Advertisement

Osram's new LED package 50 percent brighter, promises cameraphone flashes that suck 50 percent less

See those smiling twentysomethings up there? That, folks, is the kind of happiness that can only be achieved with 150 glorious lux of LED intensity. Fortunately, Siemens subsidiary Osram Opto Semiconductors has packaged a new LED chip that capable of putting up such impressive figures, a claimed 50 percent brighter than its predecessor -- and that makes it capable of evenly illuminating a 90-centimeter area from a distance of one meter away. Cameraphone flashes are an obvious application, but pocket projectors are another obvious benefactor -- it's nearly impossible to eke enough light out of 'em, and this should help. It's not clear whether a brighter pocket projector would have the same positive effect on the demeanor of a bunch of stylish youths, though -- more on that situation as we get it.