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Nanoleaf takes on Hue with its first bulb and lightstrip
Nanoleaf is taking on smart lighting giants like Hue with its first bulb and lightstrip.
Samsung's new SmartThings camera and smart plug don't need the hub
Samsung is adding a camera, a WiFi smart plug and a smart bulb to its range of SmartThings devices available in the US. The indoor camera has full HD and HDR capabilities -- plus, it has a 145-degree view to be able to monitor a wider part of your home than other cameras can, as well as the ability to capture footage in the dark with night vision. It also has object detection, which Samsung says can differentiate between people (in other words, an actual potential threat inside your home) and the motion of pets or a passing vehicle.
Hive takes on Hue with colour-changing light bulbs
In its bid to kit out Britain's homes with tech-centric appliances, British Gas' Hive has launched a wide range of internet-ready products. There's the all-important smart thermostat, plugs, home sensors and, more recently, Hive Active Lights. These smart bulbs can be controlled via the Hive app and interact directly with the Hive Hub, but customers have only been able to buy the standard dimmable white light. That changes today, after the company added two new bulbs to its Active Light line-up, putting Philips' Hue in its sights.
Efficient incandescent bulb cannibalizes its own waste heat
A team of researchers from MIT announced Monday that they have developed a novel method to make conventional incandescent lights far more energy efficient. Incandescents, the ones with the white hot filament in the middle, are notorious energy hogs because they generate massive amounts of waste heat in addition to light.
Philips Hue won't work with third-party light bulbs for now
Bad news if you're planning to slip a few non-Philips light bulbs into your Hue setup: they won't work, at least not for a while. Philips has dropped support for third-party bulbs after noticing that a growing number of them had "interoperability issues" preventing them from playing nicely with official Hue gear. Support will come back, but only through a Friends of Hue program that will certify lighting. Any existing lights you're using will work, Philips is quick to note -- it's only new, untested additions that are getting the boot.
Philips adds web-connected tap switch, white-only lux bulb to Hue lighting lineup
Think you're all done building out your Hue lighting collection? Think again. Philips' latest product is one you're likely going to want to own. The tap switch, available later this year for $60, lets you control connected lights wirelessly by tapping one of four buttons. More impressive, however, is the switch's ability to turn lights off and on without requiring a power source of its own. The device is powered by kinetic energy, so a tap creates enough juice to complete each task. Philips is also announcing a new "lux" bulb, which looks and operates like traditional Hue units, albeit without the 16 million colors. This bulb emits only white light, but it's reportedly very bright. Lux is set to retail for $40 per bulb (compared to $60 for the color version), or $100 in a set of two bundled with a Hue base as well. Like the switch, lux will ship in Europe and North America after the summer.
Philips Hue targets the ultra high end with $3,500 3D-printed luminaires
Philips' Hue collection of app-controlled LED bulbs has never been the cheapest option for lighting a room, but the company's existing products are at least priced to be accessible to many homeowners. That's absolutely no concern when it comes to this latest lineup of lamps, however. The table and pendant luminaries (a fancy word for light fixture) were designed by WertelOberfell and Strand+Hvass. These works of art are still perfectly functional, though -- each is capable of displaying any of 16 million colors, with full wireless control. These 3D-printed fixtures are hardly affordable, however. A selection of table lamps will be available for pre-order beginning March 31st for €2,500 (about $3,500) while the pendant versions will retail for a whopping €3,000 (about $4,150).
Philips Hue gets down with app-controlled BR30 recessed lights
Philips' latest connected lighting product is taking aim at your recessed fixtures. The new Hue bulb, named BR30 to match the existing standard, screws into sockets typically pre-installed in kitchens, hallways and living rooms. They focus output in a beam, compared to the original Hue bulbs, which yield omni-directional light. That detail is the primary differentiator here -- functionality is identical, as is the price tag of $59 per individual bulb or $199 for a three-pack that includes a Hue bridge. As with their siblings, including the LightStrips and Bloom, you can control the LED BR30s from a smartphone, computer or tablet, letting you assign any color and brightness to individual bulbs. They're rated for a 15,000-hour lifespan, and Philips reports energy savings of up to 80 percent over conventional bulbs. You can pick up the BR30 beginning today from Amazon or Apple retail stores, while European customers can now order a GU10 version, which is more common in track lighting. That latter flavor will ship stateside in December.
Light up Greenwave Reality's smart bulbs with your iPhone
Here's how it goes: I say, "It feels like we're living in the future," and you all yell, "So where are the jetpacks?" There are plenty of missing pieces from the Jetsons-style view of the future, but at least the smart home -- controllable, reactive, energy-efficient and easy to use -- is on its way. One of the companies trying to push that vision forward is lighting vendor Greenwave Reality [their site is a little overwhelmed right now]. Founded by veterans of Cisco's consumer networking business, Greenwave has spent the past few years developing products intended for distribution by European utilities, and it's now rolling out its Connected Lighting Solution for homeowners in the EU with certification for the US market as well. With the Greenwave kit -- not sold directly, but through distribution and utility partners -- and your iPhone or iPad, it will be simple to set up a custom lighting environment with up to 500 devices. Rather than controlling lighting at the switch or outlet level, the CLS actually takes the network smarts all the way down to the bulb. The LED diffuse bulbs fit standard sockets and (like CFL and other efficient bulbs) deliver the equivalent light of incandescents with a fraction of the power consumption. Unlike conventional bulbs, however, each of these sports a chipset from Dutch semiconductor giant NXP, known for making near-field communications (NFC) modules for cellphones and tablets. The NXP module wirelessly connects to other bulbs and to a remote control via a JenNet-IP mesh, an ultra-low-power IPv6 wireless network. Disconnecting a bulb makes no difference to the overall health of the mesh; the remaining bulbs autoconfigure and keep talking. The wireless chipset sips a tiny amount of power, so it doesn't impair the energy efficiency of the bulbs (the product is now Energy Star certified for the US market). The heart of the JenNet mesh is the Greenwave wireless controller, which connects to your home network to bridge your WiFi to the lighting WLAN and provide anywhere, anytime access to your lights. As soon as a bulb is powered on for the first time, it begins to dim up and down to indicate that it's ready for setup. You can use the iOS app to control the light individually, or bind it with other bulbs in a fixture. Turn on a whole room or just one lamp; it's simple with either the app or the hard remote. The app works in your house or anywhere in the world, letting you turn on and off lights when you're on the road. Of course, you can still use your conventional light switches in a pinch; flick off and back on two times to override the soft controls. With custom dimming timers and sunrise/sunset awareness, the automation possibilities of the CLS are impressive -- create a preset for early mornings, late romantic lights or whatever look you like. You can even take pictures of your lighting fixtures to customize the iOS app controls if you want. When combined with the company's Smart Home Platform, the automation opportunities extend beyond lighting to climate controls, security, appliances and more. Greenwave's technology has received enthusiastic support from the IPSO Alliance, the trade group working to deliver "the Internet of Things" for networked device awareness. Sounds great, so when and where can you buy it? The company's iOS app is in the App Store now, but as for the hardware, you're somewhat at the mercy of distribution partners at utilities that buy into Greenwave's approach. CEO Greg Memo describes Greenwave as "the brand behind the brand" for connected home lighting, so you're most likely to see "powered by Greenwave Reality" somewhere on the package rather than on its own. Exact prices will vary by region and provider, but with Energy Star rebates and other incentives the company expects bulbs to be available for around US$20 or less; a four-bulb kit with remote and wireless controller (one-time purchases) will come in at or under US$200. That may sound steep, but the company estimates that replacing 10 bulbs with LED Greenwave bulbs (a net cost of $320 counting the controller) will save about $150 in energy costs in the first year of operation vs. incandescent bulbs... and the LED bulbs have a projected lifespan of 10 years or more. Check out the Greenwave Reality video below for more on the Connected Lighting Solution.
Samsung introduces Advanced LED light bulbs, preps for zombie apocalypse
Samsung is going to make sure your light bulbs use as little energy as possible, last literally decades and sort of look like a heat sink to boot. The company, which just released its Advanced LED Light Bulbs for the US, has put forth the A19, the PAR and the MR16, each bulb being designed for a specific purpose. The AR19, which is engineered to replace conventional incandescent bulbs, is dimmable and can shine directionally from vanity lights, wall sconces, assorted lamps and more. The PAR, which is also dimmable, is designed with a variable beam angle between 25 and 40 degrees in mind and slated around track and recessed lighting. Finally, the MR16 Bulb is designed to be used in recessed, vanity, and track lighting and arrives in two different base types with adjustable brightness levels. Samsung has priced the bulbs from $19.98 all the way up to $59.98 with a life expectancy between 27 and 36 years; they're currently available at your local Lowe's location, although if Philips gets wind of it, that could change post-haste.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Brain-shaped bulbs, houses that fly, and hydrogen bolts from the sky
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. This week Inhabitat showcased several hot new eco vehicles including the world's fastest plug-in hybrid and an insane screwdriver-powered tricycle that sends you flying through the streets headfirst. The field of alternative fuels also advanced by leaps and bounds as the U.S. Department of Energy announced a new breed of cost-effective biofuel and a team of researchers discovered a way to efficiently produce hydrogen from urine. From flying houses held up by balloons to skyscrapers that harvest energy from bolts of lightning, this week we also showcased some of the world's most incredible buildings. We were wowed by the futuristic finalists of the eVolo skyscraper competition, which included underwater spires made from plastic debris and massive megaprojects that contain entire cities. This week we also spotted several exciting new examples of green consumer tech - from a clever brain-shaped CFL bulb to ASUS' new line of cardboard computers to a wearable mix tape you can pin on your sleeve. We also celebrated the launch of Apple's latest tablet by rounding up 14 of the best eco-friendly iPad cases, sleeves and bags. Finally, we kicked off a contest where you can win a beautiful recycled leather iPad case from Dewdrop Designs, and we shared 11 chic travel essentials for jet-setters on the go.
Cree shows off 'no-compromise' LED replacement for 60-watt incandescent bulbs
Compact fluorescent (or CFL) bulbs may currently be the dominant alternative to traditional incandescent light bulbs, but there's still a strong contingent betting on LEDs as the true long term replacement. One of the major players in that camp is Cree, which recently teamed up with TESS and Dean Kamen's FIRST organization to have kids distribute LED light bulbs like Girl Scout cookies (seriously), and is now showing off what is says is the "first no-compromise replacement for a 60-watt incandescent bulb." That bulb is dimmable, and emits a "beautiful, warm, incandescent-like color of 2700 K," while delivering more than 800 lumens and consuming less than 10 watts (meeting the Energy Star requirements for a 60-watt standard LED replacement bulb). Unfortunately, there's one big catch -- the bulb is still just a prototype, and Cree says it hasn't yet decided how it will bring it to market, or how much it might cost. Head on past the break for a quick video demonstration.
Nokero's solar-powered, rainproof N200 light bulb: brighter, stronger, more flexible
No one's going to be calling Nokero out for falling behind. Just a few short months after revealing its first commercial light bulb for developing nations, the outfit has now rolled out a second version, the predictably titled N200. This guy strikes a vastly different pose compared to the original, with the LED enclosure hanging on a swivel that enables it to be positioned in a way that would optimally catch light. When night falls, users can flip the light north to create a lantern. Nokero claims that this edition is just as rugged and rainproof as the original, but it's 60 percent brighter and lasts three times as long. A single NiMH battery is included, and that's what is rejuvenated by the sun -- once charged, it'll provide between 2.5 and 6 hours of light, depending on the mode. It's on sale now for $20 apiece (bulk prices are less), representing a modest $5 premium over the (still available) N100. Can't say the Yankees will be looking to decorate their outdoor patio with lighting right about now, but for the nomads trekking to Panama to escape Old Man Winter... well, you know what to do. Vid's after the break. [Images courtesy of Larry Bollig] %Gallery-107898%
GE introduces 'hybrid' bulb with both halogen and CFL elements, instant-on meets efficiency
We're pretty okay with waiting the second or so it takes a typical CFL to light up, but sometimes, when we're checking for monsters in closets and other inconspicuous places, it'd be nice if things were a little more expedient. For those times (and for generally impatient people) GE is introducing its Hybrid Halogen-CFL bulb. It's basically a typical CFL unit, but look closely inside those coils and you'll spot a wee halogen bulb peeking out. It's like two bulbs in one, the halogen unit powering on almost instantaneously then fading off once the CFL element gets itself all riled up. We're wondering how well the output from the two elements match, whether you'd be able to notice the transition, but we're even more curious about the cost. GE says we'll have to wait a few months to learn that bit of info, and the same holds true if you're looking for a release date more specific than "2011." Hopefully it isn't too late in the year, as LED bulbs are getting cheaper by the minute.
How nutritious is your light bulb? (in lumens, of course)
No joke -- starting mid-2011, US light bulbs will have nutrition facts of their own. Backed by Congress, the FTC has mandated that light bulbs carry the label at top, allowing buyers to clearly compare brightness, life expectancy and energy cost. Of course, many manufacturers call out these facts already, but hopefully this will keep the rest from confusing potency with power -- by advertising that a mid-range LED unit that slowly sips energy, for instance, is "equivalent to 40 watts."
Lite-On's Mobile Lamp LED bulb works even when the power is out
We hate to break it to you, but those LED light bulbs that are shaped like traditional light bulbs? It's all a lie. LEDs are naturally pretty small things, and while there might be dozens scattered about inside a bulb there's still plenty of empty space in there meant only to make the things about the same size as a good ol' incandescent. Lite-On, however, has found something to make use of that space: batteries. The company's Mobile Lamp bulb can stay on for up to two hours even after the power is turned off, effectively turning it into a flashlight. To switch the bulb on or off you simply touch the copper part while something conductive makes contact with the metal part on the bottom, which could be a lamp socket or just a finger, as shown in the brief video after the break. The bulbs are due to be out sometime next year and should be hugely popular in areas with unreliable power -- or with an abnormally high rate of magicians per-capita.
Nokero debuts rugged, rainproof N100 solar light bulb for developing worlds
Oh, sure -- the world has plenty of those ritzy LED light bulbs to choose from, but how's about using the ultimate light source to create... even more light! That's exactly what Nokero is setting out to accomplish with its N100, which is being christened the "world's first" solar light bulb. Designed specifically for use in developing nations where continual electricity is a mere pipe dream, this bulb is housed in an ultra-rugged, rainproof enclosure that can provide around four hours of light when fully charged; if you leave it in the sun all day, it'll harness enough juice to provide illumination for around two hours. The unit itself is constructed from impact resistant plastic and includes a foursome of solar panels, five LEDs and a replaceable, nickel metal hydride battery that's said to last two years. The company informed us that these will run you around $15 if purchased one at a time, though the goal is to sell 'em in bulk for around $6 apiece and have them delivered to rural parts of India, Africa and possibly District 9. Go on and get schooled by heading past the break and clicking play. %Gallery-94767%
Crapgadget: "Oh yeah, they're totally serious" edition
Every so often, we come across a gadget (or five) that's so offensive, so absurd that we simply can't help but stick it in our back pocket and show it to the general public. Today, we're rounding up the worst of the worst once again, proving that there literally is no end to the spewing of gadget-related garbage that comes from unknown caverns in undisclosed corners of the universe. We mean, just listen to these products: "fried eggs night light," "Bic lighter spy camera," "hungry caterpillar USB hub," and "half-eaten chocolate mouse." Does those even sound like kit that any partially sane individual would purchase? No, no it doesn't. Have a gander while shaking your head furiously below, and feel free to drop a vote for the king of the crap while venting in comments below. Trust us, it's therapeutic.Read - Half-eaten chocolate mouseRead - USB Penguin 4-Port Hub Read - Fried Eggs Night LightRead - Spy camera Bic lighterRead - USB Bulb Flash DriveRead - Hungry caterpillar USB hub %Poll-33032%
Brando credit card light bulb fills the void in your wallet... not your heart
Tailored to fit inside a vacant credit card slot -- let's face it, we've all got a bit more room in our wallets these days -- Brando's latest offering is an unfolding LED light tastefully shaped like a bulb. You might point out the irony of replacing cold hard cash with a cute yet limited trinket, but do you really expect such subtlety to stop the company that brought you the sliced bread wrist rest? We'll let you to come up with viable justifications for its existence, but do yourself the favor of going past the break for a snap of the little wonder flicked on, while we decide whether to file it under pointless sophistication or sophisticated pointlessness.
Sharp's remote controlled LED light-bulbs generate seven-shades of smart
While you're replacing your household incandescent light-bulbs with LEDs in a bid to save energy and possibly cash (over the 40,000-hour lifespan) you might want to consider these remote-controlled lamps from Sharp. The DL-L60AV gives you on/off and dimming functions as well as the ability to adjust the light in seven shades of white to warm up or cool down the glow. Best of all, they screw into a standard E26 socket for a one-to-one exchange with your existing ocean warmers. The features of the remote control are still unclear (lighting zone support, range of operation, etc.) but it appears to work with multiple-lamps in parallel which is a nice touch. However, we'd like to see Sharp integrate a Z-Wave or ZigBee chipset so we could link these directly (without special wall-switches) into a tricked-out home automation and power managment system. The DL-series start at ¥3880 (about $40) for simple LED lights before hitting ¥7980 (about $82) for the fully-equipped DL-L60AV and begin shipping July 15th in Japan.
