US – Not content with creating lighting to match your mood, Philips has launched a new app update for Hue, its web-enabled LED home lighting system, which even synchs with the weather.
A partnership with platform IFTTT for version 1.1 of the Hue app means bulbs can be programmed to change colour to let you know if it’s raining outside or when you get a text message, for example, and to blink when your favourite sports team starts a new game.
IFTTT, launched in 2010, is a service that enables customers to connect channels such as Facebook, Evernote and Dropbox with personally created or publicly shared profiles known as recipes.
Version 1.1 of Hue also uses a smartphone’s GPS for geofencing to track a user’s location, allowing them to switch on or off the lights when they arrive at or leave the house, without taking their phone out of their pocket.
Other new features include recurring alarms and a timer function.
For more on the original launch of Hue and the future of smart lighting, read our Innovate.