I'm not a fan of Google, don't ask and I won't go on a 4,000 word rant about not wanting to be the product. I am very interested in ways to simplify automations. The article describes you can pick a behavior and it takes care of the rest, like shutting off AC if a window is opened. It sounds similar to the Room Lighting app into other areas of automations.
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You need to read the fine print to know that. Google is all about cloud and mining every scrap of data they can find.
I just like the idea of expanding the room lighting to other facets of automation.
Don't get your hopes too high. Google Automations are a mere step up from IFTTT and a few steps behind Basic Rules. Curious to know what part made you think they will come closer to Room Lighting?
By the way, the new starters and actions are coming through for "Public Preview" users. They even added the Nest Protect devices for the starters. You can now take actions when your smoke detector starts charging or stops. A huge step forward after so many years. Was waiting for Nest Protect to be added to Google Home. Too bad they are only available in Automations, and not for their sensors capabilities. Perhaps those will be available soon 
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I barely looked at the product itself, as I'm no fan of google. The example that was given, where you tell the UI what you want done, and it makes the rule based on the devices present.
I'm a fan of the idea of defining the home over defining the rules. I like the way room lighting automatically creates motion lighting if there's a motion sensor and a light assigned to the same room. Then presents a bunch of levers and switches for customizing the experience. With RL you don't approach the task like a programmer. I think that's a more accessible model than a dozen unconnected apps and a complex rules engine.
I love RM and what it lets me do. We early adopters thrive on stuff like that. I want a system my wife who is a registers nurse could update. That will take a different UI than what's out there now.
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Just as Bruce and Chuck did not wait for corporate to make the first move, and instead formed Hubitat, I did not wait when I adopted it to run my home automation.
I firmly believe that independent developers are how the smart home will continue to grow, not by stagnant and greedy corporate interests.
If you want to tap into your Nest protect presence sensors, the Nest plugin for Homebridge does just that. An Apple TV 4, a Hubitat virtual switch and a HomeKit automation completes it. I use it with the two Nest Protects and a mmW sensor to determine if our tenant has left. If they have, Rule machine captures their personalized thermostat setting and then lowers them to 19 degrees C. On returning it restores their personalized settings.
Without the help of an independent developer, I would have to place ugly sensors in sight of our tenant, giving them the uneasy feeling of being monitored. But thanks to this plugin and Hubitat, I’m saving a lot of money not heating an empty space, and our tenant does not even need to think about the fact that it’s happening.
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You sure sound like you've been burned by a few broken promises over the years 
Some companies care more about their stock reputation so they play "safe" innovation. But it's the fear of diminishing marketshare, that affects their consumer reputation. Looks like you've got caught in the crossfire, otherwise you wouldn't have Nest Protect in your home
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The connected part of that product is a big plus, but the hardware stands on its own. If it couldn't notify me, I probably would look elsewhere. But it's so good at notifying when it's a real emergency, and not giving false alarms due to cooking or steam from the shower, that all 8 were and are still, worth the money. Every other connected feature is gravy as far as I'm concerned.
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You have no idea how true that statement rings. I bought SmartThings after reading a wonderful blog post by the founder with promises to support the Windows Phone ecosystem that I was flirting with. I shelled out my money and the founder, that month sold out to Samsung, WP was abandoned and everything became more and more cloud centric. The second I heard about Hubitat I jumped ship and have had zero regrets. I can't begin to explain how much I want to see this company succeed. Keep up the great work and don't be afraid to experiment.
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Not to defend the indefensible, but Alex and the crew built the platform in the cloud. It wasn't until the second generation of their hub came out, when they ventured into the local processing, but was a tease. That's how Hubitat was born, and the rest is history in the making of local processing. Most just use the term as a marketing tool, today, while Hubitat delivered...
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That I also why I bought into smart things (I was heavily in Windows Phone). It was not very long after they announced the were discontinuing support for Windows Phone that I switched to Hubitat.
Android
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