We’re not quite at the point of questioning’s someone’s grasp of reality if their lights aren’t connected to the Internet. But while most would immediately point to the Philips Hue as the de facto connected light bulb for the technologically savvy dweller, the Riflo’s Indiegogo campaign presents an alternative.
While the Hue’s array of color options and scenes are all the rage, the Riflo programmable smart color LED expands on these features by adding a Wi-Fi connected speaker to the mix. This speaker can do things like audibly communicate information pertinent to the user (e.g. “You have a meeting in an hour,” “You have a new email.”) or stream music with or without a companion streaming app. Or, it’s Wink feature uses the colorful LED to silently communicate what needs to be known without a possibly annoying robo-voice droning on about it.
Users also have the ability to configure their own functions as well, integrating with programs, products, and services like GMail, various calendar programs, and more for IFTTT-like functionality. Use the Riflo companion app to control its features or the slickly designed remote controller. Both the Riflo and its controller can be had for $90 and are expected to ship September 2016. The campaiogn seeks $30,000 by May 1st, 2016.
Put plainly, the Riflo is iterative. Its iterations are welcome, though, compared to other speaker-toting light bulbs like Playbulb and Whome that really only stream music. While Riflo allows for a more Alexa-like experience by relaying useful information, there’s a conspicuous lack of voice control for now.