Google announced it has entered into an agreement to buy Nest Labs for US$3.2 billion in cash.

Nest, whose products include the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest Protect smoke detector, will retain its own brand identity and continue to operate under the leadership of CEO Tony Fadell, previously known as one of the designers of the iPod.

Nest will continue to support iOS, and the Nest app for checking Nest devices and controlling thermostat temperature will also continue support on Android and modern browsers.

“Google will help us fully realize our vision of the conscious home and allow us to change the world faster than we ever could if we continued to go it alone,” Fadell wrote in a blog post.

(More on Nest technology: Zeichick on the peril of automated software updates)

For more information on Google’s acquisition of Nest, check out Google’s press release and this Q&A from Nest founder and vice president of engineering Matt Rogers.