Hasta La Gadget!

LED bulbs are a great way to save some power and be more green since they consume much less electricity than standard bulbs. They can also do more than conventional bulbs. Tabu Design makes the cool Lumen Bluetooth LED bulb that we reviewed just a few days ago. One of the issues that might pop up for some with that bulb is that it’s a bit large for smaller lamps.

Tabu has launched its Kickstarter project for a smaller version of that bulb called the LuMini. This bulb is specifically designed to fit completely inside of smaller lamps. Part of how it works its magic is by using a ceramic cooling ring instead of metal fins.

Like the original, this bulb can be controlled via Bluetooth 4.0 using a smartphone app. It has RGB LEDs inside, and can make just about any color light you want. It’s also about half the price of the Lumen.

Unlike the Lumen, the LuMini doesn’t have a dedicated white LED inside. You can get white light from it, but it’s not as bright or pure as the original. The company has stretch goals that will produce other bulb sizes if certain milestones are met. A pledge of $30(USD) or more will get you a bulb in May 2014.

If you’re the proud owner of some smart Philips Hue light bulbs, watch out for blackouts—because the bulbs seem to be susceptible to malicious attacks according to new research.

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We know what you’re thinking: “light bulbs? Yawwwwn.” But we’ll say this, Philips has done something pretty impressive and interesting with its TLED prototype lamp. Generally LED bulbs use either a combination red, green and blue LEDs to create white light, or they use a phosphor coating (more common) in combination with a blue LED. The problem with the latter is that it tends to generate a very cool light with a blue tinge, while the former is less energy efficient because of their reliance on green LEDs. Philips’ solution is to combine two blue and one red element, but use a green phosphor filter to convert one of the blue LEDs to green. The result is a relatively warm light, between 3,000 and 4,000 kelvin, that generates more than twice as many lumens per-watt as Philips’ current LED bulbs. In theory, a 7.5-watt TLED could generate as much light as a 100-watt incandescent bulb. With any luck the tech should hit the market sometime during 2015, but it’ll be primarily for office and industrial application at first — so don’t start tossing your CFLs just yet.

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We’ve seen connected light bulbs before, some more sophisticated than others, but they’re rarely as straightforward as GreenWave Reality’s just-shipping Connected Lighting Solution. Eco-friendly LED bulbs in the lineup include support for WiFi and are immediately controllable from a smartphone or tablet as soon as they’re receiving power. Basics controls like group presets and timed lighting are just the start; if you’re not worried about leaving anyone in the dark, the bulbs can respond to motion sensors and only illuminate the rooms that need attention. And while the intelligence isn’t new in itself, GreenWave would argue that sheer accessibility gives it an edge, with electric utilities in Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden skipping the retail middleman by selling directly. Don’t despair if you live in the US: the linked-up lighting is cleared for eventual use by Americans who’d like to save both energy and a trip to the light switch.

Continue reading GreenWave Reality ships WiFi-aware light bulbs that flick on through motion and smartphones

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GreenWave Reality ships WiFi-aware light bulbs that flick on through motion and smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Have you ever wanted to control the lights with your smartphone? Now you can, thanks to LIFX Smartbulbs. There have been already some LED lightbulbs that could be controlled by a remote. Now, you can use an app to control the mood of your room – or your entire house – from the comfort of your phone.

LIFX Smartbulbs are naturally energy efficient. One LIFX smartbulb will last 40,000 hours or 25 years, and reduce power consumption by up to 20% from conventional bulbs. Bulbs can be turned off and on, and change the color of the glow to suit your mood. And unlike some remote bulbs, you can control multiple bulbs and multiple locations from a single smartphone iOS or Android app. The app can also match the mood of your tunes, wirelessly. It will beatmatch the music that you are listening to.

The bulbs are also able to detect when you arrive home and turn on the lights for you, and can even be programmed to wake you up naturally, gradually glowing brighter and brighter.

LIFX was launched as a Kickstarter project, and at the time of writing, it had amassed over $1,100,000 of a humble goal of $100,000 – with 55 days of funding left. Needless to say that this project will be made. You’ll have to pledge $69(USD) to get one bulb, or $119 for a pair, or $196 for four bulbs. Further discounts are available for larger quantities. Expected delivery for the LIFX smartbulb is March 2013.