Free Nest Learning Thermostats Being Dispensed From Secret Vending Machines In Chicago

You can pretty much buy anything out of a vending machine nowadays, but it's not too often that one gives away its products for free. If you're interested in such a machine, you'd better hope that you'll be in Chicago either today or tomorrow, as Nest plans to drop a vending machine at two different locations that give 500 people a free Nest thermostat.

The vending machine should look a lot like what it does in the picture below; essentially, extremely hard to miss, thanks to its bright blue front. We're not sure about certain details, such as how machines would limit one unit per person, or what's required to get one out of the machine to begin with. One thing we do know, though, is that the machines are going to be swamped with energy-conscious people once they're discovered.

Nest is being super generous here as part of a larger promotion that Chicagoans can take advantage of to get a Nest thermostat for cheap - up to $240 off. That's the upside, the downside is that a number of steps are involved to get all of the discounts, but... we are talking $240 here.

On its blog, Nest says that anyone interested in a free Nest should pay close attention to the company's Twitter page, as it will be dropping clues once in a while. As of the time of writing, no useful clues have been posted, but they're going to be coming very soon.

This promotion comes hot on the heels of Nest company founder Tony Fadell leaving the company, being replaced at the helm by Marwan Fawaz, former CTO of Adelphia and Charter.