On Thursday at 9:00 p.m. German time, the moment has arrived: The first match of the World Cup kicks off. And that also marks the launch of a new and exclusive feature from Philips Hue. Sports Live will ensure that the lights in your living room light up in sync with game events, such as goals or yellow cards.
About a year and a half ago, I visited Signify, the manufacturer of Philips Hue, in Eindhoven. While there, I had the opportunity to experience the Lighting Application Center—and saw a truly impressive ceiling light: the Philips Skylight with NatureConnect technology. A ceiling light that looks like a skylight. Until now, this product was intended for professional settings, such as offices, lobbies, and medical practices.
Philips Hue will be launching several new products later this month. But as we all know, the year is still long, and Philips Hue’s biggest launch usually takes place in early September around the time of IFA in Berlin. Possibly including two new products that a Hueblog reader has now discovered in his Hue app.
The launch of the new Hue wall switch modules is just around the corner. My local hardware store has already confirmed the prices, and all five new products (including a two-pack) are already listed on a Swiss online store. Additionally, a small but not entirely insignificant piece of technical information has come to light.
It’s truly remarkable how much effort Philips Hue is putting into developing the new Hue Bridge Pro. Since its launch in September, there has been at least one software update every month. June, which has just begun, is no exception, as Philips Hue is already rolling out a new software version today.
In Europe, Philips Hue raised the price of the Hue Bridge Pro—which was only launched last September—a few weeks ago. In Germany and other countries, the price went from €89.99 to €99.99. Not exactly great news, but ultimately still a moderate price increase. The situation is quite different in the US.
Just under two years ago, the Hue Slim recessed light was launched in a total of four different versions: with a white or black housing and a diameter of 9 or 17 centimeters. An improved version will be released later this month. This was already to be expected, as the previous models have been offered at significantly reduced prices in recent weeks.
Back in mid-May, I was able to tell you that Philips Hue was working on two new products in the Play series and would likely release them in June: a 60-centimeter-tall Hue Play table lamp and a 135-centimeter-tall Hue Play floor lamp. The latter is labeled “Hue Play Floor Lamp Large” on the packaging.
There’s another new update for the Philips Hue app available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Version 5.68.0 is available for free download for all users. In addition to the usual bug fixes, there’s also a new feature. “You can now edit a scene directly while previewing it from the Scene Gallery”, according to the update description for iPhone and iPad.
Philips Hue hasn’t exactly been successful at keeping its new products under wraps this summer. Following the new lights from the Hue Play series and the improved E14 candle bulbs, new wall switch modules have now also appeared. There will be four new products in total, including, for the first time, switch actuators for the smart control of classic ceiling lights.
Fabian