In the context of the numerous announcements this week, one little thing has unfortunately been somewhat overlooked. However, in case of an emergency, this little thing could be worth its weight in gold for all of us. From October, Philips Hue will finally offer spare parts for its products. “Lose a power cable in a move?
Actually, it was supposed to be ready in spring, but in the end it took a little longer than planned. In the context of the IFA announcement, Philips Hue has now announced that the Matter update for the Hue Bridge, which was promised last year, will be rolled out in September.
Later this week, Philips Hue will unveil its first smart home cameras, marking its first attempt at a whole new product category. And this despite the fact that the market is already more than saturated. Right off the bat, I can think of numerous manufacturers that already offer smart home cameras.
At the beginning of the year, Philips Hue increased the prices of numerous outdoor products and ceiling lights. A price increase of up to 20 percent or up to 40 euros was noted in February. But that is far from the end of the line: the Hue Festavia string lights, which was launched last year and quickly sold out, will cost 219.99 euros when it returns.
I have reported about BridgeWrapper several times in the past. With the small Alexa skill, more than one bridge could be connected to Amazon's voice assistant. A feature that Philips Hue itself has not been able to get up and running until now. Unfortunately, it already became apparent at the end of last year that BridgeWrapper was too successful.
What I have suspected since the beginning of the year, I can now confirm: Philips Hue will bring smart cameras to the market – and pretty soon. But what exactly would such a camera have to be able to do for it to be interesting for you? The facts are still quite limited at the moment.
Philips Hue usually introduces new products around the International Consumer Electronics Fair in Berlin. Signify CEO Eric Rondolat has now revealed what we can expect this year during a conference call. One thing is already certain: Philips Hue will get a home monitoring system, similar to what Signify's second brand Wiz already got a few months ago.
Signify is launching new Philips Hue lights and App features that provide additional ways to personalize the lighting in your home. The Philips Hue luster bulb now also comes in warm-to-cool white and color light, and the Philips Hue panels are available in new shapes. The Philips Hue app has two new features: the brightness balancer, which equalizes individual lights' brightness in your Entertainment area, and additional time slots for motion sensors.
It's time again to show you a small Hue installation from my own four walls. Nothing spectacular, but maybe something to stimulate your thoughts and reflections. The focus is on the Philips Hue Play Gradient Lightstrip for the PC. This has been on the market since last September and is available in three different configurations: for monitors from 24 to 27 and 32 to 34 inches or triple setups with three 24 to 27 inch screens.
Regardless of whether it's a large or small provider: When things don't run smoothly, the most important thing is good support. Those who offer fast and good solutions can gain points with their customers. I tried the Philips Hue support this week and would like to tell you about my experience.
Fabian
Frederick