Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #114 in Health and Beauty
• Brand: Philips
• Model: HP3461
• Released on: 2008-01-01

Features

• Philips wake-up light HF3475 wakes you up in a natural way, by light that increases gradually that positively affects energy hormones
• The lamp has an expected life of more than 6,000 hours (7 years of normal use) with the light intensity up to 400 Lux for natural awakening
• With a build in sleep timer the light and radio turn off at set time after you fall asleep, this wake-up light makes use of an incandescent lamp
• Compact design - doubles as a reading light, saving space and large easy-to-read LCD display
• 2-years manufacturer's guarantee - Philips will replace the whole Wakeup light even if only the bulb is faulty or you can use a Philips ECO Classic 30 Dimmable 70W bulb (must be Dimmable) A60 240V ES E27 to replace the bulb yourself

Manufacturer's Description

Philips Wake-up Light - Start your day full of energy with the light that wakes you naturally. Now you can get rid of your noisy alarm and rise a new way: easily and energetically with simulated sunlight just the way nature intended, thanks to the new Wake-Up Light from Philips. The light gradually brightens to emulate natural sunrise, positively affecting energy hormones to wake you more naturally than and with as much energy as on a sunny morning.

Up to 400 Lux for both natural awakening and easy reading The Wake-up Light (HF 3461) offers up to 400 Lux light intensity. It has been clinically proven that you need up to 250 Lux to affect energy hormones in such a way that you wake up full of energy. For easy reading, you need a light level of 300 to 400 Lux.

How does it work? Set your wake-up time and your preferred light intensity and volume setting before you go to sleep. From half an hour before your set wake-up time, light gradually increases to the intensity you selected (250 Lux advised). The light brightens at an optimum rate, following a special curve proven to be most effective. The light falls on your eyes, sending your brain a message to increase the production of cortisol, the energy hormone. This means that at the set alarm time your sleep and energy hormones are better balanced, and you'll feel more energetic right from the start of the day. At your set wake-up the sound will come on very quietly, and will also increase gradually until it reaches the required volume.

A sound choice! 1. Three natural sounds There are three natural sounds you can choose from, morning birds in the forest, waves at the beach, or a frog and a duck in a small pond.

2. Friendly beep At your set wake-up time, you will start hearing a natural sound or, if you prefer, a friendly beep. It starts out quietly and takes a minute and a half to reach the volume level you selected. The gradually increasing sound will make the wake-up process nice and gentle, ensuring you're never rudely awakened. When the sound reaches your selected volume level, getting out of bed is easy.

3. Digital FM radio The built-in digital FM radio lets you wake up to your favourite songs or news station every day. Just select your favourite radio station, and at your set wake-up time it will start to play, at first gently, gradually increasing over ninety seconds to the volume level you selected.

Two years Manufacturer's guarantee This product is covered by a two year warranty, meaning if any part of the product fails (even only the bulb is faulty) in its first year please return it to the retailer you purchased it from for a free replacement. If the product fails in the second year please contact Philips and they will either repair or replace the product free of charge. If only the bulb is faulty and you want to replace only the bulb then use a Philips ECO Classic 30 Dimmable 70W bulb. (must be Dimmable) A60 240V ES E27. Proven Health Benefits The positive effects of dawn simulation on the body are supported by the Medical Device Directive, and the Philips Wake-up Light is certified as a medical device.

Light positively affects energy hormones Research shows that light stimulates the senses, giving you more energy and helping you to feel less lethargic – that is why it is so much easier to rise during the summer months as opposed to the dark winter months. As the light falls on your eyes, a message is sent to your brain that positively affects the production of cortisol, the energy hormone. This means that at your required wake-up time your hormones are better balanced and you’ll feel more energetic right from the start of the day. So, make that change today and choose light to wake-up naturally.

100 years of Lighting Expertise Philips is a leading company worldwide in the field of lighting technology. With more than 100 years’ experience in this field, Philips is a true expert on light and its effects on the human body. The Wake-up Light combines all this expertise in a meaningful, technologically advanced and easy-to-use product that will improve the wellbeing of many. The Wake-up Light wakes you easily and naturally, leaving you with as much energy as on a summer’s morning. Drawing on Philips’ 100 years of lighting expertise, the Wake-up Light offers medically proven benefits.

Box Contents

Customer Reviews

Function over form
If you're thinking about buying one this may help.

First:

If you haven't already tried wake-up lights, and find getting up to normal alarms is jarring, then I recommend these. They really do seem to help, in winter at least (though bear in mind winter doesn't last forever). This one does that job easily as well as the Lumis I've used, and is in some ways better, though worse in others.

This review compares the Philips to other light alarms, not to other alarm clocks.

Here is the review:

The bad
- It's quite big, and frankly a bit ugly.
- User interface not the best - e.g. too many turns needed to adjust light & volume
- No radio presets, so if you want to change, you use the search function
- Radio OK for talk stations, but not audiophile quality.
- My radio makes a nasty squelch noise when switching on (as it searches for the station?)
. (n.b. not as bad as I'd feared if using to wake up, as it fades in,
. so squelch not too intrusive on waking up)
- Both the light and sound come on at the volume you left them at.
. (so if you need 100w of light to read, but 60w to wake up, you'll need to adjust. Every night.)

The good
- It works. Wake up light fades up perfectly. It wakes me up gently.
- Mine seems to be absolutely silent when radio etc not on
- 100w light means it works as a bedside light, which others (e.g. Lumi) don't, really
- It uses a (fairly) standard bulb
- I found radio reception OK to good (compared to last alarm clock)
- Less space than light + alarm clock (tall = small "footprint")
- I found the digital read out and "alarm on" lights not a problem when dimmed

(caveat emptor - if you've very sensitive, might be problem, but I found the dimmed settings much less bright than I feared - noticeably less the than my wife's lumi's green LED display, for example. The designer has at least clearly thought about it - they're not "full strength" LEDs)

Observations
- The design follows function, so is probably excusable:
. It looks like this so that you can have a relatively small unit with a 100w bulb - which is actually quite clever
- The shade has vents to let air through, well designed to conceal the bulb, and handle the heat
- Albeit made of plastic, it's more robust than I'd feared from other reviews. It's functional - not a style statement. Not Sony quality.
- I found 'birdsong' sounds OK/good, and the beep is much better than most - quite gentle
- The frog pool and ocean sounds are a bit weird, I can't imagine using them
- No "fade down" to sleep function, no "white noise function"
- Fade-up times are not adjustable
- You have to cycle through alarm modes to switch off the alarm for weekends
. (as opposed to "shut up, I'm awake now")
- It's tall, and snooze buttons are on top - can be hard to get at.

Overall:

If you want functionality, at £60 (current offer) it's not at all bad. It does exactly what it says on the tin - 100w fade-up light and workable radio - and does that well.

I agree with other reviews, however. It's an OK to good product, particularly in the design of the key function (which excuses a lot - this is what you're buying it for), but it doesn't have the attention to detail that would mark it out as something exciting. It doesn't do anything it doesn't say it does, and has no "gosh, that's neat" features. However, no-one has a product that does have that out there at the moment - which means this one may be the best on the market for now.

If you're looking for a functional light alarm with a radio (and particularly that works OK as a bedside light) then at £60 I'd recommend it. As long as you can live with the limitations. I might even pay the full £100 if I had to, just for the functionality. Until Sony come out with a better one, that is ...

Glorified lamp but still very good
I bought this yesterday so have only woken up to it once. I did wake up very well though and wasn't drowsy at all.

The dawn effect is very good and I wasnt aware of any sudden noises or lights when I woke up. Even the radio fades in so as not to jolt you awake.

It is quite a plasticy product and doesnt feel very sturdy when you press the buttons. The radio sounds quite hollow but the beeping is very nice and gentle.

It is set to take 30 mins to light up and you cant change it but thats the time I'd choose anyway. I like how the light fades out when you turn it on or off so theres no sudden changes. If you're using it to read at night you have to remember to turn the brightness back up for the morning.

My main complaint is the price. For £100 I want something really well made, all singing, all dancing. This is basically a lamp with a dimmer switch and a timer and that really is what you get. They are cashing in on the fact that it's a 'medical device' (proclaimed at every opportunity)but not invested in the small things that make you feel like you've got a quality product. It feels a little flimsy and there arent many options to personalise. The snooze, lamp and radio buttons are on the top and it's quite tall so its a stretch to reach from lying down.

Having said all that I like it. It wakes you gently and the highest setting is really very bright. The brightness is on a dial so you can get exactly the brightness you want. Its a really nice way to wake up and I expect it to be invaluable through the winter.

major disappointment
Ok, first problem was that I hadn't realised how big this thing is. Given that it's far from good looking, being huge is a real downer. My fault: I should have read the measurements.
Second problem was the occasion it advanced the clock by two hours during the night, so that by 3am it had decided that it was 5am.
The third problem was that one morning, despite being set as normal, the alarm function simply didn't go off.
The final straw was when, despite the alarm being set for 6.20am with bird song, the radio turned itself on at about 3.30 with rap music.

I sent it back and would not advise anyone to buy this product.