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Dell’s cheap Philips Hue starter pack deal is even better with $50 credit
Philips Hue has become the go-to for smart home lighting. The LED light bulbs can transition between 16 million colors to compliment your home, set the mood or enhance your sleep. Those who haven't turned their home into a technicolor dreamland may want to check out Dell's latest deal on a Hue starter kit. It comes with three white- and color-capable bulbs, the Gen 3 Hue Bridge and a dimmer (which doesn't come with most bundles). The kit is $120 -- $35 less than Amazon's listing -- and comes with a $50 gift card so you can stock up on more Hue accessories like bulbs, light strips and motion sensors -- or Dell's computer products. If purchased separately, the items would cost $235, so this is a great deal even before Dell's discount and gift card.
Audi’s digital matrix LED headlights debut in the E-Tron Sportback
Audi continues to impress with its headlight technology. At the LA Auto show, the big news for the automaker is the E-Tron Sportback -- an new model with a sleeker design. But while most of that tech under the hood is the same as what's found in the regular E-Tron SUV, the lights are all new.
Sphero Mini Activity Kit offers a mini-bot and 15 lessons for $80
For years, Sphero has pushed to bring robotics into the classroom. Now, the company wants to bring robotics and coding lessons to the living room, too. Today, the company unveiled the Sphero Mini Activity Kit: 15 step-by-step activities that can be done at home, as well as app updates aimed at budding coders.
New Philips Hue smart bulbs don't need a hub
The Philips Hue light bulb lineup is often recognized as the best smart lighting you can buy for your house. But if you're new to the smart home game, there's one catch: you need a hub to set up and control everything, which means an extra up-front cost and additional complexity. As of today, though, things are getting simpler with the Philips Hue with Bluetooth lights. As the name suggests, these bulbs have Bluetooth built-in, which means you can set them up with a smartphone app, no hub needed.
High tech meets haute couture at Silicon Valley Fashion Week
Pop culture loves to pit fashion and technology against one another. While fashionistas are often portrayed as really really good looking buffoons (looking at you, Derek), techies are rarely seen without being swaddled in their trusty black hoodies. But, as the 2016 Silicon Valley Fashion Week shows, it doesn't have to be that way.
ICYMI: 3D-printed art, a Pac-Man satellite and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-137378{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-137378, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-137378{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-137378").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: The giant robot duel challenge response is in from a Japanese mecha-manufacturer (aimed at some lippy Americans with a super paintball gun) and it's throwing hella shade y'all. Switzerland's EPFL space agency realized its old cubesats were cluttering up space so it came up with a hungry hippo of a satellite that should start gobbling up its smaller kin by 2018. And an architect hacked a 3D printer with LEDs and is creating beautiful paintings with light.
Stay hydrated with the BluFit smart water bottle and app
Yes, you read that headline correctly. A startup is taking pre-orders for the BluFit water bottle (US$59) and you'll never need to guess how many ounces or liters of water you've sucked down during the day. This latest innovation in the world of connected fitness tools is currently grabbing pledges on Indiegogo, and early supporters can nab one of the bottles for $49. Now why would you buy a $50 or $60 water bottle? Well, that app takes a lot of different data into account -- weight, age, temperature and humidity -- to determine how much you should be drinking. You can set and monitor personal goals, and adjust your sipping based on how active you are during a day. In the meantime, you'll get colorful alerts from the bottle's sleeve, which has LED lights built into it. The bottle has a Bluetooth LE chip inside of it that takes info from the built-in water flow sensor and syncs it with the app, and there's a rechargeable battery to keep your bottle glowing and beaming for up to six days. Check out the pitch video below, and then decide if your current Nalgene bottle is smart enough for you.
Fitbit introduces Flex wristband at CES 2013
Fitbit is one of the oldest names in fitness tracking these days, though given how new the industry actually is, the company's not really that old at all. But they have been around for a few years now, and this year at CES, the company introduced one more addition to its line of motion-based trackers. The Fitbit Flex is a wristband-style tracker (similar to the popular Nike FuelBand) that's designed to sit up near the higher end of the Fitbit line. At US$99.95, it's not very cheap, but Fitbit obviously wants this to be one of their most popular of trackers, making it easy to strap to your wrist, and from there track all sorts of stats, including steps taken, calories burned, time active, and even sleep time and quality. The Flex comes in five different colors, and each one has five different LED lights that are designed to let you know how close you are to your goal for the day, whatever that is. The device looks very smooth, and while the $99.95 price might be a tougher sell for those not yet on board the fitness tracker train, it definitely gives Fitbit one more excellent option in a market that's quickly filling up. Our good friends over at Engadget have more on the device, including a full gallery and a video with hands-on footage. The Flex is coming later on this spring, though you can pre-order it from Fitbit starting right now.
Ikea to sell only LED-based lighting by 2016, wants to be greener than your sofa bed
While some wouldn't necessarily associate Ikea with eco-friendliness given that its business revolves around plywood, the furniture chain has just staked out a clearer position as a green pioneer. It's phasing out sales of all lighting that isn't LED-based by 2016, making it the first major home furnishing shop with a US presence to entirely banish less efficient illumination. Ikea also wants to take advantage of its economies of scale with the "lowest price on the market" for LEDs, which could shake up an industry where anything beyond incandescent technology usually carries a premium. We'll still have some time to wait for the full switch, but the company at least plans to practice what it preaches by replacing over a million store lights with LEDs -- so those of us with no light replacement plans can still feel as green as the Beddinge Håvet we're taking home. [Image credit: Rainchill, Wikipedia]
Eyes-on with Energizer's LED lighting solutions and USB chargers at CES 2012
Energizer doesn't get much coverage here at Engadget, primarily because those AA cells you see at the Walgreens checkout counter haven't changed much throughout the years. Every now and then, however, there are special events such as CES, where the company that keeps going and going trots out its latest products for techies to fawn over. This year, we got to check out its lineup of USB power solutions designed for the home and automobile, along with a very handsome set of LED lights. Next month, Energizer will release new 5W chargers that include either a USB cable or Apple's dock connector. These are available for both the home and car, and will retail for $24.99 each. Perhaps most intriguing, however, is a product that combines both a wall and car charger into one handy unit. Known as the 2-in-1 USB Charger, it will retail for $39.99 and is set to hit store shelves this summer. In every situation, a cord management system is built into the unit, which is simple, effective and thoughtful. Then we have its beautiful accent lighting solution that makes up the Edge Collection. Available in small and medium sizes, they were introduced in September of this year and feature rather dramatic dimming options that respond to touch at the base of the unit. A single press will turn the light on or off, while a continual press causes the lamps to slowly dim or brighten in a slow and smooth gradation for a perfect lighting level. They do get quite bright, too, as the small light ($64.99) puts out up to 350 lumens, while its larger brother ($79.99) pushes it all the way to 400 lumens. With no physical switches and bulbs that don't need to be replaced, Energizer's Edge Collection seems to be a long-lasting product that can either add a curious focal point or elegantly blend into the background of any room.
Mutewatch wrists-on: stay on-task with good vibrations (video)
No, the picture above isn't some modernized Power Ranger's wrist communicator. This is the Mutewatch, and we've been intrigued since we first laid eyes on it over a year ago. At a glance, it looks akin to a rubber fashion bracelet, which could make its $260 price tag a shocker. But with the right touch or flick it reveals itself to be much more. The Stockholm-based start-up behind it, dubbed Mutewatch AB, envisions the device serving as "time management tool" for setting quick wrist-felt vibrating reminders during the course of the day. Think Growl, but on your wrist. The wristwatch lacks a dial and crystal, and instead has an angled, touch-sensitive section for a face with hidden LEDs, an ambient light sensor, a motion sensor and a vibrating motor for alarms. We've spent some time using a near-final unit seeing what it would be like silently manage our days, and it's all laid out just past the break. %Gallery-134989%
Batarang controllers to be thrown at E3, come back in October
If multiple batmobiles, a bat-usb stick, and a bat-puter aren't enough to convince you Bruce Wayne is a vain egomaniac, maybe these Batman: Arkham City batarang controllers will give you pause. In traditional bat-gadget fashion, these Xbox 360 and Ps3 controllers boast a cheesy bat-aesthetic (such as bat-start and select / back buttons), dual rumble motors, comfort-soft grips, and seven switchable splashes of LED color. Although physically the two controllers are pretty similar, Ol' Bats seems to favor the PlayStation 3, giving its controller not only the popular Xbox 360 button / analog layout, but an internal battery, detachable charging cable, and batman-themed USB RF receiver, to boot. The Xbox variant? A dated, wired affair -- but hey, at least it's got that Xbox guide button, right? The controllers will be on display next week at E3, courtesy of Power-A, and will hit store shelves when Batman: Arkham City ships in October, leaving you little excuse not to be geared up and ready when the bat-phone rings. Hit the break for the official press release... or, you know, have Robin do it for you.
Philips EnduraLED A21 bulb offers bright light for big bucks
If the expected price tag for Philips' latest LED light bulb is any indication, a brighter tomorrow won't come cheap. The "75W replacement," known as the EnudraLED A21, apparently reduces energy by 80 percent, lasts 25 times longer than its conventional counterpart, and is expected to cost between $40 and $45. Given that's significantly less expensive than the outfit's 60W equivalent, but for us regular folks, that's not exactly a drop in the bucket. However, if you're picking up what Philips is laying down, the bulb -- which uses a mere 17 watts of electricity to beam 1,100 lumens -- could save the US 5,220 megawatts of electricity and $630,000,000 annually (if we all switch over tomorrow). That certainly sounds good, but somehow we doubt a $45 light bulb is going to be the incandescent killer. Full PR after the break.
Flexible, implantable LEDs look set to start a new body modification craze
LED lights are cool, you're cool, why not combine the two, right? We doubt that's quite the reasoning that led to this international research project, but it's certainly an appealing way to look at it. Our old buddy John Rogers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has headed up a research team with participants from the US, China, Korea, and Singapore, who have together produced and demonstrated a new flexible and implantable LED array. Bettering previous efforts at inserting lights under the human skin, this approach allows for stretching and twisting by as much as 75 percent, while the whole substrate is encased in thin silicon rubber making it waterproof. Basically, it's a green light to subdermal illumination, which could aid such things as monitoring the healing of wounds, activating light-sensitive drug delivery, spectroscopy, and even robotics. By which we're guessing they mean our robot overlords will be able to color-code us more easily. Yeah, that must be it.
Cyglo Night Bright Tyres turn on the magic of colored light
Just in time for that Tron reboot comes a set of tires for your ride that will not only see you looking fresh at night but could also keep you from becoming someone's hood ornament. They're called Cyglo Night Bright Tyres, featuring embedded LEDs in the tread and the sidewalls. At a standstill the lights are well-separated, but get moving and they stream together to form a lighted arc powered by the motion of the wheel itself -- no batteries to change or charge. The folks at Cyglo have had the idea for quite some time now but have newly received patents to protect the idea in the US and UK, meaning they're finally close to production. The cost? Unknown, but surely not cheap. Another pic awaits you below, plus a glimpse into the company's inspiration.
Graduation cap modded with LED array, steals show (video)
Yomo Gaocho, an enterprising young man about to graduate from Northwestern University, has put together pretty much the coolest grad cap mod we've seen. Not that we're experts on the subject or anything, but the array of 256 LED lights adorning his cap surely makes for one of the geekiest ways to bid adieu to one's undergraduate studies. He's taking it one step further too, by programming animation patterns into the white LED arrangement and offering advertising space -- we're not kidding -- for any unorthodox companies that may wish to have him as a walking billboard. See Yomo's creation on video after the break, or hit the source for a guide on how to make your own light-fantastic grad cap.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: LED lights, biofuel airplanes, and prescription tattoos
The Week in Green is a new item from our friends at Inhabitat, recapping the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us. This week Inhabitat saw the light as we showcased an array of exciting developments in energy-efficient illumination. First off, Philips dazzled attendees at this year's Lightfair expo as they unveiled the EnduraLED -- the world's first LED replacement for those ubiquitous energy-sucking 60 watt incandescent bulbs. We were also excited to see the unveiling of the SolPix - a giant energy generating LED wall that doubles as solar shade and can be installed as high-tech building cladding. And if you think energy-efficient lighting isn't easy on the eyes, check out this beautiful LED flower that soaks up sun during the day and blooms at night. We also looked at several incredible (and insane) futuristic modes of transportation - for starters, how about an electric zip-line backpack that shoots you through city streets? We were also impressed by the Cell, a shape-shifting electric vehicle concept that comes complete with its own car-sharing transit system. And if soaring through the skies is more your style, check out these self-sufficient airships that harness solar energy to generate biofuel. Wearable tech saw several developments as well - this week we looked at the ultra-efficient 3d printers that created Iron Man's suit of armor. In other news, your next trip to the doctor could merit more than a single shot in the arm - researchers are developing a new type of "prescription" tattoo that keeps tabs on glucose levels using infra-red ink. Finally, we saw several remarkable inventions that stand to change how we combat climate change and construct our built environment. This week Bill Gates unveiled plans to invest in the development of a fleet of seawater-spraying mist machines that could combat climate change by creating sunlight-reflecting clouds, and we looked at a new type of biologically crafted brick that can be "grown" from a combination of sand, bacteria, and urine.
The Home Depot takes LED lighting mainstream with $20 bulbs
Slowly but surely, LED light bulbs have been getting brighter and more efficient, but price has always been a major factor staying their adoption. Back in 2007, a single 308 lumen bulb cost $65, and the more things changed, the more they've stayed the same. Now, out of the blue, The Home Depot has stepped forward with a cost-effective alternative. For $20, the new EcoSmart LED bulb promises a 429 lumen, 40W equivalent with a 50,000 hour expected lifetime, making it cheaper and nearly as powerful as the 450 lumen, $40-50 design industry heavyweight GE unveiled last month. Best of all, it's already available for purchase (though backordered) at our source link. Honestly, we're starting to wonder what the catch is. PR after the break.
Nanosys and LG Innotek agree deal for newfangled LED-backlit displays
For the nitty gritty of how Nanosys' proprietary LED backlighting technology works, check out our earlier coverage here -- what you really need to know is that the company promises a significantly wider color gamut from its displays, while reducing power consumption by up to 50 percent. Quantum dot LEDs have shown their faces before, but now there's the big hulking heft of LG Innotek -- LG's component manufacturing arm -- behind what Nanosys is offering, which indicates we might actually see the release of nanotech-infused displays within the first half of this year as promised. The early focus appears to be on mobile phones, which gives us yet another next-gen feature to add to our list of requirements for our next phone. Check out the full PR after the break.
Nanosys offers better saturation of LED-backlit displays with nanoscale coating
While we all wait around for larger-sized OLED displays to become feasible for the consumer market, Nanosys has stolen in and demonstrated a new LED coating technique that proposes to radically improve color saturation in LED-backlit screens. Based on standard blue LEDs -- the most efficient kind -- this works by applying nanoparticles to the light and thereby endowing it with the desired hue. While the nano-coating can make standalone LED lights far richer in color, the real potential is in its deployment in LED-backlit displays, such as those becoming dominant on laptops today. By employing a coated array of blue LEDs instead of the standard white stuff, this can deliver greater color saturation while fitting within the same energy profile of current LED tech. Products boasting Nanosys' new hotness are said to be coming out later this year, with some appropriate premium slapped on the price for the fancier output.