Each April 2, 2014, Autism Speaks celebrates Light It Up Blue along with the international autism community, in commemoration of the United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day.

“OLED lighting has a bright future” was a common theme at the Solid State Lighting forum 2014 where many manufacturers touted the advantages of OLED technology in comparison with LED. Among the many advocates was Manfred Weigand, Global OLED lighting Marketing Director for Merck. According to Weigand, a future where OLED becomes a true competitor with LED is absolutely obtainable. 

LEDs are no longer just for lighting. In recent years, LED technology has spread into the horticultural industry. Differing from traditional incandescent bulbs, LEDs are able to be designed to mimic sunlight and give off wavelengths necessary for plant growth. This allows for larger yield and year round harvesting. The past few years has seen a growing trend in horticultural lighting, which was evident at this year’s Taiwan International Lighting Show (TILS) 2014. 

Martini Tech has started to offer its customers a new GaN deposition service on sapphire substrates by MOCVD (metalorganic chemical vapour deposition) for LED (light emitting diode) applications.

Following in Philips footsteps, LG Electronics recently announced on the company’s Korean website plans of launching smart LED bulbs that can be controlled via mobile phones.

Harvard Engineering, has launched its next generation of off-the-shelf LED light engines. The Gen II range consists of; 24mm and 40mm wide strip light engines in both high and low voltage variants, 2 panel light engines and a circular light engine.The strip light engines; LER1, LER2, LER3 and LER4 are available in 280mm and 560mm lengths, with Zhaga compliance. The low voltage panel light engines are 270mm x 270mm (LER5) and 242mm x 260mm (LER6), LEC1, the circular light engine, comes in 200mm Diameter. NTC temperature sensor options and Emergency options are available on LEC1, LER3, LER4, LER5 & LER6.

Wearable tech is now hitting the runway in AKRIS RTW’s Fall 2014 collection. Swiss fashion house AKRIS introduces haute couture designs with embroidered LED lights in this new fall collection. 

Made with leather, the Vega Edge is a clip-on LED light that snaps on snuggly to your clothing, bags, or any accessory to add a pop of light. 

Wearable LED technology is no longer just for humans. A new kickstarter campaign has combined LED technology with an essential pet item to create a light up collar to keep your furry friends safe. 

Flip-chips various features are now also being valued in the mobile application market, said FOREPI Chairman Chien Fen-ren during Leadray Energy’s Taipei office opening ceremony on March 17, 2014.

Leading IP Storage, IP Networking, IP Security, and IP CCTV distributor Lan 1, is partnering with Raytec, the world leading manufacturer of LED lighting for CCTV and general area illumination. Raytec is the newest addition to the Lan 1 portfolio and is their sole lighting partner in Australia.

Drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists in Shoreline have safer roads at night, now that Seattle City Light has completed the conversion of streetlights on arterial roads to energy efficient LED technology.

The U.S. Department of Energy's CALiPER program has released a special report on LED lamps available through the retail marketplace and targeted toward general consumers. The report follows similar reports published in 2011 and 2012. LED replacement lamps are available through many retail outlets, and CALiPER testing offers insights on performance trends from year to year.

Bharat Book Bureau presents LEDs Used in Night Vision Imaging System Compatible Lighting - Global Market Forecast. This new report provides global market consumption of packaged light emitting diodes (LEDs), also known as component-level bulbs, used in Night Vision Imaging System (NVIS) compatible lighting for non-civilian use, such as military, law enforcement, emergency medical services (EMS) and related. 

For its 15th anniversary, Canada’s premier festival of lights conquered the hearts of visitors like never before. MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE, triumphed once again and provided plenty of action during its twelve day run from Feb 20 to March 2. Arts, gastronomy, outdoor activities and urban illumination make this top-rated international Lights Festival impossible to ignore. In Montreal, lights are synonymous with joy and fun. With an array of interactive lighting projections the city eclipses all others when it comes to playing and entertaining outdoors in the frigid winter weather. There is nothing like ingenious interactive lighting to get people outside, dancing and sliding in the streets.

When it arrived a little more than three years ago, the Nissan JUKE used innovation to create a whole new market segment. Just as the Nissan Qashqai pioneered the original crossover market, the JUKE used dramatic design and advanced technology to break new ground in a more compact crossover package.

As OLED manufacturers explore potential application fields, such as commercial, retail and beauty applications, Philips Lumiblade has moved away from “Earthly” applications to a whole new frontier: outer space.

Science fiction movie Gravity, which clinched the award for Best Visual Effects at the 2014 Oscars, created the movie’s lighting effects with a custom made LED light box, according to a report by Digital Trends. 

Sony’s latest PS4 controller which comes with a LED bar has irked some consumers, according to a report by Product Review.com.

Canadian based designer Thibault Sld come up with lighting fixtures that are able to adjust and move in accordance to human activity in the room.

Large smartphone manufacturers were under the spotlight at the annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) on Jan. 24, 2014. Samsung and HTC launched their flagship smartphone models at the show. Samsung’s S5 and HTC’s M8 both incorporated dual flash LED designs. Dual-color flash LEDs are projected to become standard specs in high-end smartphones.

In the sapphire substrate industry, GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT) has reaped benefits from its multi-year partnership with Apple, but other sapphire substrate manufacturers have seen revenues drop. Veeco’s latest financial reports showed losses in 4Q13, reflecting a dire need to change business strategies, while Rubicon’s yearnings were below financial analyst estimations. With smartphone applications on the rise, manufacturers that enter the smartphone market early will be the biggest benefactors. 

At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, a federal court has ordered a light bulb manufacturer and its owners to pay more than US$21 million for misleading consumers by exaggerating the performance of their Light Emitting Diode (LED) light bulbs.

Just one day after Samsung released its new LED product portfolio for smartphone applications, the company will be packing one of these products into its new smartphone Galaxy S5, according to a CNET report.

More and more American cities are being installed with LED light fixtures with embedded cameras and sensors. Newark airport is the latest among the long list of areas investing in surveillance technology in combination with LEDs. The newly installed LED fixtures are connected to a wireless surveillance system to provide safety for fliers and cut down on operating costs. Around 171 LED fixtures have been installed around the airport so far.

As Ultra High Definition (UHD) 4K2K TV continues to be a trendsetter in the market, TV manufacturers are hoping to develop high color gamut TV. Using quantum dot (QD) technology, Sony has successfully released high color gamut TV in 2013.  TV brands that have achieved technological breakthroughs with Mn 4+ red phosphor powder are also planning to stimulate market purchases with NTSC 100% high color gamut TV.

Swiss industrial design website Designerei GmbH has recently released a new concept design for the upcoming Apple iWatch. Although this is not the official Apple design, it can still be used to analyze possible developmental directions for the new technology used in the smart watch.

Apple has filed for a new flexible OLED display patent, and is rumored to be developing a bezel-free iPhone display, according to numerous media reports.

Two U.S. cities Detroit and Philadelphia have recently announced plans of upgrading to LED streetlights, according to recent U.S. media reports.

Under the influence of Apple, manufacturers have maintained a positive outlook for sapphire substrate applications in consumer electronics, according to a Chinese-language CNA report. Aside from Apple, Taiwanese manufacturers are also quickening sapphire substrate patent applications.