Governments around the globe have welcomed LED streetlights for its energy saving features and promising cost effectiveness, but a government lighting project in Vadodara, India has recently sparked heated political debate.

In this case study, the 200W LED flood represents the median option in terms of initial price, with the lowest overall cost of ownership.With a Color Rendering Index of 80 (compared to the average CRI 30 from HID technology) the 5,000K LED floods transmit a daylight white quality of illumination.

New research from npower small business has revealed just how important lighting is for businesses such as pubs and restaurants looking to attract love-struck customers. Eighty-eight percent of Brits said lighting in venues such as pubs or restaurants would affect how much they enjoy a date or romantic meal and 71 percent said lighting is an important consideration when picking a venue for a date; rating above other factors such as price (66 percent) and music (53 percent).

Philips Lumec Custom Products Designer Jean-François Duquette explores how lights can enhance interactive models and displays in this blog entry.

A research team in Taiwan is following in Google’s footsteps in launching an exclusive eyewear to detect early signs of diabetes. The device unlike Google’s contact lens announced in January 2014 is worn on top of glasses to detect whether a person has diabetes. It remains unclear as to whether the new diabetes detection eyewear from Taiwan will also pick up on Google’s lead of using LED indicator lights.

A new portable LED device PD.iD can detect whether people’s drinks have been tampered with date-rape drugs.

Adorama, one of the world’s largest photography, video, imaging and electronics retailers, is now selling a brand new line of Flashpoint LED lightsdesigned for both camera and stand-mounted use. New photography and videography lights from Flashpoint include the SpeedLight Partner and the VariAngle light, as well as a collection of LED lights in both standard and bi-color options. New stand-mounted lights include various models of circular and panel lights. These Flashpoint LED lights are available exclusively in store at Adorama and online.

GE announced today a research breakthrough that will vastly improve the color and crispness of images displayed on LED devices – everything from cell phones and tablets to televisions. Scientists at GE Lighting and GE Global Research developed a phosphor powder that, when packaged inside an LED, push the picture quality of LED electronics to new heights.

CODLIGHT (www.codlight.com) proudly presents cPulse, the world’s first   smart LED lighting  case for  Android  smartphones exclusively on Kickstarter. With this smart, social,   sleek and interactive smartphone case  cPulse reinvents the way we interact with  lighting. Moreover, cPulse is the very first versatile consumer electronics product printed in 3D.

Scientists from from Kings College London and UCL discovered in early April 20140 blue lights can restore muscles paralyzed by motor neuron disease and spinal cord  injury. A follow up report published recently by Wall Street Daily Editor-in-Chief Martin Denholm has confirmed the lights used in the study were actually blue LED lights.

Gloucestershire County Council in UK has decided to invest £ 21 million (US $35.77 million) to upgrade sodium streetlights to LEDs over a period of five years, according to a report by Gloucestershire Echo.

LuminAID is aiding disaster relief work across the globe in the form of packaged inflatable solar LED lights.

Just as the LED industry is getting comfy with the concept of smart lights, a new company Emberlight has stepped up the game with a socket capable of turning any dimmable light into smart lights--be it incandescent, halogen, CFL or LEDs.

Researchers at the U.S. Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) are now studying the impact of different types of lighting in military shelters on soldiers, according to U.S. Army report.

Philips is currently in talks with Google owned thermostat company Nest on integrating thermostats into smart bulbs, according to a Slash Gear report.

Nanoleaf, the LED bulb startup company that released that successfully kickstarted a campaign to fund a highly energy efficient bulb last year is now stepping up its game with a new dimmable bulb that is dimmer-free.

Aoto Electronics announced on an investment platform the latest developments of a new naked-eye 3D LED TV model that “utilizes multi-view technology, and is glasses free,”  according to numerous Chinese reports.

Gold Crest Care Center is taking steps to reduce its carbon footprint, minimize its environmental impact and cut back on emissions. To do this, the nursing care facility will begin using environmentally safe products like smart cars, low-energy light fixtures and LED light bulbs.

A Mexican software development company Sisoft has caught up with Scottish research team headed by Harald Haas in achieving 10Gbps Internet data transmission using Visible Light Communications (VLC) aka LiFi, according to an Engineering and Technology Magazine report.

Dubai’s The Roads and Trasport Authority (RTA) has started to replace halogen traffic lights in the emirate with LEDs, according to a Gulfnews.com report.

A small Taiwanese technology company Gunitech’s Bluetooth lighting controlled smart LED bulbs are now being used at Google’s headquarters in California, according to a Taiwanese Sanlih E-Television report.

Japanese Miriai Co. Ltd. Recently has built the world largest’s LED plant grow factory with LED lighting built-in to realize plants photosyhthesis. With a factory of  800 square meters, the LED plant grow factory now can produce 10,000 lettuces per day. 

Royal Philips, the global leader in lighting showcases the world’s largest installation using luminous textiles, measuring 37 square meters at the Centrum Galerie shopping mall in Dresden.

LG Display (LGD) will supply OLED panels to German automotive manufacturers including Daimler-Benz, according to a Korea Economic Daily Report.

A recent CNET article demonstrates how Philips LED Hue bulbs can be customized into severe weather warning lights using Internet platform service IFTTT. For full demo of how it can be done on IFTTT please see link.

Apple has applied for a new patent for the development of an LED based keyboard, according to Patently Apple. The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office published the company’s patent application on June 26, 2014. 

Novagant is a holding company that acquires entrepreneurial companies that have established or are expected to establish themselves as leaders and/or successful enterprises in various market niches. Recent acquisition of property rights that have the ability to reduce costs and improve product quality for the entire cannabis market has prompted this analyst report.

Silicon Valley Venture Capital firm Sequoia teams up with Austrialian based smart lighting start-up LIFX with a US $12 million investment. The investment bumps up LIFX’s total funding to US $16.6 million. 

Taisei Corporation, Okamura Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) have jointly developed OLED desk lamps for office use. The newly developed OLED desk lamps will be installed in a Net-Zero Energy Building (ZEB)* verification facility that Taisei Corporation is constructing in the city of Yokohama. The OLED lamps, which emit soft light over a wide area, will be tested on an office-wide basis and are expected to reduce energy consumption while creating a more comfortable work environment.

Leaked photos of Apple’s iPad Air 2 have spread across the Internet recently, with latest product developments pointing towards the use of liquid metal and sapphire substrate material, according to Chinese-language media Sanlih E-Television.