Philips has recently released a major update for the
companion app of its smart bulb, Hue. This update not only brings a more
attractive new look and easy to navigate, but also a number of brand-new
features to maximize the functionality of the Philips Hue system as a whole.
The most interesting new feature is Rooms, where users can
now classify a number of Hue bulbs in one room, then turns on and off or change
the color simultaneously. Previously, users only have the option to turn on and
off one by one or all together.
This feature can also be accessed using voice commands. When
you want to relaxing in the living room, for example, you can simply say
"Set the living room to 10 percent", and then all Hue bulbs installed
in the living room would be dimmed to create cozy feeling.
The new version of Hue's companion app also features
Routines, which allows the user to adjust the lighting schedule in accordance
with various activities each day. Then there is also Home & Away feature,
which basically allows Hue to turn itself off when you leave the house, and
then turns on again when you've come back.
Another feature called Scenes will allow users to extract
dominant colors from a photograph, so Hue can emit light in the same color
pattern. Users can basically set and choose from a combination of 16 million
colors, but the preset feature like this will certainly facilitate the customization.