Recent tech media reports highlighted Philips Hue bulbs vulnerabilities that could be exposed by hackers, which could override lighting controls using computer viruses.

Philips Lighting, a global leader in lighting, announced today the enhanced functionality of its Amazon Alexa skill* for controlling its Philips Hue connected lighting system for the home, as well as an expansion of the skill to the UK and Germany.

OSRAM agreed to security testing on existing LIGHTIFY products by Security researchers from RAPID7. Since being notified about the vulnerabilities identified by Rapid7, OSRAM has taken actions to analyze, validate and implement a risk-based remediation strategy, and the majority of vulnerabilities will be patched in the next version update, currently planned for release in August.

Continuing to grow its award-winning Internet of Things ecosystem, WeMo® and OSRAM SYLVANIA today announced the availability of three new lighting starter sets featuring WeMo-enabled OSRAM LIGHTIFY™ LED products. Designed to provide a fun, easy entry point to smart lighting, each WeMo LIGHTIFY bundle includes a WeMo Link ZigBee®-to-Wi-Fi bridge and a single combination of LIGHTIFY products including the Gardenspot Mini RGB, the Flex RGBW, and the Tunable White A19 LED bulb.

ON World’s recently completed survey with 1,000+ U.S. online adult consumers found that smart lighting is the most popular home automation product area with 1 in 5 likely to purchase a smart LED light bulb within the next two years.

In today’s busy world, it’s easy to forget. People forget to turn off the lights at night, unplug the curling iron or even shut the garage door when leaving for vacation. But, instead of worrying about what we may have overlooked at home, wouldn’t it be nice if our homes remembered for us? With the NuTone® Smart Home Series, integrated home automation and management, whether from the living room couch or across the globe, is now just a click away.

The new Sphere 360 Party Speaker is a portable Bluetooth sound system from Altec Lansing that adds color to consumers' music experiences by combining 360-degree surround sound with a full-body LED light spectacle that can shimmer and shift in four different modes. The resulting sight and sound extravaganza makes the Sphere 360 both the life and the lights of the party – wherever it may be.

Albeit smart LED bulbs rising popularity among LED manufacturers, for the time being these are still novelty products that only adventurous consumers with enough patience in sorting out the set up will try out, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

WeMo, the home automation ecosystem created by Belkin International, today announced availability of the WeMo LED Starter Set and WeMo Smart LED Bulbs. The WeMo LED Lighting Starter Set and WeMo Smart LED Bulbs allow you to control, schedule, customize and dim household lighting from anywhere using the WeMo app on a smartphone or tablet.

One of the easiest ways to enhance décor and boost mood is to change interior lighting. Now EasyBulb Plus puts the power of lights in its users’ hands via their mobile devices, enabling them to control their lights from anywhere in the world. EasyBulb Plus creator Gigateq Limited has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise US $1,000 by September 10, 2014 to begin production of its latest invention.

Philips is currently in talks with Google owned thermostat company Nest on integrating thermostats into smart bulbs, according to a Slash Gear report.