Nest's new thermostat has a Soli gesture sensor built in

Nest today introduced a new, more affordable thermostat to its lineup of smart home devices. Simply called the Nest Thermostat, it starts at $129 -- significantly cheaper than the $250 current-gen Nest Thermostat -- and leverages Google's Soli technology to recognize gestures behind its mirror-like display. The new Nest Thermostat comes at a time when many consumers are looking to use less energy in their homes, both because they want to save money and because they wish to take steps that help the environment. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, in April, spending plunged more than 13% -- the steepest drop since the government began to keep records nearly 60 years ago. And in a recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center, 63% of Americans said stricter environmental regulations are worth the cost that they would make sacrifices to comply with them.