The hottest item that you probably couldn’t get for Christmas this year was the Nest learning thermostat — the smart gadget has been sold out for weeks and you can’t get one until 2012. But I bought one a couple months ago for a Christmas present for my parents and the device finally showed up a couple days before the big day.

Since I was planning to give it as a present, I didn’t want to configure the device, but I did want to do a lil unboxing for y’all so you can see what it looks like and what you get inside. The packaging does remind me of Apple products (the creators designed the iPod and the iPhone), but the real test will come when we try to install the thermostat. I’m slightly worried about my parents tackling this project, but I’ll let you know how they fare in a couple weeks.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Connected world: the consumer technology revolution
• Cleantech, meet connectivity: a new era of energy efficiency
• Smart Grid Apps: Six Trends That Will Shape Grid Evolution

alt=''
border='0'
/>

GigaOM

Critics have called out the Kindle Fire for some of its hardware and software shortcomings, which is not unexpected for a new device but hasn’t seemed to slow sales. But a bigger concern is emerging for parents who are thinking of buying the Kindle Fire: it has almost no restrictions to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content or buy whatever they like on the device.

Caryn Talty, a blogger with HealthyFamily.org, wrote about how she was able to access R-rated content on Amazon Prime Instant Videos, which is free for a limited time to new Kindle customers. She also noted that with one-click buying, which comes as the default option on the Kindle, users are not prompted to give a password with each purchase.

“I wish Amazon would install parental controls for their devices so that movies which are rated “R” can be blocked on the Kindle Fire as easily as they can on AT&T Uverse. We need to protect our kids from inappropriate materials online, and this includes electronic readers as well. Amazon should give Kindle Fire owners the option to install a 4-digit pin for content not appropriate for kids,” Talty wrote.

It’s not just movies: The Amazon Silk browser also has no controls for access, so parents can’t disable it for children. In fact, all of the magazines, books and comic books can be purchased with one click. There is a screen lock for the device with a password but almost everything is accessible once inside.

Amazon told Reuters earlier this week that it does provide controls for in-app purchases. But it’s still working on adding additional safety features. The company said it hasn’t had a problem with the way it sends devices pre-registered for one-click purchases.

“Customers tell us they love that Kindle Fire arrives registered to their account and ready to go,” Amazon told Reuters. “Those who prefer to have their Kindle Fire arrive unregistered can select ‘gift’ during the checkout.”

Apple has long had controls that allow parents to restrict access to iTunes, the App Store, Safari and YouTube. And it installed new controls on in-app purchases after parents and some legislators complained about the ease with which children were making app purchases and buying items inside apps. Barnes & Noblealso requires users to confirm a purchase on Nook devices.

Some of the problem is that Amazon is still on its first version of the Kindle Fire and it needs to patch up some rough spots on the device. But it also comes down to the central philosophy of the Kindle Fire, which is basically a big store front for Amazon. Amazon expects to sell a lot of goods through the Fire and as we’ve seen already with the iPad, tablets making very good shopping devices. That’s likely why Amazon is able to offer the device at such a low price with no profit, because it can make up for it on other transactions. Amazon’s trademark one-click checkout is part of the appeal for many consumers and it’s made some of my purchases easier on the Fire. But I’ve also caught myself a little worried that it’s actually too easy to buy something on the Fire. That can be bad for parents with children or people with bad impulse control.

I think Amazon needs to come up with more controls quickly. It may not be an issue with most consumers, but at the price the company is pitching it at, the Kindle Fire has a chance to be the first tablet in a lot of homes. Consumers want to feel safe handing their children a Kindle just as much as an iPod Touch. But it needs to come with more safeguards. I’m sure Amazon is working on this, but it would have been better to ship with those controls in place to show that it cares not just about selling but also respecting the different needs of its users.

Amazon is still going to sell a boatload of content legitimately on the Fire, but it doesn’t need to invite an uproar when parents find their children doing far more with their new tablet than they’d like.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Forecast: the evolution of the e-book market
• Connected world: the consumer technology revolution
• Connected Consumer Q3: Netflix fumbles; Kindle Fire shines

alt=''
border='0'
/>

GigaOM

Location Labs has built a solid business with its location-finding and texting-while-driving prevention tools, which are powering the company to what it hopes will be an initial public offering. Now, the company is taking its idea of family security one step further by launching a Facebook online monitoring tool for parents, which will now be part of a suite of software safety tools.

The San Francisco company is branding its tools under the Safely name, which will encompass Safely Locate, a family locator service on AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprintand Safely Drive, which prevents people from texting while they’re driving and is available on T-Mobile and Sprint. To those existing tools, Location Labs is adding Safely Social Monitor, a service that lets parents make sure their children are using Facebook in a safe manner.

Safely Social Monitor will allow parents to see who their children are interacting with most on Facebook and what photos they upload. Parents can get alerts when their children are tagged in photos or use phrases or words that are inappropriate. Parents can do all this with a dashboard that easily visualizes a lot of the data and doesn’t require them to sign-into their children’s account. Safely Social Monitor is available for free for Sprint users, who will have early access for a limited time. The service will eventually be made available to subscribers on other carriers.

The Safely suite of products is part of Location Labs’ effort to build a sort of anti-virus protection for families. Tasso Roumeliotis, CEO of Location Labs, said the company is trying to address a spectrum of concerns for parents, from the first time they get their phones, to the time they go online and eventually to when they get behind the wheel of a car. Said Roumeliotis:

“The creation of Safely was a natural next step for Location Labs. Our team has been laser focused on addressing the needs of families with our mobile and location-based services. Keeping up with kids as they engage with new technologies like smartphones and Facebook is a daunting task for parents. Safely answers parents’ primal need to protect their families and gives them valuable services they can trust.”

While Location Labs is branding its services under one name, it’s not creating a bundle with reduced pricing for parents. That’s because the location finder and texting tools are distributed and billed through the carriers while Safely Social Monitor will be more of a direct-to-consumer product. The social service will remain free for families but Location Labs will look to add premium features like special alerts for parents.

It’s interesting to see how family location-based services can serve as part of a larger tool set for safety. Location Labs is betting that parents see all of these risks as part of one larger issue for their children as they grow up, with mobile and social being related threats. Competitor Life360 has also talked of offering more robust family protection by partnering with home security firms to surface safety data all on one dashboard. As I’ve mentioned before, location-based services aimed at security have a lot of opportunity as basic family utilities. And it seems like location protection can be part of a larger suite of products that can be marketed together in some interesting ways.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Flash analysis: the tech startup investment environment, Q3 2011
• Shopping Matters When it Comes to Location-Based Apps
• Millennials in the enterprise, part 2: benchmarking IT’s readiness for the new digital workforce

alt=''
border='0'
/>

GigaOM