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Philips' new 'Ultra Efficient' LED bulbs use 40 percent less energy
Philips' new Ultra Efficient LED bulbs use 40 percent less power than regular models — and can last roughly 50 years.
Logitech's Brio 300 HD webcams offer auto light correction and noise reduction for $70
Logitech has unveiled a colorful, budget-oriented line of 1080p webcams, the $70 (£75) Brio 300 series.
What you’ll need to survive the California wildfires this summer
Gear and strategies to help you ride out this summer’s fire season. Good luck.
Elgato's Key Light Mini provides vlogger-friendly lighting on the road
Elgato has unveiled a mini key light built for streamers and vloggers on the move — but whether it beats a Logitech rival depends on what you're looking for.
Nanoleaf has stopped selling its original wall tiles
Nanoleaf is retiring the product that made it into a household name.
New Philips Hue app makes it easier to automate your lights
Signify has released a brand new version of the Philips Hue application that gives you a quick way to control your smart lights.
Philips Hue module turns any light switch into a smart switch
A new Philips Hue add-on turns your existing light switches into smart ones that keep your lights available even if someone flicks the switch off.
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.
Philips Hue’s latest smart bulb is blindingly bright
Philips Hue reveals its brightest smart bulb yet and updates to the Lighstrip and Bloom table lamp.
Dyson hopes you'll throw down $650 for its lamp that mimics candlelight
Dyson's newest light, the Lightcycle Morph, is its most flexible lamp yet. At first glance, it looks similar to the Dyson Lightcycle, introduced last year, and it has many of the same key features -- like the ability to automatically adjust based on your local daylight. It also has three axes which allow it to rotate into different positions and the ability to emulate candlelight, but you'll have to shell out a minimum of $650 for this updated version.
Teenage Engineering’s IKEA collection lands in stores next month
If IKEA's Sonos speakers are a little bland for your taste, you might be happy to know that the FREKVENS line, a collaboration between IKEA and Teenage Engineering, arrives in February. The collection is meant to get funky house parties started, and it includes everything from speakers to spotlights, spill-resistant furniture and a raincoat -- all with Teenage Engineering's signature colorful quirkiness.
Philips seems to be working on more Hue outdoor lights
The Philips Hue smart lightbulb lineup already includes some outdoor lighting, but rumor has it that Philips will introduce more outdoor options, likely at CES. According to a leaked product catalog, found by Hueblog.de, Philips Hue is planning a pretty big expansion of its offerings.
Amazon-owned Ring is preparing its first smart light bulb
Ring is branching out from its usual doorbells and security cameras to produce truly connected lighting, although it's probably not going to replace your corner table lamps any time soon. An FCC filing has revealed that the Amazon-owned firm is prepping a Bluetooth-capable light bulb. It appears to be a floodlight that would complement Ring's existing security systems, but it's still a significant step for a company whose dedicated lighting has so far been limited to self-contained systems rather than screw-in bulbs.
Alexa can use smart lights to wake you or lull you to sleep
It's getting a bit easier to fall asleep or wake up in sync with your lights -- if you have an Alexa-powered device. Amazon has introduced a trio of Alexa options that can gradually adjust smart lights to suit your daily habits. Wake-up lighting brightens the bulbs grouped with your Alexa device when you tell the voice assistant to set an alarm "with lights." You can add lights to sleep timers if you want them to gradually dim as you call it a night. And if you want Alexa to gradually change lighting as part of a larger action, you can add brightening or dimming bulbs to routines -- say, a morning routine that plays the news and ramps up the lights as you struggle to get out of bed.
Philips' new Hue Play box syncs your lights with your TV
It's been a long time coming, but there's now an easy way to sync your Hue lights with your TV no matter what's on-screen. Signify has introduced a Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box that (as its name implies) controls your smart lights based on whatever the video source might be, whether it's a game console, a Blu-ray player or a streaming media service. It's automatic and reportedly lag-free, and you can dial down the intensity so that it won't produce a dramatic light show when you're just watching a sitcom.
Nanoleaf's colorful wall tiles now act as Razer gaming controls
Nanoleaf and Razer teamed up last year to making gaming an even more immersive experience. Thanks to integrations between Nanoleaf's modular lights and Razer's Synapse IoT platform, gamers could enjoy everything from event-based flashes and explosions to instant notifications when a spell is ready to fire, all in glorious technicolor across their gaming space. Now the partnership has expanded to bring game controls to the illuminated touch-tiles, too.
Signify's LiFi system promises up to 150 Mbps internet via LED lights
This week, Signify, formerly Philips Lighting, launched one of the first commercial LiFi, or Light Fidelity, systems. LiFi transmits broadband internet through lights, using LEDs to move data and bypass radio signals. We've seen some experimental applications of the tech, but this is the most realistic deployment yet.
IKEA is working on robotic furniture for small apartments
IKEA wants to "empower people to have big dreams for small homes." To do so, it's creating a line of robotic furniture. Today, the company announced that it's partnering with Ori, an American startup that develops robotic furniture meant to address the challenges of small apartment living. IKEA and Ori will introduce their new line, dubbed ROGNAN, in 2020.
Google Home can gently wake you up using Philips Hue lights
Smart lights still tend to offer a rude awakening if you tie them to your alarm, but Google wants to fix that. It's delivering a promised Gentle Sleep & Wake feature for Home speakers that gradually dims or brightens your Philips Hue lights to provide a more natural rest. Say the right command (such as "turn on Gentle Wake Up," "wake up my lights" or "sleep my lights") and the lights will change over the course of half an hour. You can set specific times if you intend to use it as part of your daily routine.
Mood-enhancing Auri light packs Alexa smart home control
Wellness-oriented smart lights and scent diffusers have been around for a while. They don't always play nicely with modern smart homes, though, and Ling Technology aims to address that. It's crowdfunding a smart light, Auri, that aims to improve your "mental wellbeing" while integrating with other connected devices. Like you'd expect, it combines colored lighting and sound (through a 36W speaker) in a bid to help you sleep, sharpen your focus or otherwise alter your mood. However, it also makes healthy use of Alexa -- you can play your own music and control the rest of your smart home. You won't need a separate smart speaker for those moments when you aren't looking to calm down.
