Pragmatic and multi-functional electronic gadgets on crowd funding platforms are getting increasing attention from the public. Last year the Coolest Cooler, a multi-functional cooler was the top funded Kickstarter project received around US $ 13.29 million, and it seems in 2015 a toolbox with a similar concept might hold potential to becoming the next interest.

Last week leading Chinese LED chip manufacturer San’an Opto approved new MOCVD purchase methods, which will greatly boost the company’s production capacity to 200 MOCVDs (based on 2-inch sapphire wafer production capacity). Major European lighting brand Philips has added its 500 member to its LED luminaires and retrofit bulbs licensing program, while Osram is seeing a revenue uptick in 2015. For more please see below:

The project LOIGB (LED and OLED integration into glass and plastic composites for the use in lighting systems for railway and further applications) has been successfully completed. The results will be presented at LOPEC 2015 (March 4th – 5th, 2015, Munich, hall B0, booth 230).

A young product design team from U.S. headed by designer Mike Lee, has come up with a multifunctional LED desk lamp that can also charge up smartphones when turned off.

Next-generation transparent technology revolutionizes how information is displayed in settings ranging from retail merchandizing to museum exhibits to corporate lobbies

Access Fixtures has announced price reductions of up to 38% for a number of vandal-resistant full cutoff LED wall packs and vandal-resistant LED flood lights. Vandal-resistant LED luminaires provide the durability to illuminate areas that are prone to damage by vandalism or daily wear and tear. With advancements in LED technology, increasing sales, and achieving economies of scale, these fixtures are now available at significantly reduced prices enabling a faster return on investment.

Osram recorded a strong operating performance in the first quarter of the current fiscal year that started in October 2014. With growth of 0.5 percent, revenue was slightly above the year-earlier period on a comparable basis, i.e. excluding portfolio and currency effects. In nominal terms, the company even recorded a revenue increase of five percent to almost €1.4 billion, resulting from the weakness of the euro against key currencies and the acquisition of Clay Paky. EBITA1 excluding special items rose 23 percent to EUR 151 million (US $171.45 million) in the first quarter, translating into a margin of 10.8 percent. 

Nikkiso America, a world leader in the development and commercialization of deep ultraviolet LEDs, has announced that it has initiated shipments of the world’s highest power deep UV-LEDs, featuring three times more optical power output than is commercially available from other sources in the UV-C and UV-B range. The Nikkiso UV-LED business will introduce the new high-power deep UV-LED product line for the first time in North America at the SPIE Photonics West exhibition in San Francisco February 10 - 12, 2015, North Hall Booth #4815. The Nikkiso UV-LED products are designed for applications in biomedical instrumentation and treatment, germicidal purification and sterilization, and industrial curing and printing.

Royal Philips today announced the 500th member to its LED Luminaires and Retrofit Bulbs Licensing Program, representing an increase of 100 licensees over the past nine months and 200 licensees since May 2013. The tremendous success of the Licensing Program, which provides access to 224 inventions and 1,392 granted patents to companies that sell their own branded LED products, is reflective of the rapidly increasing share of LED based sales in the lighting market.

Since rolling out a nationwide incandescent bulb phase out plan in 2012, Kazakhstan has quickly adopted LED products, according to an article published in The Astana Times.

Berkeley Lab researchers have developed a nano-sized optical antenna that can greatly enhance the spontaneous emission of light from atoms, molecules and semiconductor quantum dots. This advance opens the door to LEDs that can replace lasers for short-range optical communications, including optical interconnects for microchips, plus a host of other potential applications.

The team, led by Nobel Laureate Sir Kostya Novoselov, made the breakthrough by creating LEDs which were engineered on an atomic level.The new research shows that graphene and related 2D materials could be utilised to create light emitting devices for the next-generation of mobile phones, tablets and televisions to make them incredibly thin, flexible, durable and even semi-transparent.

LED lighting manufacturer Illumitex today announced that Illumitex and PARsource Lighting of Petaluma, Calif., have formed a partnership to service the commercial greenhouse industry in North America.

Rubicon Technology, a leading provider of sapphire substrates and products to the LED, semiconductor, and optical industries, today announced the appointment of Hap Hewes as Senior Vice President, Optical. He will lead marketing and business development activity for sapphire products in the aerospace, optical, consumer electronics and industrial markets.

Average day fruits and vegetables are seen in a new light through Romanian photographer Radu Zaciu latest project “The Light Inside,” according to a Peta Pixel report.

San’an Opto’s board recently approved its Xiamen arm’s MOCVD procurement method plans, according to a recent company statement.

The latest luminaire updates for 2015 as follow:

Philips CEO of Lighting Eric Rondolat calls for the importance of ending light poverty.

This week U.S. President Barrack Obama scales up nationwide LED streetlight upgrade plan, aiming for conversion of 1.5 million streetlights. Things don’t look too bright for Cree, as the company slashes 300 contract worker jobs. Philips is also facing a challenging year ahead, as the company’s 4Q14 revenue falls short of expectations, despite its LED business reporting consistent growth. On the bright side, Taiwanese and Chinese LED manufacturers have cast a fairly optimistic outlook for 2015, while Korean electronic company LG has made new breakthroughs in OLED technology.

Everlight Chairman Robert Yeh issued a statement clarifying a recently misleading Taiwan media report that claimed the company was abandoning the LED tube and bulb market.

Chinese sapphire manufacturer Roshow Technology reported plummeting net profits in 2014, according to a company announcement on Jan. 29, 2015.

Nobel laureate Charles Townes, who was awarded the prestigious science award in 1964 for the invention of lasers has died at the age of 99, according to The Guardian report.

Engineers have shone new light on an emerging family of solar-absorbing materials that could clear the way for cheaper and more efficient solar panels and LEDs.

Global LED manufacturer Lighting Science Group Corporation announced today that Daniel Horan has been appointed Executive Vice President of Sales. Horan brings a strong track record of proven sales and strategies to guide the company’s expansion of global retail and on-line sales capabilities. He will be playing a key role in bringing Lighting Science’s innovative LED product assortment - ranging from biologically correct lighting for home and work to retail and commercial applications - into the hands of the global consumer through these critical channels.

U.S. LED manufacturer Cree utilized its monopoly in high power LED chip technology to develop ceramic package LEDs, just shortly after China’s LED package industry ventured into the display backlight market in 2008. Cree went on to dominate the outdoor lighting market and other high end applications, while setting new luminous efficacy records.

Dutch lighting conglomerate Philips has announced plans of spinning off its OLED business, according to a report by OLED-info.

Latest research from Netherlands Health Council indicate there are certain health risks associated to blue lights emitted by LEDs, and further investigations are required, reported NL Times.

Urban Barns Foods ("Urban Barns"), an innovative food producer dedicated to growing consistent, healthy and fresh vegetables year round using its proprietary Cubic Farming™ method, is pleased to provides its shareholders with an update on its research and development (R&D) activities at McGill University.

Iluminage Beauty, a company that manufactures LED light therapy devices for beauty and cosmetic applications, today announced the appointment of George Cleary as the company's new Chief Executive Officer.

Agostino Renna, President and CEO of GE Lighting for Europe, The Middle East and Africa, shares in this blog entry how LED streetlights can offer so much more than just light.