Technical Vision Inc., a product development company focused on designing and manufacturing assistive devices and technologies for the visually and physically disabled, today announced the launch of the company's premier mobility aid product, My Mobile Light™ Low Vision Aid. 

Tim Bajarin, President of U.S. market intelligence company Creative Strategy, refuted an earlier report by PTT Research Senior Analyst Matt Margolis that Apple dropped sapphire substrate last minute because of Chinese sapphire glass processing manufacturers Biel Crystal and Lens Technology’s low yield rates.

Have you read Malcolm Gladwell’s longtime-bestseller The Tipping Point? In it, the author discusses the phenomenon where something goes from being marginal to mainstream. For LED (light-emitting diode) lighting, the tipping point has arrived. U.S. Department of Energy statistics show that about 49 million LEDs were installed in the U.S. in 2012 — saving about US $675 million in annual energy costs. And, switching entirely to LED lights over the next two decades could save the US $250 billion in energy costs, reduce electricity consumption for lighting by nearly 50 percent and avoid 1,800 million metric tons of carbon emissions.

Winners in the Indoor category of the sixth annual Next Generation LuminairesTM Design Competition were announced today at The LED Show in Los Angeles. Sponsored by DOE, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, and the International Association of Lighting Designers, NGL promotes excellence in the design of energy-efficient LED products for commercial lighting applications.

Rubicon Technology announced that Raja Parvez will step down as Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board of Directors, effective immediately. The Board has appointed William Weissman, currently CFO, as interim CEO to ensure a smooth transition and to lead Rubicon’s executive team. Chairman Don Aquilano will lead a Board search for a permanent CEO with the assistance of a leading executive search firm.

Telensa (www.telensa.com), the wireless street lighting control company, has enhanced its market-leading PLANet SmartGrid street light control system by adding an on-board GPS module and the new NEMA 7-pin connector to its telecell options.

A Hong Kong team has come up with an idea of encouraging social interactions on a rainy day with LED embedded UmbrellaHere.

NVC Lighting’s internal conflict has escalated in recent weeks, even after the company board voted unanimously for ETI CEO Wang Donglei to take over in early August. The transition after the merger of the two companies has been difficult, with disagreements occasionally erupting into violence.

China’s Standardization Administration has issued three new LED luminaire standards.

Harvatek Corporate announced that U.S. LED manufacturer Cree, has taken legal action against the Taiwanese company to enforce its six patents in the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin on September 15th, 2014. Although, Harvatek has not received an official copy of the complaint yet, is is aware of the dispute and preparing reactive measures.

Taiwanese mid-power LED chip manufacturer and packager Prolight Opto recently submitted listing applications to the Taiwan bourse. The application is expected to be completed by the end of this quarter. Top Taiwanese LED chip manufacturer Epistar is one of Prolight Opto’s investors.

U.S. LED manufacturer Cree’s stocks dropped to US $41.1 recently, after Goldman Sachs downgraded the stocks from buy to neutral, according to a report by China Post. As Cree’s lighting revenue increases, Taiwanese manufacturers believe Cree’s business focus is turning towards downstream.

Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE) has filed patent infringement lawsuits in the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin to prevent Harvatek Corporation and Kingbright Corporation from infringing Cree’s patented intellectual property. These patents, among other things, protect Cree’s LED component portfolio, including Cree’s white light LEDs.

Kateeva today announced that it has closed its Series D round with US $38 million in financing. The newest participant is Samsung Venture Investment Corporation (SVIC). Existing investors also contributed. They include: Sigma Partners, Spark Capital, Madrone Capital Partners, DBL Investors, New Science Ventures, and VEECO Instruments, Inc.

Integrated System Technologies (IST) Limited, a leading British manufacturer of smart lighting solutions, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the Chinese Patent Office have granted patents covering high efficiency LED luminaires for downlight applications.

When it comes Smart LED light bulbs, which can be dimmed and made to change colour, the most popular product must be Philips Hue, using the Zigbee protocol, which you can control via iOS and Android devices though a Zigbee gateway, and costs about £50 on Amazon. Alternatives have started to show up such as LIFX, with WIFI technology, that you can control with recent iOS and Android device without the need for a gateway, but with a price starting at £80. 

Refond Optoelectronics recently announced its largest shareholder and company CEO Gong Weibin has sold out 5 million stocks, or about 2.29 percent of shares on Sept. 11, 2014, according to a Securities Times report.

Much to Apple fans dismay last week, the nearly indestructible sapphire glass covers were not found on any of the iPhone 6 models. Many were scratching their heads and wondering why.

Roshow Technology is under China’s Securities Regulatory Commission’s (CSRC) watchful eye for violating financial regulations again, according to a National Business Daily report. In April, the company’s former Board Secretary Chai Shen was arrested for suspected insider trading.

DOE has published a new report forecasting the energy savings of LED white-light sources compared with conventional white-light sources. The sixth iteration of the Energy Savings Forecast of Solid-State Lighting in General Illumination Applications compares the annual lighting energy consumption in the U.S. with and without further market penetration of LED lighting. 

New research reported in the June 2014 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine is showing that daylight-deprived workers are literally losing sleep. This can mean poor performance at work and changes in attitude, memory and metabolism, say the study’s authors.

Faithful Apple fans stood in awe as Tim Cook demonstrated the new iPhone 6 and Apple Watch at Tuesday’s Special Event. The iPhone 6 met most analysts’ expectations that the sapphire screen would be absent. What was surprising was the larger iPhone Plus did make it to the show, while the rumored 12.9-inch iPad wasn’t to be seen. Other developments included the sapphire-glass encased Apple smart watch, which has become the Cupertino company’s first personalized gadget. For more please see below.

Supported by favorable government policies China’s LED industry initiated a new round of financing during the first half of 2014, according to a Chinese-language report by Consumption Daily. Innovative technology and new products released by the LED lighting industry led to rising developments. Spurred on by strong demands throughout the supply chain, listed LED manufacturers reported high revenues. 

AIXTRON, a leading provider of deposition equipment to the semiconductor industry, has teamed up with research institution Fraunhofer IISB (Institute for Integrated Systems and Device Technology) in Erlangen, Germany, to develop 150 mm Silicon Carbide (SiC) epitaxy processes using the new AIXTRON 8x150 mm G5WW Vapor Phase Epitaxy (VPE) system. 

LED streetlights are known to be bright, sometimes too bright that UK and U.S. residents have complained glare from LEDs disrupted sleeping patterns. In a recent turn of events, though, residents in Taiwan and India have reported the LED streetlights were too dim, and were underperforming in brightness compared to previous generation lights.

LG Chem has developed the world’s first OLED light panel with high luminous efficacy and long-lasting performance that can compete with LED lights, according to a report from The Korea Herald.

Lighten high performance COB offering, ultra-high power, high Ra value & high efficiency.

LED industry development has picked up pace in recent years as cities promote highly energy efficient lighting, according to a Securities Times report. Among global LED lighting applications, lighting and automotive lighting industries have been the fastest growing markets, and have become the main growth drivers in the LED industry.

The market speculated whether GE will sell its lighting division after the company recently sold the home appliance division for US $3.3 billion to Swedish company Electrolux, according to a Lighting report.

U.S. retail residential electricity prices for the first half of 2014 averaged 12.3 cents per kilowatthour, an increase of 3.2 percent from the same period last year. This is the highest year-over-year growth in residential prices for the first half of the year since 2009. Average prices rose in all areas of the country except for the Pacific Census Division (excluding Alaska and Hawaii).