LIFX - Iphone Light Bulb - I woke into a parrallel universe

[Fzero]

Nice.


The notification alert is also a nice thing, if that could work to flash your lights red a couple of times when you get an SMS too, very nice.


Would need a bayonet connector though, don't think any of the lights in my flat are screw type

 

[WizardStan]

The thing is , most people in Australia for example, now have the low power CFL lights which cost $3 each.

Yeah, that's pretty much the same everywhere these days. LEDs do have a projected lifetime 5 times longer than CFLs, so the aggregate cost is basically double for CFLs over the same time period, but CFLs aren't dimmable nor can they change colour. I wouldn't want (or need) to change all the lights in my home to LED, but there are a few I've been meaning to.


A better solution, methinks, is to have their LED bulbs, but ALSO sell adapters for cheaper that take any standard bulb and connect it to their network. You could get the LEDs for places where the LED is beneficial, and stick with the cheap CFLs where you don't need dimming.

 

[vcoleiro1]

When I researched it,


CFL's last 10,000 hours compared to 40,000 hours for LED's.


Based on my house with 20 lights thats $60 for CFL's ($3 each)- Actually in the end they cost me nothing thanks to a government program that replaced your house bulbs with CFL's for free.


20 LEDs at $40 each comes out to $800.


Running at 8 hours a day a LED is $4 per year cheaper to run than a CFL. Thats $80 p/a based on all 20 lights being on 8 hours a day - but then again not all your lights are running anywhere near 8 hours a day. The true figure would be way less than that, lets say $40 p/a


It would take 20 + years before you started to break even. But then that doesn't take into account the $48 per year in interest (based on %6) you are losing by buying that $800 worth of LED's. So you actually never break even


As far as bulb longevity - really 10,000 hours equates to a very long time. I don't think I've replaced one yet. And I've been in this house for 10 years.


The real issue with CFL's is that they contain mercury and are therefore not very environmentally friendly. That does bother and concern me.

 

[gadgetoid]

Who the hell cares how long they last or how expensive they are. You can control them. With your phone.


With. Your. Phone!


Suffice to say, I want to replace my eyes with LIFX bulbs!

 

[vcoleiro1]

Who the hell cares how long they last or how expensive they are. You can control them. With your phone.


With. Your. Phone!


Suffice to say, I want to replace my eyes with LIFX bulbs!

Lol

 

[craigix]

It's amazing really, it is just a novelty, plug it in to your desk lamp, play with it for a few minutes, show some friends, then use it as a normal bulb for the rest of its life.


It's really clever though, one of those ideas where you would dismiss it as never taking off, but Kickstarter can totally change things.


Imagine the sales of that bastard singing fish if it had been a KS project!


How about a mini microwave for drying clothes? 'No plastics'.


'Limited edition' Paper plates celebrating minor news events. 'Use them before the events are forgotten'.


A clock with an LCD for a face which also has all your diary entries on it. 'We've reinvented the clock! Now it tells you about your time!'


Wifi central locking for your house. 'Remotely lock the burglars in!'


Electric windows. For your house. 'Too lazy to open a window? Do it from your phone! We've reinvented the window latch!'


Etc.

 

[vcoleiro1]

Yeah its strange sometimes what takes off and what doesn't on KS. I saw a product the other day that I thought would do real well, but it looks like it won't get funded. It was an Iphone expander, basically a case your iPhone goes into which has a battery, doubling your battery life, a Micro SD card slot which you can access and move files around , and also a new Led flash system that gives perfect lighting for photos and video. Problem was they launched it the day the Iphone 5 came out.


It's this KS project here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/108290897/iexpander-an-expansion-device-for-your-iphone-4-an?ref=live

 

[craigix]

That's the nightmare of targeting Apple devices, you just can't future proof for it.


It's why we went with BT for the iCP1.

 

[Foxgod]

Ah, the latest purchase for impulse shopping lovers.


I always love to hear arguments from people who think that a shiny new look has more function then the inside of the case.


I sometimes have arguments with people that think a pandora is inferior to their phone cause it isnt shiny.


The fact that the Panda runs 100 x more software and has 4 times the ease of use and access barely weights in as an argument to them.


Shiny and sexy is the new bigger is better.


Would be a nice subject for viral adds in the new Robocop movie.


New, the 9001 SUX, its the shiniest car ever, it does nothing new, but it got a ton more sex appeal!!!

 

[skeezix]

I think this sold because of two points..


- automatically have your lights turn off/on when you leave/return to the house; the wifi on the phone just comes up and poof, lights come on.


- pretty colours


People will love that


And it reminds me of a dalek, sort of.

 

[skeezix]

Imagine the sales of that bastard singing fish if it had been a KS project!

*snorts drink all over the place*

 

[rohezal]

I think for people who party often this is realy cool. A student group who share a flat with the light effects.


But best for bussisnes I think. A location where you can disco feeling, or a warm lunch feeling, or maybe an art event. With lower electric costs. But it is not the best invention ever this is true.

 

[Christoph.Krn]

The thing is , most people in Australia for example, now have the low power CFL lights which cost $3 each. So really you need to compare LED bulbs to CFL bulbs. The comparison is not compelling enough to switch over to LED's - it's just not cost effective. Perhaps when the price comes down a bit they will take off. Im sure that will happen eventually - Frankly I cannot believe they currently cost so much.

Like you've already written in a later post, CFLs contain mercury, and I think that that alone should be reason enough to abandon these so-called economically superior alternatives (quite a few CFLs also evaporate (is that the right word here?) unhealthy substances while in use [citation needed]). But even otherwise, good LEDs (as in, in the price range of currently, say, 30€ or so per bulb) are far superior to CLFs; for instance in terms of color rendering index; or when lights are being switched on and off often, such as in bathrooms (which dramatically shortens the lifespan of a CFL, but not that of an LED). edit (see http://boards.openpandora.org/index.php?/topic/10025-lifx-iphone-light-bulb-i-woke-into-a-parrallel-universe/page__st__40#entry187684): Some CFLs can cause severe health problems in case they break and mercury is being exposed, especially if such situations aren't handled correctly. I think that that alone should be reason enough to abandon CFLs.


When compared to CFLs, there are some functional advantages of good LEDs (as in, in the price range of currently, say, 30€ or so per bulb); such as in terms of color rendering index; or when lights are being switched on and off often, such as in bathrooms (which dramatically shortens the lifespan of a CFL, but not that of an LED).end-of-edit


I actually consider the ban of incandescent light bulb production to be a problem for the one reason that CFLs are not illegal, and I wonder if it would have made sense to first subsidize development of LED bulbs, then kill the incandescent light bulb after LEDs would have had become a really good replacement.


edit: CCFL -> CFL. Ah well.

 

[WizardStan]

It would take 20 + years before you started to break even. But then that doesn't take into account the $48 per year in interest (based on %6) you are losing by buying that $800 worth of LED's. So you actually never break even

Like I said, I wouldn't want to replace them all in my house. My kitchen light has no problem being either on or off, nor the hallway and closets, but my bedroom and living room could very much do with a dimmer switch, and there are times when the basement could stand to be lit up a little more yellow than normal. CFLs and sub-zero temperatures do not go well together either, and now that Canada has banned incandescent bulbs I'm absolutely going to need an LED bulb on the porch when this one blows.

 

[vcoleiro1]

.

 

[Zip]

not android?

 

[kojack]

Seeing this makes me think of Red Dwarf.


Rimmer: Step up to red alert.


Kryten: Sir, are you absolutely sure? It does mean changing the bulb.





At my work (a college) we have all the lights on a network. When we moved into the building it took a while to get things set up right, for example the lights on the right half of my classroom would turn on at around 5:03pm. If you turned them off, they'd turn back on two seconds later. The left half of the room was fine. That's annoying because most of my lectures are using a (not very bright) projector.


I really like the notification potential of the Lifx. I tend to use headphones a lot, I miss things like doorbells, phones, etc. A flashing coloured light would be a good way to get my attention.

 

[WizardStan]

not android?

It says Android. Also mentions a developer kit so people can create their own applications to control the lights.

 

[Fzero]

A mate of mine, who runs on Android phone/tablet, is mad for remote lighting and generally any home automation.. He'd absolutely love this I know it, just really need to see if these come in bayonet standards too if/when funded.


Any Australians here can confirm if this might be likely, do you have these type bulbs too or are all your bulbs the screw in type only?

 

[Zip]

i read in title IPHONE :/