Philips Hue appears to be teeing up a new, more powerful hub that can turn Hue bulbs into motion sensors, according to leaked details and images that briefly appeared on Philips Hue's own website. The unannounced products, which have since been yanked from the "New on Hue" page, included the "faster" Hue Bridge Pro as well as a wired video doorbell, a refreshed and more efficient A19 bulb, permanent and globe-style versions of Hue's Festavia outdoor string lights, a gradient light strip, and the ability to control your Hue lights with the Sonos voice assistant. No pricing details were included in the leaked details, which were live on the Hue website for several hours Wednesday. The leaked products were initially spotted by users on Reddit. Reached by TechHive, a Phillips Hue spokesperson declined to comment.

Installing any kind of light switch where no wiring is already present is difficult to do on your own and expensive if you pay an electrician to do the work. If you're looking to control Philips Hue smart lighting, you might find Senic's Friends of Hue Outdoor Smart Switch to be pricey at $79, but you can install it yourself in less time than it takes to fetch a screwdriver. The secret behind the easy installation is that the Friends of Hue Outdoor doesn't connect to your home's electrical wiring--it doesn't even rely on batteries. Instead, the switch harvests the kinetic energy generated by pressing one of the switch's four buttons (one at the top and one at the bottom of each paddle). This generates enough energy to send a radio signal to a second-generation Philips Hue Bridge, using the Bridge's Zigbee mesh network.

Smart lights still tend to offer a rude awakening if you tie them to your alarm, but Google wants to fix that. It's delivering a promised Gentle Sleep & Wake feature for Home speakers that gradually dims or brightens your Philips Hue lights to provide a more natural rest. Say the right command (such as "turn on Gentle Wake Up," "wake up my lights" or "sleep my lights") and the lights will change over the course of half an hour. You can set specific times if you intend to use it as part of your daily routine. The feature won't be widely available, at least not for a while.

The iPhone has been my primary smartphone for well over a decade, and therefore I've had Siri on my phone ever since its introduction in 2011. But I never really found a reason to use it. I've always felt self-conscious when talking to my phone -- I find people who use voice commands in public really annoying -- so I wanted to avoid doing it myself. I have Bluetooth in my car so I don't have to use my phone while driving, and when I'm at home, I have my trusty fingers instead. So I imagined that being forced to use Siri for a whole week was going to be a nightmare.

Comcast's Xfinity Home app can steer many of the devices in your household, but there's been a conspicuous omission: Philips' Hue lights. Why spring for Comcast's hybrid automation/security service when it can't handle commonplace smart bulbs? Comcast and Philips have formed a partnership that brings Hue support to the Xfinity Home app. On top of direct control, you can create automated rules that link your bulbs to your security system and any other smart home devices. Your lights can switch on when you disarm your security after work, for instance.