It’s almost Apple Watch time and a number of our favorite apps have been updated to support the impending wearable. Philips Hue, a smart, energy-efficient lighting system that can be controlled directly from iOS, has just brought Apple Watch into the equation with its latest update, letting you easily adjust or turn out the lights without even needing to pick up your iPhone or iPad.
Philips isn’t the only company to offer this kind of system, but since it sells through Apple’s own retail channels, enjoys the lion’s share of exposure, and having used several smart lighting systems ourselves, we’d definitely say that Philips Hue is among the best in its field.
On the cusp of the Apple Watch’s release, the Philips Hue app now boasts full support for the wearable, and while plenty of apps will no doubt be enhanced by compatibility with the wrist computer, it could be argued that Hue and other smart home systems are among the most legitimate beneficiaries. It’s very convenient to have any remote control system attached to your wrist for whenever it may be required, although since most folk have their smartphones permanently attached to their palms anyway, perhaps the whole idea of a smartwatch is negated by our sheer dependency on our handsets.
From what we can gather through the screenshots – the description doesn’t go too far beyond “Added support for Apple Watch” – it seems the functionality is fairly basic for now. You can flit between different modes and turn the lighting system on or off, but it doesn’t appear as though you can do much else, and so hopefully, in further updates, much of Hue’s features regular and functions will be migrated over to the watch.
The Philips Hue app is completely free, although to take full advantage of version 1.8.2, you will need an iPhone, an Apple Watch, and of course, at least one Hue bulb. Those three combined are not expensive, but if you do have an iPhone and are considering / have pre-ordered an Apple Watch, we’d recommend giving Philips’ Hue system a whirl.
(Download: Philips Hue for iOS on the App Store)
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