate in each of its past four quarters.
The company wants to continue its current growth rates, but can’t do so on its own. With a fresh capital injection this May of $12 million, Swipely is working to grow a network of vendors to pitch its service in addition to expanding its in-house sales team.
The Swipely Partner Network was announced today, but has been in operation for some time, having around 50 partners at current tip. Swipely is channeling its inner Microsoft by turning to third-parties and, in a full-throated Redmond accent, “value-added resellers, independent software vendors, marketing consultants, and professional service providers.”
Naturally, customers that are brought to Swipely via partners are not as profitable as companies that it bags on its own, but the system should allow the company to continue its processing run-rate incline.
Swipely is a company that combines interesting technology and the world of physical retail. It can be a rough patch of the market, as other startups have learned. However, assuming normal payment processing rates, Swipely has eight-figure revenue, so it is hardly struggling.
The next test for Swipely will be its ability to continue rapid dollar-sum growth quarter over sequential quarter, while maintaining margin health, and reaching profitability. We’re watching.
Top Image Credit: Jay Gooby
AppleCare+ Now Covers Travelers' iPhones, iPads, iPods In Any Country Where It's Offered
Apple made a change to its AppleCare+ plans recently, around the time that the new iPhones were announced. It now allows you to get your iPhone, iPad, or iPods serviced in any country that offers AppleCare+, not just your home locale.
This change means that if you’re traveling with your device, you’re able to get service in another country if you purchased AppleCare+ back at home. Previously, you would have to have that service performed where you purchased the plan if you wanted it to be covered. Note that not all replacement or repair offerings are available in every country, because many countries don’t carry stock in certain iPhone models. The CDMA iPhone 5, for instance, is not available in Brazil and can’t be replaced there.
If there are other rules that govern AppleCare+ in those regions, those will also apply. But, for the most part, travelers will get more options for repair and replacement now.
The countries in which the plans now allow you coverage for your iPhone, iPod and iPad include Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Apple recently expanded the countries that AppleCare+ was offered in and raised the service fees from around $39 to $79 per ‘incident’.
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