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The Amazing LIFX Smart Lightbulb

By Rain Noe - September 20, 2012

The latest runaway Kickstarter success is the LIFX, "a WiFi enabled, multi-color, energy efficient LED light bulb that you control with your [smartphone]. Developed by San-Francisco-based inventor Phil Bosua and his support team, the LIFX is an iPod-like invention in that it combines several existing technologies into a novel and useful device that seems easy to use; apparently it's plug-and-play (though the demo video admittedly doesn't show how the initial set-up interface is handled).

I'm not sure how often I'd use the color-change feature, though bar owners are sure to love it. The nightlight/timer feature shown in the video looks pretty cool though, and I wonder if you can use it in reverse, slowly ramping your lights up in the mornings to wake you up.

If you think the LIFX looks amazing, you're not alone: The project easily smashed its $100,000 goal and is now up to $994,729 with 56 days left to pledge. At $69 a pop the bulbs aren't cheap, but they're meant to last for 25 years, and discounts are conferred for buying in bulk.

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The Amazing LIFX Smart Lightbulb

Mitch

8 years ago

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Larry,
Thats a really well done presentation.
did you get a lot of feedback from IDSA?
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Spirulina

8 years ago

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I was do excited by this project but after reading the comments above... I think I might pass now. I'm surprised website and companies have supported this project by advertising it while knowing the history of the bulb? Strange.
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William H

8 years ago

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Or just a bulb version of the existing Philips LivingColors? - http://www.philips.co.uk/c/choose-your-luminaire/livingcolors-clear-6914360pu/prd/

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Dan

8 years ago

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A Reuters blog entry to go with Mitch's comment:
http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2012/09/18/kickstarter-vaporware-of-the-day-lifx-edition/
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Mark H

8 years ago

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So it's something like this http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0085OS2RQ but with wifi and an app for remote control.
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Larry Parker

8 years ago

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I presented this same idea back in 2011 and again at the IDSA conference in Detroit.

http://cargocollective.com/larryparkerdesign/Soluna
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Joe

8 years ago

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Well, after the comment above, mine seems trivial, but I wanted to mention, that yes, the do say you can have the bulb slowly turn on in the morning to wake you.
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Mitch

8 years ago

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Finally... this ridiculous project makes it way to Core77.

First... This is not a new concept. This guy is being credited with reinventing the light bulb.. Yet this concept and product has been around for over a year.
NXP - greenchip. Their video is oddly familiar to the video by lifx.

second...They dont have a real working prototype.. They show about 2 seconds of footage showing a lightbulb wired up and a laptop... All the images are just illustrations.
Do they even realize that the large heat sinks are going to effect the wifi?

I think this entire project has lawsuit and scam written all over it.
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Rain Noe

I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.