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Light Tape: bending light... and other applications
By Jeff Salton
19:48 June 30, 2009 PDT
Think of a light bulb you can wrap around your finger or roll-out to create a display that would rival the Griswalds' efforts in Christmas Vacation. Light Tape is an extremely flexible lighting strip that has seemingly more applications than LED or neon lighting systems. Thinner than a credit card, and with a bend radius of 2mm, Light Tape can go just about anywhere – indoors and outdoors. It’s even wearable. Read More
Stop squinting - MiLi Pro gives iPhones the big picture treatment
By Darren Quick
06:31 June 29, 2009 PDT
The increasing popularity of mobile phones as complete multimedia devices has been hampered by one obvious problem – screen size. That problem has seen the development of different projectors and projection technologies eager to provide the solution. The latest to enter the fray is the Mili Pro - a stylish unit from mobile phone accessory developer PhoneSuit that is designed to give the big picture treatment to Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch. Read More
Solar powered LED Cap brims with light
By Darren Quick
23:58 June 24, 2009 PDT
New Zealand-based company 2C is selling a range of solar powered LED caps that charge up during the day to provide light at night. All the energy gathering, light-emitting technology is located in the semi-flexible pre-bent beak of the caps including the solar panel and the NiMH battery used to store it. Read More
illumi-knob helps you find doors in the dark
00:56 June 24, 2009 PDT
If you’ve ever stumbled around a room at night trying to find the door, the illumi-knob will strike you as simply brilliant. Designed to fit over most door handles, the device uses a passive infra-red sensor to detect any movement within 10 feet and then turn on two gentle LED light rings. It’s not bright enough to wake anyone, but more than enough to get you safely to - and through - the door. Read More
Sharp introduces color changing LED light bulbs
By Jude Garvey
22:47 June 17, 2009 PDT
When it comes to choosing light globes these days, energy-conscious consumers have a multitude of choice. Both CFL bulbs and LED bulbs offer energy-efficient lighting and whilst they seem expensive at first, you realize they will save you money in the long term. However, a less appealing feature of LED globes is the bright, white light they emit, not particularly compatible with creating a warm, romantic feel in your home. That may be about to change. Sharp Corporation has just announced an LED globe that includes a remote-controlled, adjustable-color function and a dimmer. Read More
Toshiba introduces LED TV with local dimming and motion enhancement
By Darren Quick
00:34 June 15, 2009 PDT
Toshiba’s flagship REGZA SV670 series that first caught our eye at CES 2009 is set to hit stores alongside the REGZA XV648 and ZV650 series. The SV670 is Toshiba’s first-ever LED-backlit HDTV and incorporates the company's FocaLight Full Matrix LED with local dimming instead of the standard edge LED lighting used in many other LED TVs. This ability to turn off individual groups of LEDs where required allows the SV670 to achieve deep blacks without sacrificing peak brightness and according to Toshiba, delivers a dynamic contrast ration of 2,000,000:1. Read More
NEC puts the wow into work with its $8000 curved display
By Darren Quick
01:34 June 5, 2009 PDT
NEC’s CRV43 ultra-widescreen curved monitor is one of those bits of tech that's definitely drool-worthy and likely to put some real wow into the workplace. The 43-inch curved display is essentially four digital light processing (DLP) monitors stitched together with LED backlighting to deliver an impressive set of numbers - 2880x900 double WXGA native resolution, 0.02 second response time, 200 cd/m2 brightness and 10,000:1 contrast ratio. First unveiled at CES in January 2008, the monitor will go on the market next month. All you need is a cool USD$8000 and it's yours to drool over. Read More
PowerFlare LED safety lights offer safe alternative to chemical emergency flares
By Alan Brandon
16:44 June 3, 2009 PDT
PowerFlare’s PF-200 electronic LED safety light is not your average roadside flare. Invented by Ken Dueker, a former police officer and PowerFlare’s CEO, the PowerFlare PF-200 replaces chemical flares with a reusable, non-combusting alternative. Each PF-200 features a 360-degree LED array protected by a ruggedized plastic housing that can withstand the weight of a fire truck. Read More
Energizer Hard Case Tactical flashlight helps you find your car keys behind enemy lines
By Alan Brandon
19:05 May 26, 2009 PDT
Whether you need a flashlight that can withstand the rigors of the battlefield or if you’re just a bit clumsy, Energizer's second generation Hard Case Tactical rugged flashlight could be the answer. Featuring military-grade construction, the Hard Case Tactical 2AA flashlight is designed to withstand a 15 foot (4.5m) drop and immersion in water. The swiveling head allows you to position the light where you need it and the flat base accommodates hands-free operation. Read More
Philips brightens up the home with a range of LED-lit decor
By David Greig
01:39 May 23, 2009 PDT
Domestic bliss can get a tad dull from time to time – but you have to hand it to Dutch electronics giant Philips for trying to brighten the home front up with its range of LED-illuminated home accessories. The products include a vase, wine cooler, coasters and platter and have been designed so as to be used in various combinations to create different moods around the home. Read More
Lighten your workload with the LED-lit workstation
By Jude Garvey
06:47 May 17, 2009 PDT
A bright idea (pun intended) for lighting a workstation is one of the entries in this year’s Emotionalize Your Light competition. Andres4, the designer of the LED-enhanced workstation, has created a working prototype that features a band of LED lighting running around the desktop edge and additional lighting suspended from the ceiling. The disc in the middle of the upper panel is a “must for every Star Trek fan”, according to the designer. The colored lights of the desk can be changed using switches, but the designer is working on a way of switching the lights using a computer controller. Read More
Will nanocrystals dim OLED's bright light?
By Darren Quick
18:24 May 13, 2009 PDT
Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) are just starting to appear in consumer electronics, such as Sony's OLED XEL-1 TV and the United Keys OLED Keypad, but barely have we been there five seconds and already scientists are talking up what could be OLED’s successor – a nanocrystal that constantly emits light, which may open the door to dramatically less expensive and more versatile lasers, brighter LED lighting and biological markers tracking how a drug interacts with a cell at a level never before possible. Read More
New Samsung TV range promises to change the way we watch TV
By Darren Quick
23:13 April 13, 2009 PDT
Late last month Samsung announced the launch of a new LED TV category of flat-panel TVs that the company says marks a "transformative" moment in the TV industry, promising to revolutionize the way we watch TV. No, that doesn’t mean we’ll be standing on our heads or hanging from the rafters to get our TV fix. What has Samsung excited is the inclusion of a number of networking features that are designed to allow easy access to information and content either on the internet or stored on a PC. Read More
TentLED helps avert common camping mishap
By Jamilah Le
22:30 April 1, 2009 PDT
Tripping over tent ropes - it's a problem regular campers understand only too well and apparently around 3000 people seek first-aid from this kind of mishap every year in the Netherlands alone. This solution created by VAN BERLO in the Netherlands, is an LED light for guy lines that are attached to the rope so you can see them at night. Read More
LED street lamps deliver 88% power saving in Japan
By Mike Hanlon
16:20 March 9, 2009 PDT
The cost and energy-efficiency of solid-state lighting are driving many new applications, and the recent installation of the first LED street lights in Osaka Prefecture in Japan, has already been found to provide an overall savings of 88% in electricity bills over the older high-pressure mercury lamps used elsewhere in the region. Each of the LED-based street lamps installed at a park on the Kizu River utilizes 36 cool white LEDs. The LED array generates 30 lux at a pole height of 4.5 meters, comparable to the brightness of mercury lamps, while using just 25 W of power per fixture. Read More
LED streetlight smart management system undergoes testing
By Darren Quick
22:36 March 2, 2009 PST
Man’s primal fear of the darkness has helped spawn cities that are illuminated by massive numbers of streetlights – so many in fact that they represent almost 40 percent of a typical city’s electricity spending. While energy efficient LED streetlights have helped cut that figure considerably, the integration of intelligent management systems should help drive it down even further. LED exterior lighting manufacturer BetaLED is pursuing this avenue by pitting two leading forms of lighting control systems against each other in a test to discover which system produces the biggest reduction in operating and energy costs. Read More
The GeoBulb LED light bulb
By Darren Quick
20:50 February 10, 2009 PST
Not so long ago choosing a light bulb wasn’t too difficult. Just grab one with the desired wattage in either pearl or clear with the correct fitting for your socket. The need for energy efficient lighting means that it's no longer that simple, and given the amount of ongoing research in the area, the range of light bulb options on the supermarket shelves is set to explode. Technologies competing to replace conventional incandescent bulbs include OLED, Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs, and of course LED bulbs. LED bulbs offer improved energy efficiency, produce brilliant light and offer long life and this new LED bulb offering, called the GeoBulb II, puts out more light than a standard 60-watt bulb and uses just 7.5 watts. Read More
SIM2 Solar Series LCD HDTV provides 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio
By Darren Quick
21:23 February 5, 2009 PST
Like Samsung’s Series 9 and Toshiba’s flagship Regza SV670 Series, SIM2’s Solar Series of LCD HDTV’s feature LED backlighting that can be selectively turned off behind black areas in scenes to provide deeper blacks and overcome one of the weaknesses of LCD TV’s using the traditional CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp) backlighting. Read More
US$3 LED light bulb lasts 60 years, could end battle of the bulbs
By Paul Evans
17:44 February 1, 2009 PST
Cambridge University researchers have developed cheap, light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs that produce brilliant light but use very little electricity. They will cost just GBP2 (USD2.80) and last up to 60 years. The gallium nitride based bulbs are 12 times more efficient than conventional tungsten incandescent bulbs and three times more efficient than compact fluorescent low-energy bulbs. As well as lasting 100,000 hours, ten times as long as today's eco-bulbs, the LED bulbs do not contain mercury, so disposal is less damaging to the environment, they do not flicker and fully illuminate instantly, unlike the current generation of eco-bulbs. Read More
Toshiba's flagship Regza SV670 series LED-backlit LCD TVs
By Tim Hanlon
11:08 January 16, 2009 PST
We saw more than a few "me too" LCD TVs at CES 2009, so we have to give it to Toshiba for the laundry list of features in their flagship Regza SV670 series, including a few that no-one else has bothered to think of including in a TV - like Dolby Volume, which promises to sort the age-old problem of volume inconsistencies between advertising and programming, or between channels. Read More
Audi presents its Sportback concept, a preview of the 2010 A7 sedan
By Loz Blain
20:18 January 12, 2009 PST
January 13, 2009 While the firebreathing 5.2-litre V10 R8 supercar is clearly the performance king of Audi's Detroit NAIAS lineup, the Sportback concept unveiled does an excellent job of marrying performance, economy, stunning looks and practicality. Its 3-litre, 6-cylinder direct-injection turbo 'clean diesel' engine puts out 225 horsepower and 550 Nm, for a top speed over 150mph - and yet its average fuel economy nearly tips 40mpg. Ultra-low CO2 emissions are the result of smart decisions throughout the car, from the advanced exhaust emissions control, to electric systems like the power steering that consume no energy when they're not immediately in use, to automatic engine stop-start at the traffic lights and power-smart sunlight-white LED headlights. The Sportback's ultra-clean lines and fastback hatch somehow make this four-door coupe look sportier than some of its two-door contemporaries. Beautiful. Read More
POLLI-Brick: turning plastic bottles into green architecture
By Emily Clark
03:01 January 12, 2009 PST
From the maker of the HYmini wind and solar portable charger comes a polymer architecture brick combining post-consumer materials with environmentally friendly function. The POLLI-Brick is made entirely of recycled materials and offers passive cooling, natural ventilation and even integrated solar/wind powered LED lighting. Read More
Audi R8 V10 becomes first all-LED car
By Mike Hanlon
17:20 January 3, 2009 PST
January 4, 2009 The order books have opened for the 196mph Audi R8 making it the first car in the world with all-LED (light emitting diode) headlamps, daytime running lights and turn indicators. LEDs are the headlight of the future due to their power, homogenous light distribution and the agreeable, daylight-esque colour and Audi can rightfully boast a technological edge with headlights four times more energy efficient than halogen headlights in addition to having a practically indefinite service life. LEDs can be made more or less bright electronically and hence able to be precisely adapted to conditions. In the future, headlights will react to variables such as weather conditions, speed and the distance between vehicles. Audi already has a pre-production headlight which offers exceptional visibility at night without irritating oncoming drivers, by measuring the distance of the approaching vehicle and adapting the shape of the beam continuously. Read More
ASUS Bamboo notebook for style with a conscience
By Darren Quick
02:36 November 19, 2008 PST
November 19, 2008 Realizing that eco-friendly is the new black, ASUS is releasing a notebook that wears its green credentials on its sleeve – or its casing anyway. The ASUS Bamboo Series notebook is cased in Moso bamboo paneling, which is light, durable, renewable and stylish to boot. The green conscience is carried through to the notebook’s internals with the ASUS exclusive Super Hybrid Engine, which preserves power by intelligently monitoring component power requirements and automatically adjusting to meet current consumption needs – thus optimizing system performance and energy efficiency. Read More
Mini sensor to improve detection of greenhouse gases
By Emily Clark
18:27 October 28, 2008 PDT
Governments could be able to more easily and cheaply monitor greenhouse gas emissions thanks to a miniature gas sensor being developed by a new European consortium, led by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. The sensor would also have applications for consumers by improving air conditioning in buildings. Read More
Rex Alfie Lee
- November 9, 2009 @ 12:19 UTC
