Philips Hue, the connected lighting system that was initially introduced by back in October of 2012, is going through further expansion with the introduction of the new Hue Go option. Like the rest of the Hue range, the Hue Go will fall under the category of intelligent home automation, can be connected and controlled directly from your smartphone, but differs from the rest of the established range as it is a truly portable lighting option that can be removed from its base and transported around the home.
The portability of the new Hue Go lighting option also means that it can be operated independently of the Bridge that is required for the other Hue lights to communicate with one another in a given home automation setup. Of course, for the sake of compatibility and preserving the integrity of Hue systems that are already in place within the home, the Hue Go can interface with an existing Bridge should it be required to do so, it just also has the power of portability to operate as its own standalone iPhone connected smart device.
The product itself comes with a 6W LED light source, capable of 16 million colors and 5 dynamic lighting effects. The half orb shaped Go is approximately half the size of a standard household eating bowl, measuring in at 120mm wide, 70mm in height and 120mm long, making it a truly and effective portable option. The integrated rechargeable Li-ion battery serves up to 3 hours of continuous light, with a charging time of approximately 1.5 hours, although Philips do actually provide a power supply for continuous illumination.
Due to the outputted power of the included 6W LED, and its size and portability, the Hue Go is not intended to be a main light source within a room. Instead, the Hue Go is much more suited to providing a mood lighting experience or accentuating a certain feature within the home. As part of its marketing material, Philips also recommends that the Hue Go is perfect as the ultimate wake up light when set up on a schedule using the free Hue smartphone app.
Priced at $99.95, the latest in the expanding Hue range will be available directly or through selected retail partners in the United States at the end of May.
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