Philips today announced a new HomeKit-compatible Hue-branded lighting product, the Philips Hue White Ambiance. Like the standard Philips Hue lighting set, the White Ambiance ships with a HomeKit hub and bulbs, but it's aimed at people who want adjustable white light without a multitude of color options.
The Wi-Fi-connected White Ambiance bulbs feature "every shade of white light," from 6500k daylight to 2200k warm light, and they can be adjusted automatically throughout the day using light recipes, routines, and HomeKit scenes in the recently released Philips Hue app. The bulbs, rated at 800 lumens at 4000k, can also be controlled through HomeKit using Siri voice commands.
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"We know how important white light is in the home; it is similar to natural day light and can help us to focus, feel more alert as well as wind down at night" says Sridhar Kumaraswamy, Business Leader Connected Home Systems at Philips Lighting. "With Philips Hue white ambiance, we are delivering a high quality connected light bulb that delivers the full spectrum of white light at the swipe of a finger, allowing consumers to fully benefit from the impact that white light can have on their wellbeing when at home."
Philips' White Ambiance Hue starter kit includes two Philips Hue white ambiance bulbs, a HomeKit-compatible bridge, and one wireless dimming switch that allows lights to be controlled from anywhere in the house without the need to open the iPhone app. The new Hue starter kit joins the standard kit that includes bulbs adjustable to any color or any shade of white and a simpler kit with white bulbs that are unable to be adjusted to different shades.
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At $129.95 for the entire kit and $29.95 for a single bulb, the Philips Hue White Ambiance kit is more affordable than the standard Hue lighting kit, which is priced at $199 for the initial bridge and bulbs and $59.95 for individual bulbs. The White Ambiance starter kit is available from the Philips website starting today.
Top Rated Comments
I don't want to sound ignorant (I'm sure there are people who would absolutely love this), but personally I don't see the need for coloured lights, unless it's for design elements. I like the good ol' fluorescent lights.
As an owner of Hue bulbs (full color) let me tell you that - at least for me personally - changing the light color to match my mood or daytime is HUGE.But regardless, I would still be interested in trying it one day (no money though right now).
Only once I got Hue I realized how the light's color changes everything in a room and how you perceive things.
I can only really put it vaguely, because light color really is all about feelings at the end of the day.
Well that and then there's the fact that light does change your life quality.
Being able to switch from warm light to colder light is one thing, being able to slowly fade in or out lights is another, especially around bedtime or when waking up, but then there's also the need for less lights you need total in a room, because suddenly your normal lighting can be the party lighting.
Fully programmable and expandable.
Suddenly your lights are as powerful as your imagination, because you can deploy scripts, external services such as IFTTT and more.
You can use light to notify you about things, like bad weather, reminding you to take an umbrella.
Yes, you could have that on your smartphone, but over the years I've grown immensely tired of notifications.
Any way to reduce notifications I have to interact with is great.
Less notifications I have to dismiss again and again, depending on how loyal of an Apple user I am.... RIGHT, APPLE ('http://photos.reportinglive.com/p/2013-06-10/f1370890554.jpg')?
Glassed Silver:mac
As an owner of Hue bulbs (full color) let me tell you that - at least for me personally - changing the light color to match my mood or daytime is HUGE.
Yeah, you've got an excellent point. Never thought like this before. Thanks.Only once I got Hue I realized how the light's color changes everything in a room and how you perceive things.
I can only really put it vaguely, because light color really is all about feelings in the end of the day.
Well that and then there's the fact that light does change your life quality.
Being able to switch from warm light to colder light is one thing, being able to slowly fade in or out lights is another, especially around bedtime or when waking up, but then there's also the need for less lights you need total in a room, because suddenly your normal lighting can be the party lighting.
Fully programmable and expandable.
Suddenly your lights are as powerful as your imagination, because you can deploy scripts, external services such as IFTTT and more.
You can use light to notify you about things, like bad weather, reminding you to take an umbrella.
Yes, you could have that on your smartphone, but over the years I've grown immensely tired of notifications.
Any way to reduce notifications I have to interact with is great.
No less notifications I have to dismiss again and again, depending on how loyal of an Apple user I am.... RIGHT, APPLE ('http://photos.reportinglive.com/p/2013-06-10/f1370890554.jpg')?
Glassed Silver:mac
Without simple reasonably priced wall switches I'll never be interested in this type of bulb. I could never convince the wife it was an improvement.
Two words: Lutron Caseta. They provide everything and more that Hue provides, and you wire them to the switch instead of needing specialized bulbs. That means that once you have a Caseta wall switch installed you can put whatever bulb you want in the socket and control it.I have Hue and Caseta devices in my home, and if I had to give up one of them it would definitely be the Hue.
Does anyone know if I purchase this new light kit will I be able to add additional color bulbs to it?
Yes the bridge is the same whichever starter pack you buy and all the Hue bulbs are compatible.I was traveling for business last week and one night i get a text message from my wife, "can you please turn on the living room lights." Let me tell you that I will be purchasing those wall switches this weekend. :D
The hue tap and dimmer switches are great! We now have hue taps next to every regular light switch. They make hue usable for a family.I have been waiting to see how the HomeKit thing goes and stopped investing in Hue, but with these bulbs at $30 and the wall dimmers, I may just get back in the game.