New to Europe: “Alexa, turn on scene Tropical Twilight in my living room”
European Philips Hue customers can now control their lights by talking to Amazon Alexa
September 14, 2016
Philips Lighting is part of Amazon Alexa debut in UK and Germany
Increased functionality in North America available in parallel with European launch
Eindhoven, The Netherlands – Philips Lighting (Euronext Amsterdam ticker: LIGHT), a global leader in lighting, announced today the enhanced functionality of its Amazon Alexa skill* for controlling its Philips Hue connected lighting system for the home, as well as an expansion of the skill to the UK and Germany.
Philips Hue users in the US are already able to dim and turn their lights on and off with Alexa voice control. In parallel with the expansion to Europe, new functionalities, including the ability to set light scenes and recipes by voice command, will become available for customers in North America as well as in the European markets.
With this enhanced integration, you can enjoy the Philips Hue light experiences spontaneously by just asking for what you want. If you feel like creating the right ambiance for a party or a romantic dinner, now you can simply ask Alexa to “turn on scene party in the living room” and the room will be colored with light. Coming home at night to a dark house, fumbling for the light switch is a thing of the past. When you enter the house and ask Alexa to turn on the lights, you will be bathed in welcoming light. And waking up your kids has never been easier. Ask Alexa to “turn on scene wake-up in the bedroom” and the Philips Hue white ambiance light will come on gradually, replicating sunrise and waking up your child comfortably.
“Building on the strong relationship we have with Amazon, we’re very pleased to launch our Alexa skill in UK and Germany”, says Sridhar Kumaraswamy, Business Leader Home Systems at Philips Lighting. “Teaming up with leading players like Amazon to take full advantage of the Alexa Skill Kit enables us to deliver entirely new, rich lighting experiences, simply controlled by your voice.”
“We’re excited about the increased functionality of the Philips Hue Alexa skill as well as its expansion into the UK and Germany, which will bring customers innovative new functionality,” said Steve Rabuchin, Vice President, Alexa. “Philips Lighting has made it easy for their customers to manage home lighting and the voice control from Alexa makes it a frictionless experience.”
About Alexa
Alexa is the voice service that powers the Amazon Echo and provides capabilities, or skills, that enable customers to interact with devices in a more intuitive way using voice. Examples of these skills include the ability to play music, answer general questions, set an alarm or timer and more.
Availability
Amazon Echo will launch in the UK in the coming weeks and Germany next month for invite-only customers initially. When the devices are available, customers will be able to explore and purchase Amazon Echo and Philips Hue packages to start their experience with voice and light.
Philips Lighting (Euronext Amsterdam ticker: LIGHT), a global leader in lighting products, systems and services, delivers innovations that unlock business value, providing rich user experiences that help improve lives. Serving professional and consumer markets, we lead the industry in leveraging the Internet of Things to transform homes, buildings and urban spaces. With 2015 sales of EUR 7.5 billion, we have approximately 34,000 employees in over 70 countries. News from Philips Lighting is located at http://www.newsroom.lighting.philips.com
