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Philips 'Hue' Receives Major Update With Geofencing, Visual Alerts, and More
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Long, long ago ('40s), the Electric company gave away free replacement light bulbs to encourage customers to continue their use of electricity. It's a different world now.
Awesome for deaf people:
* Like when the smoke alarm rings, turn the lights red and flash them.
* When the door bell rings, turn the lights yellow and flash them.
Other uses:
* Slowly turn the lights on when it's dusk, and off at bedtime.
* When my hockey team scores a goal, pulse red lights.
* When there is a sports game going to overtime, pulse blue lights.
* Rain is approaching (10 minutes away) - cycle colors blue/white, blue/white. I know to close the windows.
* My wife is approaching, within 10 miles of the house: FLASH RED! Get the mistress out of the house!
This is REALLY COOL.
Market demand needs to hurry the hell up and drive down the price, once that happens these things will fly off the shelves.
Very, very cool technology.
Very, very cool technology.
I've got three maps in my student accommodation, and I'd love a set of these. But £179 is just far too much...
If they were half that price, say £90, I'd consider them for a "birthday treat" or something.
Hope they're cheaper on Amazon!
If they were half that price, say £90, I'd consider them for a "birthday treat" or something.
Hope they're cheaper on Amazon!
These would be good if they were actually brighter than a nightlight. I need "lighting" in my house, not "mood lighting".
Yes. The lights lose power, they go off. Just like typical light bulbs.
You can probably program them, so that they turn back to white when you flick them off and on.
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Not all your lights in your house need to be these lights. You can have regular lights in your house too.
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Right - and the developers who buy these NOW, and create cool apps/programs to drive these lights will make lots of money when they become popular. $199 will be chicken-feed for those developers.
If they sold a one or two bulb starter pack, or the 'bridge' separately, more people would do these. Yes, $200.00 is steep for what this is.
BUT my big question is why does it need a 'bridge'? Can't they make wi-fi bulbs that you can control just through the local network? It seems clumsy to have to have a 'bridge' installed to interface with the bulbs. Proprietary 'solution' here? And if the 'bridge' dies? S.O.L.?
A lightbulb has one purpose - to light the area. Who needs lightsbulbs blinking around like a haunted house for every minor notification?
Hmm, if you were deaf, and set an alert when severe weather was reported your lights started to flash, that really isn't so gimmicky. Pretty helpful.
I guess this whole thing is...er...cool, huh?
I find this product neat since I first heard about it and now with this update its renewed my interest in it. Maybe one of these days I'll buy it (when I get some extra funds of course).
Now wouldn't that be err... Cool?
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"Had" One Purpose
A light bulb had one purpose back when it was just a dumb bulb. Kind of like when mobile phones had one purpose--to make calls. Meet the smart bulb
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lol!
A light bulb had one purpose back when it was just a dumb bulb. Kind of like when mobile phones had one purpose--to make calls. Meet the smart bulb
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lol!
A light bulb had one purpose back when it was just a dumb bulb. Kind of like when mobile phones had one purpose--to make calls. Meet the smart bulb
lol!
Has the purpose of lightning changed (starting from candles going to electric lights?)
Saving money is cool too.
Energy costs would be higher for traditional lighting sources base on the US average of $0.12 per kWh.
If I had 6 (8.5-Watt) Light Emitting Diode Lamps (hue LED) in my TV room:
6 x 8.5W bulbs = 51 Watts total (when all are on)
51 Watts x 4 hours (approx. usage) = 204 Watt hours per day or /1000 = 0.204 kWh (kilowatt hours) per day.
0.204 kWh x 365 days per yr = 74.46 kWh per yr at $0.12 per kWh = $8.94 per yr in electricity for that room.
If I had 6 (60-Watt) Incandescent lamps (INC) in my TV room:
6 x 60W per lamp = 360 Watts total (when all are on)
360 Watts x 4 hours (approx. usage) = 1440 Watt hours per day or /1000 = 1.4 kWh (kilowatt hours) per day.
1.4kWh x 365 days per yr = 525.6kWh per yr at $0.12 per kWh = $63.07 per yr in electricity for that room.
Cost of replacement should be taken into account.
Based on a usage of approximately 4 hours per day at 365 days per yr = 1460 hours
I would replace an INC lamp (standard 60W w/1,000 hours life span) about 3 times every 2 years at about $1.50 per lamp.
I would replace a hue LED lamp (LED 8.5W w/15,000 hours life span) 1 time every 10 years at about $60 per lamp.*
* Philips mentions 15 years but thats based on about 3 hours of use per day times 365 days per yr = 1095kWh.
My calculations are based on an hour of higher usage per day.
In 10 years I would have gone through 30 INC lamps at a cost of $45 x 6 lamps in the room = $270 (90 lamps in total)
In 10 years I would have gone through 1 hue LED lamp kit at a cost of $200 (includes 3 lamps) + $180 ($60 for each additional lamp) = $380 (for 6 lamps in total)
So lets do the math
For INC lamps: $270 in lamp replacements over 10 years + 10 years of $63.07 in electricity costs = $900.70
For hue LED lamps: $360 for entire room for 10 years + 10 years of $8.94 in electricity costs = $449.40
The Philips hue is half the price of using INC lamps with ten times the coolness factor.
I have it... I use it... I like it!
Energy costs would be higher for traditional lighting sources base on the US average of $0.12 per kWh.
If I had 6 (8.5-Watt) Light Emitting Diode Lamps (hue LED) in my TV room:
6 x 8.5W bulbs = 51 Watts total (when all are on)
51 Watts x 4 hours (approx. usage) = 204 Watt hours per day or /1000 = 0.204 kWh (kilowatt hours) per day.
0.204 kWh x 365 days per yr = 74.46 kWh per yr at $0.12 per kWh = $8.94 per yr in electricity for that room.
If I had 6 (60-Watt) Incandescent lamps (INC) in my TV room:
6 x 60W per lamp = 360 Watts total (when all are on)
360 Watts x 4 hours (approx. usage) = 1440 Watt hours per day or /1000 = 1.4 kWh (kilowatt hours) per day.
1.4kWh x 365 days per yr = 525.6kWh per yr at $0.12 per kWh = $63.07 per yr in electricity for that room.
Cost of replacement should be taken into account.
Based on a usage of approximately 4 hours per day at 365 days per yr = 1460 hours
I would replace an INC lamp (standard 60W w/1,000 hours life span) about 3 times every 2 years at about $1.50 per lamp.
I would replace a hue LED lamp (LED 8.5W w/15,000 hours life span) 1 time every 10 years at about $60 per lamp.*
* Philips mentions 15 years but thats based on about 3 hours of use per day times 365 days per yr = 1095kWh.
My calculations are based on an hour of higher usage per day.
In 10 years I would have gone through 30 INC lamps at a cost of $45 x 6 lamps in the room = $270 (90 lamps in total)
In 10 years I would have gone through 1 hue LED lamp kit at a cost of $200 (includes 3 lamps) + $180 ($60 for each additional lamp) = $380 (for 6 lamps in total)
So lets do the math
For INC lamps: $270 in lamp replacements over 10 years + 10 years of $63.07 in electricity costs = $900.70
For hue LED lamps: $360 for entire room for 10 years + 10 years of $8.94 in electricity costs = $449.40
The Philips hue is half the price of using INC lamps with ten times the coolness factor.
I have it... I use it... I like it!
Eventually link them to Siri? "Siri, turn the lights on." Siri can run on your home network via Apple Routers with wireless microphones placed through out the house.
Amazon US have them:
http://www.amazon.com/Philips-431643-Personal-Wireless-Lighting/dp/B00BSN8DN4
Also these do work with Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.philips.lighting.hue
Has the purpose of lightning changed (starting from candles going to electric lights?)
God used to smite us with lightning. I don't know it's true purpose now.
It's not gimmicky nor useless.
I have this system with 6 bulbs. You don't realize how nice it is to come home to a lit house automatically. You don't have to flip switches, turn on several different lamps or anything else. It's automatic. When you go to bed, you press the all off button and you're done. Timers are great and with geo-fencing now a feature, it's even better.
Don't knock something just because you don't think it has value. I live in a large home with many lights. I honestly wish they had candelabra bulbs as well. I would change out every bulb in the house. It saves me lots of time every day.
Think of all the tasks you do everyday that are mundane that could be replaced by automation. Opening/closing curtains/blinds. Lights on/off. Etc etc.