Hasta La Gadget!

I really love my Philips Hue wireless bulbs. In fact, I’ve got my entire man cave/home theater/game room outfitted with the colorful, remote-controlled lights in my ceiling fixtures. But one thing that’s bugged me about the lamps so far is that they only come as reflector bulbs. Well, not for much longer. Philips has just announced that they are releasing the lamps in two new form factors, being dubbed the “Friends of Hue” line.

First up is the LivingColors Bloom. This compact lamp can be set on any flat surface and used to add a splash of color across walls or ceilings. It’s similar to earlier LivingColors lamps, but at a more reasonable price-point ($79.95 USD), and compatible with the Hue controller without any fiddling.

The more intriguing of the additions to the Hue line-up are the Hue LightStrips. These multicolored strips of LEDs can be placed just about anywhere – under furniture, inside bookcases or window sills, and can produce a bright line of linear accent light.

The LightStrips come in 6.6 foot-long sections which can be cut to size if you’d like. At $89.95 per strip, they’re not as cheap as plain-jane RGB LED strips, but they’re fully compatible with the Hue controller and apps without any additional hardware, which is what really makes these unique. Both products are made to complement Hue bulbs, so they’re designed to add splashes of rich color instead of some of the less saturated colors of the bulbs.

Both LivingColors Bloom and LightStrips will be sold through Apple Stores starting this Thursday, August 8th, though I already found the Bloom Lamp listed as in stock.

We have seen the world of fashion and technology cross paths a fair number of times in the past, such as Rihanna’s LED dress that lit up her “Last Girl on Earth” tour, or how about LED kinetic hats that are definitely something worth checking out if you like to be in the center of attention all the time? Well, Lionel Messi of Argentina (and of course, FC Barcelona), whom many tout to be the best footballer on earth at the moment, has decided to suit up in a special LED suit at the behest of Adidas, and he weaved his “magic” in the video which was shot at 1,000 frames per second using a Phantom camera.

This is not just a way for Messi fulfilling his contract obligations, and neither is it another “job” for him to do, but rather, it is meant to promote Messi’s latest shoe. Still, the end result of this particularly mesmerizing video is something that would make you feel as though you did not waste any time in your life watching that video, unlike some other YouTube videos out there. Needless to say, purchasing Messi’s latest football boots are not going to make you play like him automatically.

Leo Messi Dons An Adidas LED Suit original content from Ubergizmo.

There’s nothing more annoying than having your bicycle light give out in the middle of a night ride. It can also get dangerous. That’s why I think that a light that can be recharged using solar energy is a good idea, so you won’t have to remember to change batteries and get caught in the dark.

The Rydon Pixio bicycle light can hold enough juice for 75 hours of light on a charge. It takes only 5 days of sunlight exposure to fully charge it, so riding during the daytime should get you all charged up for nighttime rides.

The Rydon Pixio was launched through an Indiegogo crowdfunding project. You’ll have to pledge €30 (~$40USD) to get yours, though with the campaign ending at midnight tonight, it’s still only reached about 75% of its goal.

[via designboom]

Last month we featured the iblazr, an external LED flash for mobile devices (it’s on Kickstarter now if you want to get one).  If you have an iPhone 4 or later and you want a more versatile flash, get Rift Labs’ The Kick. Not only does it have more LEDs, it can also display millions of colors, emit animated light effects and copy colors from videos.

The Kick has 40 LEDs. You can adjust their brightness and color temperature from the device itself, but for most of its features you need its companion iPhone app. From there you can change the color of the light that the LEDs emit, pick a lighting effect and – its coolest feature – you can sample a light or a lighting effect from a video. You can choose a video online or one that’s already on your iPhone. This lets you simulate the light from fire, lightning, TVs and more.

The Kick also has a tripod mount and its own battery, which is charged via USB.

You can order The Kick from Photojojo or directly from Rift Labs for $179 (USD). Again, it only works with the iPhone 4 or later.

[via Gadget Review]

This 15 foot-tall steel brain sculpture can be controlled by your brain waves. It is called Mens Amplio (that means “mind expanding” in Latin). The interactive brain and head has been embedded with LEDs in the branching structures that represent neurons. Those are made from clear light-diffusing acrylic. The built-in LEDs show a sequence of light displays, which are controlled by an EEG reader placed on your head.

Raspberry Pi and Arduino processors are used to translate your brain waves into light patterns in real time. The huge brain also has flames on the outside, triggered only when the participant can successfully meditate.

It will show up at Burning Man this year, and then they want to take the giant head to schools in California to demonstrate it to kids and get them excited about science. technology and fabrication. The video below shows a 3D rendering of what you the finished sculpture will look like (without the flames.)

The Mens Amplio project is seeking additional funds on Indiegogo, if you want to take part.

[via Boing Boing via Damn Geeky]