By announcing support for widgets in the iOS 8 Notification Center this week, Apple(s aapl) opened the doors to a world of possibilities that Android(s goog) users have long enjoyed. To help show off how widgets will make iOS 8 more useful, Philips is already showing off a concept prototype of a widget that can easily control its intelligent Hue lightbulbs.
The company tweeted out a screen image of its concept on Thursday, and you can see how simple it could be to turn your Hue lights off or even change their color based on a scene or mood. While you can already take similar actions with the Hue app for iOS, a widget like this could be just one swipe away: In iOS 8, pulling down the Notification Center will show any installed widgets on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. There's no reason to open an app if a widget can do what's needed.
Apple's iOS 8 software isn't due out until the fall but it's good to already see developers thinking about how to use the newest features. Between widgets such as this, improvements to Siri and Apple's own HomeKit platform, iOS is shaping up to be a solid platform for smart homes.