Signify, the company behind Philips Hue, has unveiled a range of trendy Edison-style smart lightbulbs at IFA 2019 in Berlin. Each bulb contains a twisted 'filament' of LEDs, and emits a warm glow harking back to antique bulbs of yesteryear.
These bulbs are intended to give a strictly old-school feel, so you won't be able to adjust the color or temperature of the light. You can, however, control them through the Philips Hue app, Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Homekit, or any of the Hue system's various switches and sensors.
The funky bulbs will be available in three sizes – A19, ST19 and G25 – and will be available in the US from October starting at $25 (about £20, AU$35). Hopefully other territories will be able to light up their homes with some old-school cool soon too.
More bright ideas
There are also some new accessories in the mix: a plug and a button. The Philips Hue Smart Plug that lets you add any 'dumb' lamp to your smart lighting setup. Just plug in your gadgets and you're done. You aren't limited to lights, either – you could also plug in a fan or any other device. It will sell for a rather steep $40 (about £30, AU$60).
The new Philips Hue Smart Button is a tiny wireless switch that can be fitted wherever you like using a built-in magnet. It's simply a quick, easy way to control your Hue lights, which it connects to using either Bluetooth or Zigbee. Tap the Smart Button once to turn them off, twice to change to a preset 'scene', or press and hold to dim.
The Smart Button will be able to perform different tasks at different times of the day – so a double-press could make your lights warmer and dimmer in the evening, but brighter and colder in the morning, for example. It will cost $20 (about £15, AU$30).
Finally, there's an updated version of the Philips Hue Go – a wireless, bowl-shaped lamp that's intended for parties and outdoor fun. The second-generation Hue Go is a major improvement on the third as it can now be controlled via your phone using Bluetooth, rather than relying on a Philips Hue Bridge. That means you're no longer restricted to using it within a stone's throw of your house.
The new Hue Go also offers greatly improved battery life (up to 18 hours), is much brighter than its predecessor (up to 520 lumens) and can be dimmed to a mere 1.2 lumens when the party's over and it's time to wind down.
Via MacRumors
