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Purchasers of the Philips Hue "smart" ambient lighting system are finding out that the new firmware pushed out by the manufacturer has cut off access to previously-supported lightbulbs.
Philips uses ZigBee, which should mean any bulbs compatible with this standard will work with its Hue products. Not anymore. The firmware update removes this support, limiting this "open, global" standard to Philips' own bulbs and those it has designated as "Friends of Hue."
When owners complained that they had been given the old bait-and-switch on products they already paid for, Philips issued this statement:
While the Philips Hue system is based on open technologies we are not able to ensure all products from other brands are tested and fully interoperable with all of our software updates. For guaranteed compatibility you need to use Philips Hue or certified Friends of Hue products.
The Philips Hue is a premium-priced LED lighting system, but the rapid pace of LED efficiency gains has started to leave them behind. Cheaper competitors have started to significantly undercut Hue's pricing. Maybe this lockout is more about pricing protection than it is about quality protection
(Score: 3, Funny) by q.kontinuum on Wednesday December 16 2015, @06:46AM
It's not only about identifying the activities. Some people prefer certain activities in the dark, others prefer lights on.
In some cases the decision might depend on the perceived attractiveness of the other person(s) or creature(s) involved.
Probably this is a good case for a webcam pointed at your bed, and Google matching the image to your browser histrory to identify your personal taste.
Also, Google needs to analyse who earns the money to decide whos preference take priority, right? Because it might get difficult to find compromises in case of conflicts.
Hand gestures I'd really hate. It would just be weird to start gesturing in certain situations.
Personally, I'd prefer a server in my house controlling electric devices, and a smartphone-app to override/pre-set it. The connection an be completely over intranet, and even if the phone data is snooped upon it will not contain any juicy details.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 16 2015, @09:09AM
> Hand gestures I'd really hate. It would just be weird to start gesturing in certain situations.
Compared to getting up and walking to a wallswitch, or getting out a smartphone/tablet?
Yeah, so weird...
(Score: 2) by q.kontinuum on Wednesday December 16 2015, @10:09AM
Exactly. As we are discussing the bedroom situation, my smartphone is usually next to the bed on the bedside-table, so no big deal. Watching out to not do the wrong moves to avoid accidentally toggling the light (if the recognition algorithm is too lenient), or to do the same gesture over and over again until it is recognized properly, like a rain-dance, (if the recognition algorithm is too strict) would be weirder to me.
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