What is the Hue Go?

In a nutshell, the Hue Go is a portable, color-changing lamp. It’s a plastic hemisphere, about the size of a cereal bowl, that emits light from its flat top. There’s a nub on the bottom which keeps it from rolling around and allows it to be propped up at a 45 degree angle.

Like the other lights in the Phillips Hue family, the Go is capable of displaying “millions” of colors and being remote controlled by your smartphone. Unlike the rest of the Hue family, you can unplug the Go and carry it around for up to 3 hours thanks to a rechargeable battery.

The Go retails for $99.99, which isn’t cheap, but the portability and connectedness allow for some interesting uses. Here are a few interesting things you can do with it:

 


1. Photography lighting

Is the room too dark for a Skype video chat or taking a photo of your dinner? The soft light from the Go can brighten up the subjects of your photos and videos without casting harsh shadows.

2. Portable night light

Wandering through the darkness at 3:00am to find the bathroom puts you at high risk of stubbing your toe on every hard surface. Turning the lights on leaves you temporarily blinded while your eyes adjust. Same thing when you turn the lights off. Save your eyes and toes some trouble and take the Go with you.

3. Wake up light

Using a wake up light may help you feel more refreshed and well rested in the morning. Pair it with a sleep cycle alarm clock and you may never sleep in again. You can read more about this in my post How To Become A Morning Person.

4. Color washing

Throwing a dinner party, watching a movie or just trying to set the mood? Use the Go to illuminate the wall and achieve a color washing effect. This is also great for theme parties thanks to the Go’s broad range of colors.

5. IFTTT email alerts

If you haven’t heard of If This Then That (IFTTT), you’re in for a treat. IFTTT is a platform for connecting apps and services that don’t have official integrations. After you sign up and download the app, you can browse the connections, or recipes, and you’re on your way to home automation bliss.

One popular and useful Hue recipe is If I receive an email from a specific address then blink lights to notify me. Let me know how you would use this in the comments section.

6. IFTTT social media alerts

If push notifications aren’t enough for you, get notified about new Facebook messages, Twitter mentions and hashtag use on Instagram by connecting them to the Go. With these recipes, IFTTT can detect when various things happen on your social media accounts and tell the Go to blink or change colors. You can also get notified when you receive a text message.

7. Sync with your TV

This is one of my favorite uses for the Hue lights. Using the Hue Camera app ($3.99) you can sync the color of the lights with the colors on your TV. As the colors on the TV change, so do the lights. This works by pointing the camera on your phone at the TV and letting the app analyze the colors. Your phone has to be pointed at the TV the entire time and it’s a good idea to plug into a charger. Of course this means you can’t use your phone during the movie, but I see that as a benefit.

Do you own the Hue Go? Let me know how you use it in the comments.

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