Belkin is taking advantage of the wave of growing interest for smart lighting by introducing their LED lighting Starter Set. WeMo was first introduced at last year’s CES and is now available for purchase at US $129, much lower their their smart lighting competitors such as Philips Hue.

The FT833 is a High Precision Primary Side Feedback and Regulation Driver for LED Lighting Applications. The Integrated 650V Power MOSFET eliminates the need for a secondary sense and Feedback Circuit.

LEDinside team would like to wish all our readers a Happy New Year. The LEDinside editorial team has continued with its recap of important industry developments in 2013:

The U.S. ban on 40W and 60W incandescent bulbs put into effect by the U.S. Congress January 1st is an effort to promote more energy efficient lighting, such as CFLs and LEDs.

Following U.S. phase out announcement of incandescent bulbs, northern neighbor Canada  phase out of 75-100 watt incandescent bulbs will be effective as of Jan.1 , 2013, according to several Canadian media reports. 

NEMA’s Lighting Systems Index subsided from a five year high posted in the previous quarter, decreasing by 1.6 percent on a quarter-to-quarter (q/q) basis during 2013Q3. However, demand remains robust compared to a year ago. On a year-over-year basis, lighting equipment shipments improved for the fourth consecutive quarter, increasing by 4.7 percent. Miniature lamps were the only component of the index in positive territory, while fixtures, emergency lighting, large lamps and ballasts declined q/q.

History was made this New Year's Eve in Bangkok as the world's highest ball drop took place on the rooftop of the Tower Club at lebua hotel. Perched 872 feet high (64 stories tall), the brightly lit, rainbow colored ball was visible across the city for over 1.8 km (1 mile). This was the inaugural year of the Bangkok Ball Drop at lebua, which is to become an annual New Year's Eve tradition for Thailand.

Lighting Science is debuting new lighting products that can be controlled via Bluetooth-powered mobile apps to optimize healthy living and efficient illumination. The Rhythm Downlight fits in any standard recessed lighting housing and provides dynamic circadian lighting capabilities that automatically adjust the light’s properties to optimize sleep or wakefulness, depending on the users’ needs and schedule. Lighting Science is introducing the Rhythm Downlight and two other new products – an adaptable spot light and an intelligent commercial troffer – along with its Good Night™ sleep enhancing bulb and Awake & Alert™ energy enhancing light at the LVCC South Hall - Booth #26428, part of the Digital Health Summit Pavilion.

EPISTAR LAB has released a infrared (850nm) product with high photoelectric efficiency.

With 40 and 60-watt bulbs effectively banned on January 1st, consumers are left with two choices: LED (light emitting diodes) and CFL (compact fluorescent lamps).

Tech Armor introduces a groundbreaking line of RetinaShield Blue Light Filter screen protectors. The newly developed RetinaShield Blue Light screen protector safeguards consumers’ eyes against damaging blue light released from LED screens.

Initial public offerings (IPOs) have reopened after a more than one year temporary break. China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has approved five companies on December 30th which include one company to be listed on Shanghai’s main board, one listed on Shenzhen SME board, and three GEB companies.

Optimistic about LED lighting long term developments , Taiwanese secondary optical lens manufacturer LedLink purchased a new factory in Yangzhou at the end of 2012 and expanded production capacity in 2013 which is to continue on into 2014.

The National Lighting Bureau’s Board of Directors give an interview on topics including the role of market channels, the role of education, photopic/scotopic effect, perception of brightness and more.

For most of us, light isn’t a luxury. It’s a basic need that, with the exception of planned power outages or a blown fuse, is very rarely unavailable.  At the flick of a switch, light illuminates our offices, classrooms, hospitals and homes, enabling us to carry out essential everyday tasks without worry. We dictate its start, intensity and end; we’re in control.

Strawberry lovers will rejoice as strawberry fields can now yield fruit all season round. Starting this year, strawberry fields will be bursting with fruit all four seasons in Briton with the use of LED lighting technology.

Glo-Blades are a new skating accessory that easily attach to both inline and ice skates and brightly illuminate the surface beneath the skaters’ feet, providing for a unique, new effect of “Skating on Light !”™ The product utilizes super bright LED lights and patented wireless technology, with easy mounting that allows the skater to readily swap them back and forth between skates.

Torafu Architects, a Japanese architect firm has created a bubbly LED bulb resembling a water balloon, according to a Spoon and Tamago report. The glass bulb which uses LEDs for lighting and is made from recycled fluorescent bulbs. The lights are diffused from the bubble structures within the bulb.

Forepi’s LED business hit rock bottom in 2013, said Jian Fengren, Chairman of Taiwanese LED chip manufacturer Forepi. However, the company will benefit from the gradual development of flip chip, HV LED, and package free products in 2014. The addition of injections from rebounding industrial demands will help the company reach its goal of turning the year’s loss into profit. With 10 consecutive quarters of loss, gross profit margin for the first three quarters is still -14.32 percent and legal persons believe improvements of gross profit margin in 2014  will be the key to turning loss into profit.

It's lights out for the common household incandescent bulb come Jan. 1, 2014, as the final step of the Energy Independence and Security Act takes effect phasing out 40- and 60-watt bulbs.

Radlicht has designed a unique way to keep bikers visible at night with an eye-catching LED light design. Based in Boston and Germany, the company had already exceeded their intended goal with 17 days left to go in their Kickstarter campaign.

When the glittering Times Square New Year's Eve Ball descends to mark the beginning of 2014, the "1" and "4" will be illuminated for the first time in ever- changing colors using 207 of the revolutionary and programmable hue bulbs from Philips. A global TV audience of over one billion viewers will see the LED bulbs, with more than 16 million color options each, colorfully ring in the new year as people tune in for the iconic celebration.

BigBright Malaysia, the sole distributor for Rishang LED lighting products in Malaysia, will be moving into a major expansion for 2014. BigBright is among the leading companies in Malaysia with a strong focus in LED lighting modules and components which are known to be very energy efficient and cost-effective.

Belvedere Vodka announces the launch of its first ever laser cut bottle with LED technology, the Belvedere Silver Saber. Just in time for New Year’s Eve festivities, the Silver Saber will feature a special lighting element that will completely illuminate the Belvedere bottle. It will be showcased during a New Years Eve party with musician Robin Thicke at the SLS Hotel South Beach and at selected top nightlife venues in NYC and LA with a nationwide rollout planned for key nightlife venues in 2014.

Evluma is taking orders for the latest release in its expanding line of utility-grade LED area and security lights, the 70W AreaMax. With twice the LEDs and a higher lumen output than the existing 40W models, the 70W AreaMax is designed to replace up to 200W HID lights. The AreaMax delivers more than light; it maximizes energy savings with controls and minimizes maintenance costs with built-in Photocontrol Failsafe Mode (PCFM) and new FaultCast BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) broadcasting.

Tsinghua Unigroup and Lipu County government signed an agreement on December 25th for an investment of RMB 1.2 billion in construction of Tsinghua’s Lipu technology park.

LED lighting market gross margin index for LED manufacturer Honglitronic is more stable, but will experience slight decline year-on-year, as reported in the company’s Shenzhen Stock Market investor relations activities record.

Philips is said to be in talks with Foxconn in regards to OEM light bulb production with orders estimated to reach 10 million a year, according to a report by Apple Daily on the 26th. Foxconn declined to comment to the market rumor.

As well as thrusting the “100 Thousand Solar Lanterns Project” to donate a total of 100 thousand solar lanterns to the regions without electricity by 2018, the company’s centennial, Panasonic Corporation has launched “Cut Out the Darkness,” a project to deliver solar lanterns and shades based on designs contributed by participants to homes and schools in the non-electrified regions. The company seeks to involve people around the world in the project and to make those participants aware of issues in the regions without electricity.

New Year’s Eve in Times Square has become a worldwide phenomenon with hundreds of thousands of people gathering in Times Square and happily waiting in the cold for hours for the famed street party and legendary Ball-lowering ceremony.