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Logitech's affordable Litra Glow streamer light falls back to an all-time low
Logitech's Litra Glow Premium already offers a lot of features $60, but now it has dropped back to an all-time low price of $50 on Amazon.
LG's latest display can be stretched by 20 percent
LG Disply has developed a 12-inch stretchable display that can be extended in size to 14 inches, the company announced.
LG's MoodUP refrigerator comes with color-changing LED doors and a built-in speaker
IFA 2022 (Europe's answer to CES) starts tomorrow, so you know what that means — some wacky new appliances and home products.
LG's 325-inch Direct View LED TV is an answer to Samsung's The Wall
LG has unveiled a Direct View LED Extreme Home Cinema TV that can scale up to 325 inches
Each LED in the new Philips Hue lightstrip can match different colors on your TV
The Philips Hue Play gradient lightstrip can sync with on-screen media for an immersive experience. The 55-inch lightstrip costs $199.99, the 65-inch lightstrip is $219.99 and the 75-inch lightstrip is $239.99.
Will gallium nitride electronics change the world?
The semiconductor GaN has already changed the world once, it's at the heart of blue and white LEDs, but researchers are looking at how this materials could revolution power systems, space travel, telecommunications, and even processors.
Samsung's display business will stop producing LCD screens this year
Samsung Display will stop producing liquid crystal display (LCD) panels in China and South Korea at the end of the year in order to concentrate on the new generation of "quantum dot" (QD) screens, Reuters reports. Any LCD orders made before the end of the year will still be fulfilled. Samsung made its plans for QD tech known last year, when it announced its $11 billion investment into a plant capable of manufacturing true QLED TV screens that self-illuminate. Traditionally, Samsung's quantum dot LCD tech puts LED backlights behind a filter (so the display doesn't match up to the likes of say, LG's OLED TVs), but research at the end of 2019 helped mitigate some development problems, such as burn-in. Samsung's forthcoming QD tech instead relies on indium phosphide instead of toxic cadmium, and has a lifetime of up to a million hours. The multi-billion dollar investment will take place over five years and will see Samsung convert one of its existing South Korean LCD lines into a facility to mass produce these screens. Falling demand for LCD products and a manufacturing supply glut means Samsung is obviously looking for new avenues, so for the company to essentially do away with a tried-and-tested technology and go all-in on another suggests that QD screens are very likely to feature in our viewing futures.
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.
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.
Sony's 8K and OLED TVs adapt their sound to your room
Sony is coming to CES with its customary TV lineup revamp, and this year the focus is as much on sound as it is picture quality. Its newly unveiled Z8H 8K LED (shown above), A9S 4K OLED, A8H 4K OLED, X950H 4K LED (pictured below) and X900H 4K LED sets bring an Ambient Optimization feature that fine-tunes the picture and sound to your viewing space, including an Acoustic Audio Calibration feature that supposedly delivers the "full sound potential" of your TV during the initial setup process. And if you spring for the top-of-the-line Z8H, you'll get a Frame Tweeter that vibrates the frame of the TV itself to generate sound -- if you can't hook up dedicated speakers, this should be more immersive than what you'd normally get from built-in audio.
Lexilight is a reading lamp designed to help people with dyslexia
The precise causes of dyslexia remain a mystery, though research out of France two years ago suggests the condition occurs when someone has two dominant eyes, rather than the usual one. This means letters appear mirrored or blurred, making it difficult to read. The Lexilight lamp tackles this problem with LEDs -- it pulses at a customizable rate, enabling the brain to process information from a single "dominant" eye and clearing up mashed-together letters instantly.
Trump admin blocks expanded rules against inefficient lightbulbs
On Friday the Department of Energy announced it will not allow amended standards for incandescent lamps to go into effect. Following the passage of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 there was talk of a "ban" on incandescent lights, but that wasn't exactly what the rules mandated. While there has been a regulatory push toward more efficient LED lighting that's cheaper to use over time and better to reduce climate change-causing emissions, stricter definitions finalized by the Obama Administration would have blocked the sale of bulbs under a certain level of efficiency beginning on January 1st, 2020. In combination with another change announced in September, the Energy department is now blocking stricter rules and keeping older-style, less-efficient lighting on the shelf. The current administration has argued that it favors consumer "choice" of bulbs that may be available for cheaper up front and says that LED bulbs dominating the marketplace shows new rules aren't needed. Conservationists and many others claim that is not true at all, and incandescent bulbs have already been phased out by law in many other places. According to them, the move is backed by bulb manufacturers who want to dump their inefficient products -- that haven't been made in the US for years -- on US consumers. In response, the Natural Resources Defense Council notes several states, including California, Colorado, Nevada, Washington, and Vermont, have established their own higher standards for lightbulbs. Also, 16 attorneys general are suing the administration over the moves, and in November New York AG Letitia James said "The United States cannot and will not be the exception to the international movement to phase out the inefficient, unnecessary, and costly use of incandescent bulbs."
Sony’s X900F 55-inch 4K TV is $500 off on Amazon
Sony's 55-inch 4K Ultra HD X900F is listed at a historically low price on Amazon. The well-regarded, Alexa-compatible LED TV launched at $1,500, but its price has been steadily sliding down. For most of the year, we've seen it priced at $1,200. Today's price ($998) is the lowest yet.
OmniVision wins Guinness World Record for its tiny medical image sensor
OmniVision is the new holder of the Guinness World Record for the smallest commercially available image sensor. The tiny device (pictured above in a camera module next to a grain of pepper) measures just half a millimetre squared, and will have a significant impact on the medical imaging landscape.
TCL opens up pre-orders for its 8-series 4K QLED TVs
Less than a month after putting its 6-series 4K QLED TVs on sale, TCL is opening up pre-orders for its 8-series displays through Best Buy. The 8-series is a newcomer to the TCL Roku TV range. Like the 6-series, it boasts boast quantum dot LED technology for better color performance, along with support for Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma) and Dolby Atmos. It works with Google Assistant, Alexa and Roku Voice and comes with a voice remote.
Floating LED art illustrates the quality of NYC's water
You don't have to check a website to find out whether or not New York City's water is healthy -- for the next few months, you just have to take a look at some art in the water itself. Playlab, Family New York and Floating Point have debuted a floating art installation, + POOL Light, that displays the water quality in NYC's East River using LED lights. The 50x50 feet sculpture glows blue if all is well, but it turns teal if a sensor detects pathogens and pink when those levels venture beyond safe swimming standards. The brightness, frequency and sharpness of the lights respectively indicate the oxygen, turbidity (the cloudiness based on particulates) and pH levels, while the light animation changes to reflect the current's direction.
TCL's 2019 quantum dot-enhanced 4K TVs go on sale starting at $599
Over the last few years TCL has developed a reputation for releasing high-quality, low-price 4K TVs, with Roku's smart TV platform built-in as well as support for Dolby Vision HDR and Atmos audio. Its 2018 lineup garnered awards and recommendations from all over, and the 2019 model year TVs are ready to roll out. TCL announced details on its new 6- and 8-series models last month, and now revealed that the mainstream 6-series 4K TVs are on sale. That includes a 55-inch model that starts at $599, which is $50 less than the same size last year, and a 65-inch version that carries over the $799 starting price from 2018.
GoPro Hero 8 and Max 360 cameras surface in leaks
A series of leaked photos shared by Photo Rumors shows the upcoming GoPro Hero 8 and GoPro Max 360 cameras. According to the site, the GoPro Hero 8 could be announced as soon as September. It looks like it's designed to work with new accessories, including an external microphone, LED light and additional screen. It may shoot 4K video at 120 fps and full HD video at 480 fps, and it will compete with the recently released DJI Osmo Action, DJI's first action cam.
US delays tariffs on some Chinese-made electronics until December 15th
The Trump administration announced a tariff earlier this month on an additional $300 billion of Chinese imports that was to take effect from September 1st, but the 10 percent levy will only kick in then for about half of the goods. The tariff on others -- including mobile phones, laptops, monitors, game consoles, some toys and LED lamps -- is set to be enforced from December 15th.
UC Santa Barbara sues Amazon and IKEA over LED lighting
UC Santa Barbara has had enough of retailers selling its patented LED light bulb technology without authorization. This week, the university filed a lawsuit charging Amazon, IKEA, Walmart, Target and Bed Bath & Beyond with infringing its patents. According to Nixon Peabody, the law firm representing UC Santa Barbara, this is the "first-of-its-kind direct patent enforcement campaign against an entire industry."
