Philips Hue

Philips' Hue app has always been a little rough around the edges, but today that changes as Philips releases an update that both overhauls how it looks and adds in much-needed features to make the system far more useful....

Users of the popular Philips Hue connected LED lightbulbs can now quickly control their lighting and enable "scenes" with the new easy-access Hue widget, now available for iOS 8.

Philips recently introduced its first physical control accessory for the Hue Wireless Lighting system in Hue Tap, a battery-less four-button switch that connects directly to a Hue bridge for control of bulbs, light strips and more.

A trio of popular apps received mid-cycle updates Tuesday, with popular email client Mailbox adding a number of new swipe gestures, Philips's Hue smart light bulb controller was given a streamlined UI, and connected thermostat maker Nest gaining support for the new "Works with Nest" program.

At long last, iOS is getting widgets; just in time to help the iPhone become a smart home controller. Philips already has a concept widget for controlling its intelligent light bulbs.

Philips Hue app-controlled light bulbs have gained a slick new control interface with Thursday's launch of Goldee, a new free iPhone app.

Philips Hue lightbulbs have quickly become one of our favorite iPhone accessories for the home. Not only can change your lighting to fit any mood, you can also create light shows with your music, and now Philips is adding some new features to the bulbs to make them even more powerful. Philips released a new update for its Philips Hue app for iOS today that adds a number of features including geo-fencing, timers, alarms, and IFTTT support. Here’s a video of some of the new features: