Philips can sync your Hue lights with Spotify

Turn your room into a party room with this new feature from Philips. The company's Hue lights can now be linked to your Spotify account. It's already possible to get your lights to do this with the Hue Sync tool for PC, which can capture what you're listening to and translate that to the light script. Philips now promises a deeper integration and a "unique immersive" experience you can activate through your mobile device.

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Philip Hue bulbs get support for Apple HomeKit's adaptive lighting

A HomeKit update will allow Philips Hue bulbs to automatically adjust the lighting throughout the day as it now supports Apple's adaptive lighting feature. It was first spotted in the Netherlands, but we're hoping it makes its way here. It works with Philips Hue White & Color Ambiance and White Ambiance lights. 

Version 1941132070 of the Philips Hue Bridge firmware introduces this feature to the smart lights. The Hue app will display a message explaining how the feature works once you get it. You can check if the feature is available to you by heading to the Settings menu of the Hue app. Select Software Update and tap Update when it's available. After that, launch the Home app, where you'll see a message letting you know if you have compatible Hue lights.

Source: The Verge

CES 2019: Philips Hue launches new motion sensor, adds more outdoor lighting options

Philips Hue adds more outdoor lighting options, in case you need them. One of them is a new Hue Outdoor sensor that’s going on sale next month in the US for US$50. It’s capable of detecting motion up to 39 feet away. You can stick it anywhere you want, and it’s just powered by a battery. You can pair that with the new outdoor lights that range from US$110 to $140. The cheapest one is a white floodlight, while the most expensive option is a colour-changing floodlight. There is also a series of colour-changing lanterns, if you’re interested in those.

On top of introducing new outdoor lights, Philips Hue lights are getting new Google Assistant features. You can set Hue lights to sync with your morning alarm, so these slowly brighten before the alarm goes off. Conversely, you can set these to fade out at night after a specific time. Expect to get these functions in March.

Source: The Verge

New Philips Hue Labs formulas help parents with young children

Philips Hue Labs have just released some new formulas or functionalities to help parents take care of their babies and toddlers. There are four different formulas you can try out. One is for nursery lights, which is a special light that can be used in the middle of the night when you’re breast feeding or changing your baby’s diapers. When this is activated, it’ll have the light start in a “relaxing dimmed scene” that will then transition into “nightlight scene” before it completely turns off automatically. You can choose how long these two scenes last. Another is using the Philips Hue motion sensor to measure temperature. You can set two alerting scenes to let you know if the temperature in your baby’s room is above or below the thresholds.

The two other formulas are designed more for toddlers. One is using the motion sensor to alert you if your kid gets out of bed in the middle of the night. You can choose how long this alerting scene stays on before it reverts to its previous state and how long it should be disabled so you can put them back to bed without triggering the alert again. Last formula is like a traffic light of sorts for kids. You can set two scenes that will teach your toddler whether it’s still time to stay in bed or when they’re allowed to get up and play.