Philips’ hue lighting system is gaining two new components, a hue lux remote-control white bulb, and the hue tap, a clever little switch which makes controlling your favorite Hue light scenes even easier. And, since it’s kinetic-powered no batteries are needed.
The new hue tap is built on Philips’ hue wireless lighting system, which has grown from the original iOS app-enabled, color-changing LED bulbs to an ecosystem of smart lighting accessories.
The tap is the first official product from Philips to bring hue lighting control out of the app and into the physical world.
Philips Hue tap needs no batteries as it operates using kinetic energy – simply through taps from your finger. As a result, it has a remarkable zero watts of power consumption and needs no main power source. Meaning it’s not only smarter, but greener and hassle free.
“Hue tap is the perfect solution for users who want to control their personal wireless lighting with yet more convenience. It is more than just a modern take on the wall switch – it combines easy-to-use traditional lighting control with the smart, intuitive, fun world of Philips Hue.” -Filip Jan Depauw, Senior Director, Philips Lighting
Philips Hue tap control requires the hue bridge found with all starter kits for Philips hue and Friends of hue products. Hue tap will be available this fall for $60.
Interestingly, Philips will open the hue tap API to third-party smart home developers. That potentially means easy installation of a multi-function switch that could be mapped to multiple different home automation products, addressing a common request in the growing smart home market.
Philips has also introduced a new bulb called the hue lux, and it’s dimmable like the other hue bulbs (and other smart bulbs) but doesn’t do the chameleon color changing of the original bulbs. The lux bulb has a max lighting output of 600 lumens and temperature range from 2000-6500 Kelvin. Philips estimates hue will last 15,000 hours while drawing up to 8.5 watts at full intensity.
Hue lux works on the same ZigBee protocol, meaning users can incorporate the lights with third-party sensors, that the original color-changing hue bulbs use, but changes through white light intensity instead.
Philips says lux will go on sale this fall at a price of $39.99 each or $99 for a two-bulb starter kit that includes the hue wireless bridge.
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