Philips LivingColors now in Singapore

Juniper Foo | May 09, 2008

Just in time for Mother's Day, too. Philips' LivingColors, which we had a sneak of in March, is finally here in Singapore, outside of Europe. Even the US hasn't gotten it yet. So yeah, baby. As for our neighbors in Asia, only Hong Kong, Australia and China have been inked for regional launch this year, though no immediate rollout dates were mentioned at the press briefing today.

As a lamp, this remains one of the prettiest glass orbs we've come across, though it's really made of a sturdy polycarbonate transparent housing. As a mood lighting tool, this cool device (literally, as LEDs hardly generate heat) runs hot with 16.7 million colors. If your senses are daunted by the overwhelming palette, the Click Wheel-like remote (powered by three AAA batteries) fortunately has a function that's a lifesaver--an idiot-proof Random mode. This can be set to randomly cycle through 256 hues if you just can't decide on your color mood for the day and don't mind the discotheque effect.

Here's the thing. The sticker price of S$299 (US$196.71) was a mite above our comfort level. As a comparison, LivingColors bundled with remote is retailing in Europe for 149 euros (US$228 or S$315). But this gets our vote for being a lot more economical and eco-friendly (0.5-5.5 watts) over energy-saving bulbs (11-18 watts). Philips Lighting general manager Tiew Chew Meng suggested to us a pair for optimal illumination in a room. If you work out the sums, that's still a max. of 11 watts, and very pocket-friendly in light of rising utility costs. Enough perhaps to brighten your day? Or mum's on Mother's Day?