Short version:
If it breaks out of warranty, there's no way to repair it. Philips offers zero customer support for the device--most divisions of the company don't even know it exists--and you can't find replacement parts for it.
Long version:
I bought this about two weeks after it first came out, during a trip to Amsterdam. (It wasn't yet available in the U.S.) I brought it home to the States and it worked perfectly. It's true that it's pretty dim, and the remote is kind of clunky and gigantic, but it's very pleasing in a small or darkened room.
Then about 16 months after I bought it, it stopped working.
I spent around 2.5 hours calling every Philips number I could find, both in the U.S. and in Europe, and NOBODY could help me. Most people I reached didn't even knew what I was talking about. I finally found a third party Philip replacement parts store in England and asked them if they sold spare remotes or bulb assemblies for this, and they didn't.
The official Philips websites for the lamp had no useful information at all regarding repairs.
So although I loved it, be warned that the support from Philips is abysmal, and there's no way to repair it if it breaks after your warranty period. It really soured me on Philips products because I ultimately felt that I paid way too much for a badly made product.
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Its a very interesting concept. I think the colors are pretty amazing. If It cost 40$ Id probably be giving it 4 or 5 stars, but at this price I just feel it it not a high star purchase unless you just feel like you HAVE to have it. On the other hand, it pretty much does what it says it will. Others have covered the lack of repairability and the brightness issues. I have it in a very dim 10x12 foot room firing into top back corner off a bookshelf. It does color the whole room during the night without additional lights, but during the day its def more of a highlight spot lamp. Phillips probably needs to double the possible intensity and drop the price to 70$ or this will remain a highly niche product. As it stands, in order to really light a room you will need 3 or more of these suckers. Still as a really versatile nightlight or backlight or mood builder it is definitely a cool fixture that people will ooooh and ahhh over. I think my review should just about indicate why I give it 3 stars. There is a 5 star product in here somewhere, but this isnt quite the performance/value match I would look for to deserve that rating.
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Fun lamp, eneded up at my bar, not very powerful so it does not color a room, just a corner.
Honest reviews on Philips 709996048 Living Colors Iris Table Lamp, White
Earlier, I purchased a Multi-Color E27 LED Light bulb w/ Remote from Amazon and have greatly enjoyed it, but craved more -it simply didn't shine enough. My creative play-work demands being "in the flow" and mood lighting augments my output superbly, giving a real cinematic feel to even routine tasks like email. Before, I thought playing epic trailer music while pressing Reply would be enough, but clearly, I hadn't experienced mood lights.
Months ago, I read reviews of LivingColors and am surprised they still seem very rare Stateside (compared to earlier availability in Europe). A curiosity rather than a commercial phenomenon. While part of this may be due to cost, we each weigh our own priorities, right? Still, I hope for widespread adoption of these colors which feel alive, not unlike how every house has common lightbulbs. Since I already had such a good experience with limited mood lighting, I became intent on expanding my palette.
My ownership has only been several (intense) days, but what I tentatively conclude so far is: like cats, having only one LivingColors feels terribly lonely. Even the full-size Philips 69143/60/48 LivingColors Generation 2 Translucent Changing LED Lamp with Remote isn't enough to really light up my workspace at night, and the dynamics of contrast with another color adds so much value and spice. So, I also have a Philips 818564 LivingColors Mini Changing LED Lamp, White (I actually got it first, since the Gen 2 wasn't in stock). With the two of them combined, as you can clearly see in this video, there's a lot of joy to be had.
A future feature I'd add is the ability to program custom lighting sequences. Is an iPhone app for this too much to ask? It'd be a natural extension of the current color cycling option, which smoothly cycles through the spectrum on both the Gen 2 and the Mini, and whose speed can be changed, but you can't limit the range or trigger events more specifically. This would open up possibilities to sync to binaural beats and other synesthesiac promises, fulfilling Philips' advertising of really setting the tone in your home. (Or elsewhere.)
There are a few niggles I have as shown in the video, but my chief constructive criticism is I wish these puppies were brighter. While they certainly overwhelm my webcam, as other pictures I've taken show, there's plenty of darkness to encroach upon.
LED mood lighting in the home still feels like it's an infancy -not that we'd ever advance into a hippy-dippy psychedelia portrayed in so many 60s trip movies -but I'd still consider LivingColors for enthusiasts and early adopters like myself, who consider it an important part of your daily life due to your eclectic proclivities, and not just a casual interest. I just hope they don't burn out on me anytime soon.
Here's looking to a brighter future with Gen 3!
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Imagine being able to change the mood of any room in your home. That's the Philips LivingColors Lamp. I was skeptical to buy the generation one model of this because some people complained it wasn't bright enough so I waited until this generation two model with "50% more brightness" (apparently) came out. It was worth the wait.
What this lamp does to a room is what movie directors try to do when they add a color tint to their shot it helps define the scene, and moves the audience accordingly. I might also compare this lamp to music, which could put you in certain moods depending on the song.
Put simply, this light sets the mood in a big way. Whether you're cuddling in a room with a loved one, adding pizazz to a party, or amplifying a rainy day, this is the light to do it.
I love this lamp I only wish it worked during the day; but alas, the physics of light has me beat on that one.
