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Philips Expands iOS-Controlled 'Hue' Line with New Products

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The Verge reports that Philips is adding new products to Hue, its line of iOS-controlled LED light bulbs. The new products include "LightStrips", which are two-meter pieces of LED-inclusive tape that can be used to go around and highlight certain fixtures in the home, and "Bloom", a portable lamp powered by an LED bulb.

hue_lightstrips-800x397.jpg
As with the original Hue, both products can be controlled with a free iOS app [Direct Link] to change features such as color and brightness, with an available output of 16 million possible colors. Both products also require the Philips Hue wireless bridge, which comes as a part of the Philips Hue starter pack. From Philips' German site [Google translation] on the company's original LightStrips:
In creating the right atmosphere at home sometimes the smallest changes can make a big difference. Philips offers lighting solutions that you can create great effects with subtle light effects and colors. See Philips Living Colors, candlelights and LightStrips playful and are easy to use. Elegant design combined with LED-based technology creates mood lighting with which you can create exactly the right atmosphere.
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The Philips Hue LightStrips are priced at $89.95 and the Philips Hue Bloom is priced at $79.95. They join the Philips Hue Starter Pack that includes 3 LED bulbs and the Hue wireless bridge, a package which currently sells for $199.95. As with the original Hue, both products will initially be sold exclusively through the Apple Retail Store and Apple Online Store.

Article Link: Philips Expands iOS-Controlled 'Hue' Line with New Products
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2013/08/06/philips-expands-ios-controlled-hue-line-with-new-products/
Shrink said:
And now your home can look like a low rider car...:cool:

;) :rolleyes:
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I personally don't care for the colored lights all over my house. In fact, I'm not sure where I'd have colored lights at all. Perhaps on some shelves, but I'm a bit boring. I like the concept of Hue for sure but wonder if they could sell a less expensive bulb if it were only standard color ... and hopefully color corrected or daylight rated.
 
I am waiting for some other 'controller' to use with Hue. The biggest disadvantage is that the only control is from an IOS device. If not a wall mountable (preferably in a decora form factor) then at least if the switch is turned off of a Hue lamp that when it's turned back on it 'remembers' it's setting. Now, if you drop a/c to a bulb and then turn it back on, it goes to full white. Call me old fashioned, but I still prefer to be able to dim a light via a switch and not have to fumble for the phone. If I have missed something or some device that does this, please enlighten me.

And for those questioning, I currently own a Hue system, and just stating it's shortcomings (I have a significant investment of Leviton DHC controllers throughout the house and for now, HUE falls very very short of replacing a system like that for real world use). It is fun for parties though.
 
rshanahan said:
I am waiting for some other 'controller' to use with Hue. The biggest disadvantage is that the only control is from an IOS device. If not a wall mountable (preferably in a decora form factor) then at least if the switch is turned off of a Hue lamp that when it's turned back on it 'remembers' it's setting. Now, if you drop a/c to a bulb and then turn it back on, it goes to full white. Call me old fashioned, but I still prefer to be able to dim a light via a switch and not have to fumble for the phone. If I have missed something or some device that does this, please enlighten me.
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I agree, it would be nice if the bulbs could optionally remember their last setting when power is applied, and maybe you could do a "double flick" with the wall switch for them to just go full white (I think there is some other light system that works like this).
I actually control my lights most often from my computer with a little web page I made that sends commands via the huepl perl script, it does the stuff i want to do most often faster than using the app.
 
I'm excited about this. I'm glad Phillips was successful enough with the Hue to do more products. Even though I don't use the color options too often (although they are really nice occasionally) it's great to have all the lights tied to my phone. I think I'll put the light strips around the ceiling in my 'home theater' room for mood lighting.
 
I bought the starter pack, used it for one weekend and that was it.

Personally, they should make standard LED bulbs (no color changing) and also single color choice bulbs at a reduced price.

I would like to control my entire lighting in the apartment with my iPhone.
 
So, what happens in five years when Philips or Apple discontinue support? Now your expensive lights are inaccessible with the new Apple hardware/OS. To deal with this you must maintain an older Apple iOS device just to access your lights. Then that dies, no support, no access. Sorry sucker!

Companies should be required to continue providing support for older hardware and software. New OSs should not be allowed to discontinue support for older software like Apple did with Classic, PPC, Rosetta, 68K, etc. Just because they want people to buy their new OS and hardware doesn't mean we should have to abandon our data and tools.
 
The original Hue bulbs were great. I've got 8 of them hooked up around my house, never had a problem. Automatic timers and geo-fencing additions were great too. :) These are much better priced, I'm excited!
 
What amazes me is that you can buy LED strip lights twice the length of the Philips for less than $10. Is being able to control the lights with your iDevice worth such a high premium?
 
madsci954 said:
I'm holding out for Hue Christmas Lights :)
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I think LightStrips might do the job! I wouldn't want to use the tape, though; hopefully those are little holes allowing you to tack/nail the strips in place removably, and just leave the tape backing on forever.

I think I might prefer the strip format to the regular Hue. I wonder how many strips you get for your $90? Just one would not be worth it.

jayducharme said:
What amazes me is that you can buy LED strip lights twice the length of the Philips for less than $10. Is being able to control the lights with your iDevice worth such a high premium?
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Only if you find all the features of it useful (which I do) and/or fun (which I REALLY do).*

Otherwise, your money is best spent on whatever YOU need or want.

* The simple word "control" hides quite a lot of capability beyond what you may be thinking. Can those $10 strips change to the color of your choice by ANY method? Geofencing? Time-based security lighting? It's not just wireless and iOS on/off that you get for your money here. (Also, I don't think we know how many meters really come with the LightStrips. 2 meters per strip, but is it just one strip? The German site refers to a "Doppelpack" for 79€, so maybe 4 meters... but I'm not sure if that's the iOS/Hue/wireless version or something else with the LightStrip brand. If you do get 4 meters of Hue LightStrip for $90 vs. 4 meters of plain-old static LEDs for $20, the extra $70 sounds fine to me over the lifetime of the product.)
 
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