Philips expands smart lighting lineup with Hue Go portable lamp

Adding to a quickly growing stable of Wi-Fi enabled LED lights, Philips Hue Go is a small, translucent hemispherical lamp that boasts a built-in rechargeable battery good for a guaranteed three hours of cordless use.

Designed to complement smart home lighting, the lamp is capable of reproducing more than 16 million colors, each selectable via onscreen controls in Philips' iOS app. Another 300 third-party apps are capable of controlling Hue bulbs, lamps and accessories using the Hue API.

Thanks to its portability, Hue Go is capable of creating instant ambiance in any room, positioned against walls, on desks or even as a table centerpiece. In addition, users can now bring Philips' "light notifications" with them anywhere in their home. Light notifications provide users with subtle visual cues when an event is triggered, such as incoming email or change in weather.

Unlike the similarly shaped Hue Bloom Lamp, Hue Go sports a physical control button on its rear for cycling between one of seven light themes. Users can select warm or cool white light, as well as "natural dynamic effects" that flow through a mix of colors. Philips provides five effects including Cozy Candle, Sunday Coffee, Meditation, Enchanted Forest, and Night Adventure

Philips Hue Go will start showing up in U.S. Apple Stores, Best Buy locations and Amazon between the end of May and early June for $99.99.