We should all have settled into the new year by now, after all 2024 is already three weeks old. It's high time you took part in the Philips Hue New Year sale, which is available in almost all countries. On 21 January only, you can save up to 25 percent on your purchase.
Last autumn, Philips Hue launched MR16 light sources on the market for the first time. The spots have a particularly small GU5.3 base. However, this is not the actual special feature. Much more important is the power supply, which is not via a conventional 230-volt connection. Instead, a 12-volt transformer is connected upstream.
Philips Hue has various channels on social media. Among others, the colleagues from Italy also post new content almost daily under the account @philipshueitalia. We normally see normal Philips Hue product photos on the Instagram profile, usually in a chic lifestyle style. On Monday, however, a picture appeared there that kept me guessing for a long time.
As we all know, Philips Hue is just one of Signify's many projects. Until a few years ago, Signify was still called Philips Lightning and was also active in many areas in 2023. You can see a great overview of the manufacturer's various “construction sites” in the video below. “2023 was a challenging and exciting year in which we at Signify were able to celebrate many milestones.
In recent months, Philips Hue has released a new update every two or three weeks at the latest. Since the update to version 5.6 in mid-December, however, things have become quieter. Instead, version 5.7 has now been skipped and the update to version 5.8 has been released straight away. Although the Hue app has not been completely overhauled over the holidays, we can still look forward to some new functions.
The Philips Hue Perifo track system was released in 2022 and was a real problem solver for me. After all, I was able to erase a shadow directly on the worktop in the kitchen. It was very helpful for me that Philips Hue not only offers a classic 230 volt power supply on the ceiling, but also an external power supply unit with plug.
The Hue wall switch module has been available for almost three years now and I'm still very fond of this little thing. It's exactly what I was missing in my Hue installation back then. Instead of repeatedly struggling with the problem of the classic light switch disabling the smart ceiling lighting, I have now converted numerous light switches in my home with the wall switch module.
Philips MyCreation is certainly nothing new. Back in 2020, you could have your own lamps made from a 3D printer and even influence the design. Signify, the manufacturer of Philips Hue, has since abandoned this idea. You can no longer create your own designs, but you can choose from a large selection of ready-made designs.
Last week, Philips Hue released a firmware update for the Hue Bridge, which should have automatically installed on your system by now. It revolves around the software version 1962097030. Among other things, it fixes the problem where some users were unable to connect to Apple Home via HomeKit. As we have now found out, HomeKit is much more stable than the new Matter.
With Epiphany, Christmas has finally said goodbye to us and the Christmas tree should also have gone bye-bye in your home by now. And if not, then it will probably be time in the next few days. But what happens to the Hue Festavia after that? The smart string lights from Philips Hue can cost more than 200 euros, depending on their length.
Fabian