Philips' new Hue lightbulb allows users to adjust the smart bulbs from cool to warm colors to help people fall asleep at bedtime and avoid harsh lights in the morning. These light bulbs could help to balance the bright glow of smartphone and tablet screens that can keep people from getting shut-eye.
The Dutch tech company's Hue White Ambiance bulbs range from the warm glow of sunrise (2,200K), to cool tones of a noon sky (6,500K). That compares with most white bulbs' color temperature range of 2,700K to 3,000K including the non-adjustable standard Philips White bulbs, according to Gizmodo.
Customers can use the Philips Hue app on their handsets to tweak the bulbs' warmth.
The app also provides Hue users with the Routines feature. They can program the White Ambiance light bulbs to slowly brighten during the morning when waking up, or dim in the evening to catch Z's more easily.
White Ambiance bulbs can be purchased as part of the Starter Kit. It also includes a dimmer switch, Wi-Fi hub, and bridge that supports Apple HomeKit.
The tech giant added similar color-shifting tech to other bulbs, but it was for more expensive color units. They also included third-party apps in order to set daily schedules for the smart bulbs.
Philips is not the first company to include color-shifting tech in lightbulbs. GE's C Sleep light bulbs include the same feature, according to The Verge.
In addition, Apple unveiled a similar feature called Night Shift for mobile devices running iOS 9.3. Several other color-shifting apps are also available for smartphones and desktops/laptops.
Philips' new bulb will be available in the United States in Spring 2016, but no information has been released about the price of the smart bulbs. However, they will likely be within the range of the basic Philips Hue White E27 bulbs ($15) and Hue A19 bulbs ($60) that can produce 16 million different colors.
Philips was founded in 1891 in an empty factory building in the Netherlands, and the following year started producing carbon-filament lamps. As of 2012 the company was the world's biggest manufacturer of lighting.
Here's Philips color Ambiance bulbs: