lightbulbs

As your incandescents burn out, it's a good time to consider switching to LED bulbs. By now, you probably know that LEDs have an impressive lifespan (20-something years!) and are very cost-effective. You probably also know that they're a pricey investment that can run five times more expensive than incandescents.

Despite the cost, now's the right time to switch to LEDs. These bulbs have made significant advances over the last few years, finally delivering the warm light incandescents have comforted us with for decades.

More than ever, there is also an overwhelming number of LED varieties, and … Read more

Lightbulbs. Simple, cheap, and easy to replace, right? Not anymore! Philips is dragging the humble bulb into the future with its "Hue" technology -- wirelessly controlled light orbs that give you complete control over the lighting in your house.

The Hue bulbs look like ordinary lightbulbs, and screw into light sockets as normal. Inside each bulb, however, is a wireless transmitter that communicates with a hub you plug into the back of your router.

Once connected, you can use a Web site or download an app (the iOS version is out now -- there's no sight of an Android version, though Gizmodo reports it's coming in December), then use the wonderful power of the Internet to fiddle with the lights in your home. … Read more

What a beautiful sunny week we're having here in San Francisco! There's not a cloud in the sky -- not even a one made from 6,000 lightbulbs.

Calgary, Canada-based artist Caitlind r.c. Brown and collaborator Wayne Garrett created the large-scale interactive sculpture by covering a steel substructure with a cloud of burned-out incandescent bulbs collected from local households, businesses, museums, and eco stations.

The bulbs attach to pull strings that together look a bit like streaming rain. The cords allow viewers to control the illumination of the structure like lightning in the lightbulb cloud, which is lit from within by 250 compact fluorescent bulbs, pulling a total power of approximately 20 amps. … Read more

LED lightbulbs have a lot of things going for them: energy efficiency and longevity being the biggest selling points.

Then there are the things that make people think twice. Chiefly, the sticker price. Want to switch to LED bulbs but can't stand the infamously harsh light quality? SmartPlanet's Sumi Das rounds up some bulbs that might make you see things differently.

This video originally appeared on SmartPlanet with the headline "LED light bulbs, just how efficient are they?"

More SmartPlanet links:

General Electric plans to double down on LED home lighting over the next 16 months.

In November, GE plans to start selling a 13-watt LED lightbulb that matches the light emission of a 60-watt incandescent bulb. That option will be followed by 75- and 100-watt-equivalent LED bulbs by fall 2012, the company said. The bulbs can deliver light "for over two decades" if consumers use them for no more than three hours each day, GE claims.

LED lightbulbs are widely considered the next big thing in home lighting. And for good reason. Aside from lasting an extraordinarily long … Read more

Toshiba announced Wednesday it has produced its last major run of incandescent lightbulbs.

The Japanese electronics manufacturer said the phaseout is part of a strategy to ultimately concentrate on LED (light-emitting diode) lighting products, though it will continue to produce certain specialty incandescent bulbs.

Incandescent lighting has been dwindling in use over the last five years in large part to citizen and government phase-out campaigns that include laws for an eventual ban on the sale of the electricity-guzzling light source. Many countries have already passed laws with deadlines looming.

Australia was the first country to ban the sale of incandescent … Read more

Klipsch has come up with an intriguing concept: Marry a wireless speaker with a LED light bulb. The product's called the LightSpeaker and a bundle of two, complete with a transmitter, radio frequency remote, mini jack to RCA plug cable, lenses and trim, is set to go on sale in late January for $599. Single units will cost $250.

"Today's consumers are overloaded with complex technologies, and the LightSpeaker is designed to enrich their lives without complication," said Klipsch president Paul Jacobs. "It offers brilliant light, reduces energy costs and creates a multiroom ambient music … Read more

Florida-based lighting company ClearLite is introducing a new CFL bulb with an unbreakable safety shell that prevents mercury from escaping, a feature that addresses some health concerns with CFLs.

The SX-4000 silicone skin remains intact even if the ArmorLite bulb inside shatters, according to ClearLite, which is rolling out its bulb in December and January.

Not everyone is aware of the danger of broken CFLs. Because of the small amount of mercury in them, current EPA guidelines call for evacuating people and pets from the area where a bulb has shattered.

They also call for the room to be aired … Read more

Good thing the lightbulb-shaped Watt Time alarm clock (Watt Time, geddit?!) isn't made of glass or it could pose a hazard when annoyed sleepers roll over to smack the snooze button located on the top of the socket.

Instead, the gizmo is constructed of high-gloss, hard plastic that illuminates the bright blue LED time display. If you don't like waking to sound, you can set the bulb to light up when it's time to crawl out of bed.

While the Watt Time features a sleek, simple design (all set buttons sit discretely on the back of the … Read more