Hasta La Gadget!

Philips is a brand that many of us are familiar with on the consumer front. The company has released products such as DVD and Blu-ray players, HiFi systems, audio equipment, home lighting and the likes, but it looks like its days as a consumer electronics business has come to an end as the company has announced (via The Wall Street Journal) that they have sold off their audio, video, multimedia and accessories division to Japanese company, Funai, for a little over $200 million in cash as well as a brand license fee. According to Philips’ Chief Executive Frans van Houten, “Since we have online entertainment, people do not buy Blu-ray and DVD players anymore,” suggesting that the company has been having some difficulty addressing the needs of today’s digital media consumers.

The transfer of the video division of Philips to Funai is expected to take place in 2017, and as far as the future of the company is concerned, Philips is expected to focus their efforts in the medical industry as well as its LED lighting systems, such as the Hue LED light bulb which can be controlled via a smartphone app.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Multi-purpose Glowing Block Chair Brings Tetris To Mind, Samsung Reveals Robotic Vacuum Cleaner With Longer Reach,

Historically, altering the lighting color of a room required draping a gossamer-thin cloth over a lamp or buying a new bulb from the store. Philips has sought to solve that most taxing of first-world problems with the hue, a smartphone-controlled LED bulb that can cycle through shades at your whim. As well as block colors, you can use photos to create palette and can control the units even when away from home. It’ll be an Apple Store exclusive from October 30th, with individual units setting you back $59 (£49, €59) and three-bulb introduction pack with a wireless bridge for $199 (£179, €199). If that seems a little steep, just console yourself in the knowledge that it’s a thousand times more useful than other lighting devices we’ve seen this year.

Continue reading Philips hue: the ‘world’s smartest’ LED lightbulb that saves you time during Red Alerts

Filed under: Misc, Wireless

Philips hue: the ‘world’s smartest’ LED lightbulb that saves you time during Red Alerts originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 10:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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