Icon Smartech thinks your thermostat needs a makeover

Connected thermostats are a familiar fixture in the smart home industry — where names such as Nest, Honeywell and Ecobee reign supreme. But other companies continue to introduce competing models to the market and Icon Smartech’s Icon Home is one of the most recent iterations.

The new Icon Home, on display at CES 2016, is actually an Android tablet designed to replace your existing heating and cooling controller. Of course, the idea here is that you’d be able to access information beyond basic indoor temperature readings.

Through Wi-Fi, the Icon Home is supposed to be able to pull in temperature data to issue weather alerts in your area, as well as audio-based calendar reminders and even support apps like Skype — although I’m not convinced that many people want to stand in a random hallway where their thermostat is installed and have a lengthy video chat.

As far as smart functionality, a representative from Icon Smartech explained that the Icon Home pulls in temperature data from the local forecast and can update your indoor temperature accordingly. You can also make manual adjustments on the device itself, of course, as well as through the related app.

Pricing has not been set for Ion Home, but it’s expected to sell for roughly $250-$300 (about £200 or AU$400) when it becomes available later this year.

Check out the rest of our CES 2016 coverage here.