No matter whether new bulbs from Philips Hue or smart lamps from other manufacturers. We always take a look at new accessories for your smart home.
Finally, I read in the comments that other smart lighting manufacturers are on the rise. Among others, Govee was mentioned here. I have to agree in part: Individual products are certainly impressive, but when it comes to the entire ecosystem, Philips Hue is still miles ahead of the competition. What's more, the Govee app is still not particularly user-friendly.
Innr launched its first outdoor spotlights back in 2020, but at 230 lumens they were not particularly bright. The subsequent hardware revision with 290 lumens was also unable to keep up with the Hue Lily spots, which reach 640 lumens. And with the Hue Lily XL, Philips Hue even has a 1,050 lumen outdoor spotlight on sale, which at 159.99 euros is not exactly cheap either.
In September 2022, Philips Hue presented the Lightguide series. Three stylish E27 glass light bulbs with an internal light tube were to be launched on the market at the time. However, sales were stopped a short time later and the Ellipse model was only launched a few months later. The Lightguide Globe and Triangular versions were postponed indefinitely.
I really couldn't think of a good story this time, so unfortunately the April Fool's joke has been cancelled this year. Instead, I have some really exciting news for you, at least if you are looking for a particularly bright E14 bulb. You can now get them from Ikea. The Swedish furniture store has come up with the extremely innovative idea of shrinking the base on its Trådfri light bulb.
With the latest update to the Hue app, Philips Hue has already made its somewhat outdated Hue Tap smarter. In principle, the switch contains exactly the same module that we know from the Friends of Hue switches – just with slightly different firmware. I had already noted at the time that the third-party switches would be next in line.
In March 2024, Ikea launched a new smart socket on the market. It's called Ikea Tretakt and costs just €7.99. The plug is currently sold out in the online shop, but is in stock in many furniture stores. And for just 2 euros more, you can also get Tretakt in a bundle with Rodret, a wireless remote control.
Especially after the introduction of new gradient products from Philips Hue, one name is mentioned again and again in the comments and on social media: Govee. But is the manufacturer from Asia really an alternative? I would like to explain this using the example of the new second-generation Govee Neon Rope Light.
The Hue Secure camera was officially launched in October and firmware updates were released in November and December. The third major update has been available for around a week and takes care of many small details that also have practical implications. For example, the firmware update to version 1.2.10 improves the start time of the live stream, which you can watch directly in the Hue app.
We kicked off the gardening season at home at the weekend. The weather was great and we took the opportunity to give all the plants and bushes a good trim and tidy up a bit. A lot has piled up in the dark months. There hasn't been much new from Philips Hue for outdoor use in recent months.
I introduced you to the Philips Hue Dymera earlier this month, and now the wall light for indoor and outdoor use that was announced back in January is finally available. You can order it from the official Philips Hue online shop for 219.99 euros. A steep price, especially compared to similar wall lights such as the Hue Appear or Hue Resonate.
Fabian