Philips

LAS VEGAS--Philips is adding on-demand Web content and Internet apps to its line of Blu-ray players and also adding the same functionality to a set of home theater systems. All of the devices allow access to services like Netflix, Vudu, Facebook, and Twitter.

The 3D BDP7506 ($220, April) and BDP5506 ($200, March) feature touch-screen controls and the full line of Philips services like MediaConnect (PC to TV); the BDP7506 also allows for DLNA playback.

These two top-of-the-line players are followed by the BDP3506 ($170, February, with 3D, NetApps, video-on-demand), BDP3306 ($150, February, with NetApps, video-on-demand), and the BDP3006 ($130, February, … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Philips has brought up us to speed with the new lines of HDTVs to hit in 2011. While we're glad to see Philips' 4000, 5000, and 6000 models all come with MediaConnect (a PC-to-TV screen technology) and NetTV (which offers a wide variety of video content access from providers like YouTube and Vudu), we were really interested to hear about Cinema 21:9.

First expected to be available stateside in the second half of 2011, Philips' Cinema 21:9 LED HDTV will feature a superwide 58-inch screen directly aimed at recreating the 2.39:1 anamorphic 3D experience … Read more

Craigslist's adult services section is now out of business around the world.

The ouster of the controversial section was confirmed by Craigslist to the office of Connecticut Attorney General General Richard Blumenthal yesterday, according to the Associated Press. The removal of the section from dozens of countries follows a similar action that saw it taken down in the U.S. four months ago.

Responding to the global takedown, Blumenthal called it "another another important step in the ongoing fight to more effectively screen and stop pernicious prostitution ads," the AP reported.

No date was specified as to … Read more

Home Depot, which is making an aggressive push into LED lighting, has started selling a Philips LED bulb designed as a replacement for the 60-watt incandescent.

The price of the Philips 12-watt bulb, sold using the Ambient LED name, is $39.97 each. The bulbs, which are dimmable, are expected to be in stores in December.

The Philips 12-watt LED is significant because it matches the amount of light, at 800 lumens, given off by the popular 60-watt incandescent bulbs. It can be used for general lighting, such as overhead lights and desktop lamps and consumes 12.5 watts.

The … Read more

Pushing the envelope of automotive creativity, British concept designer Philip Pauley has penned a vehicle that wears a lot of hats, so to speak, and uses attachments to become a boat, plane, or helicopter.

The Halo Intersceptor is a 311-mph four-seater sports car around which the boat, plane, and helicopter are designed. To transform from a supercar to another mode of transport, the vehicle snaps into a structural attachments to power the new boat/plane/helicopter. It may sound far fetched, but Pauly says his concept is a road map that auto manufacturers should follow and design as the current … Read more

I still remember flying to Belgium five years ago for the launch of Philips' premium Pronto universal remote control. Alas, this business venture of the Dutch company is now destined for the history books.

The decision to wind up this undertaking follows Philips' unsuccessful attempt to sell the Pronto division. During the Pronto's heyday, it was right up there with big boys such as Crestron, with a strong presence in both the consumer and commercial markets.

With Philips out of the competition, home users will have to rely on Logitech for their remote control needs. Perhaps a fire sale … Read more

Home Depot later this year plans to carry a Philips LED bulb designed as a replacement for the common 60-watt incandescent.

The bulb, now called the 12-watt EnduraLED, will be available by the beginning of December and will cost between $40 and $50, representatives from Philips and Home Depot said today.

Home Depot started selling a line of LED bulbs under the EcoSmart label earlier this year, which includes both spotlights and general-lighting LEDs. The Philips bulb will likely be sold under a different name than 12-watt EnduraLED, Philips representative Silvie Casanova said.

I have been using an early production version of the Philips bulb around my house for the last few days. At first blush, I'd say this is the sort of product that could finally help nudge out the beloved, if wasteful, incandescent bulb.

I never thought I'd get excited about light bulbs before, but when I received the Philips EnduraLED 60-watt replacement, I was eager to try it out.

For starters, the bulb has got a funky look. Rather than the familiar bulbous shape, the top looks like a crown with a flat top. It has three orange-yellow plastic "chambers" around the top and cast aluminum fins go down the sides to take away heat. And there's the familiar screw-in base.

In terms of light quality, this LED is impressive, at least to my eyes. It gives out 806 lumens, the equivalent of a 60-watt bulb, which makes it much more useful for general lighting. I last tried out LED bulbs which maxed out at 429 lumens, or a 40-watt equivalent, which just isn't enough light for many spots around my house.

Another notable feature of the Philips 12-watt EnduraLED is the light color. It's rated at 2700 Kelvin, which is at the "warm white" end of the white light spectrum, according to the Department of Energy's new Lighting Facts label. Philips put the phosphors, which convert the blue light from LED light sources into white light, on the bulb itself rather than the LEDs as is often done.

That warm white is in contrast the light from the bulbs now being sold under the EcoSmart brand at Home Depot. For example, the general-purpose bulb A19, which is a 40-watt replacement, is rated at 3,032 Kelvin, making the light a clear white (but not blueish).

Obviously, color temperature is a personal preference but I think the warm yellow white will feel familiar to people used to incandescents and halogens. Some LED manufacturers offer the option of warm or white light versions of their bulbs.

The shape of the Philips bulb was designed specifically to improve the light dispersal, Casanova said. By their nature, LEDs direct light, which makes them very good for downlights or flood lights. I used the Philips bulb in an overhead lamp and was happy with it; I'd say it would work fine in table lamp, too.

In terms of efficiency, the lumens per watt on the 12 watt EnduraLED comes in at 67. That's slightly better than EnergyStar-certified CFLs, which put out 800 lumens with 13 watts to 15 watts for an efficacy of between 53 and 61. But, this LED is rated to last 25,000 hours, about three to four times that of CFLs. The EnduraLED is also dimmable. … Read more