It’s reported that the Vitec Group plc has acquired the business and assets of Litepanels, Inc and Litepanels, LLC, a leading manufacturer of LED-based lights for the television, broadcast, video and film industries. The initial consideration of US$14.5m, will be paid in cash, with additional deferred consideration dependent on future profitability.

Freescale Semiconductor has entered the LED market, and announced that it is sampling the first LED backlight product in its power management IC portfolio. The 10-channel MC34844 (pictured) white LED driver IC is targeted at LED backlights in notebook computers, as well as in flat-panel monitors with screen sizes ranging from 10 inches to 27 inches.

It’s reported that Russian and German scientists revisited the idea of light produced this way Nearly 20 years later. The light was still of such poor luminance that the idea nearly died again. The science of electroluminescence languished in obscurity for a while. It didn’t begin to gain favor again in the 1950s until some British scientists started experimenting with it again. This led to the first infrared LED. From this technology came the first visible spectrum LED, in red, from GaP.

It’s reported that Evident Technologies, a privately held company based in Troy, N.Y., is preparing to release in a few weeks a new type of LED that promises to display any color, making the technology more useful in marketing signage, computer displays, and other applications. Evident announced that it had licensed from Philips Electronics technology that will pave the way for Evident to commercialize its LEDs, which use nanocrystals of semiconductor material that can display any color.

It’s reported that Microsharp Corporation, a privately owned UK company focused on the development of specialist optical films, has joined the EU funded, OLED-100.eu R&D project as the only UK participant.

Recently, Freescale Semiconductor is expanding in the LED market, designing semiconductors for LED backlights used in notebook computers and other products equipped with flat-panel monitors. Technology for the new backlight system was developed at Freescale's Tempe facility and in California, and components will be manufactured at the company's Chandler plant.

Recently, Philips and Sony both unveiled new LCD televisions that use LED backlights at IFA, a major consumer electronic show held in Berlin, Germany on August 29 - September 3. Both companies had new TVs that used the LED backlights to achieve local dimming, while Sony also had a 40-inch LCD TV with LED edge-lighting – almost certainly a first.

Recently, Cree, Inc., a market leader in LED lighting, and the City of Welland, Ontario, Canada, announced that Welland has joined the LED City initiative, an international program that promotes the deployment of energy-efficient LED lighting. The city has converted many of its lighting applications to LEDs, including streetlights and traffic signals, and has additional projects underway. Welland has also amended its municipal standards to facilitate LED lighting for all future streetlight installations.

It’s reported that the sales of Taiwan's LED makers rose 16.1 percent in the first half of this year from the same period a year earlier. This is helped by the Beijing Olympics and higher energy prices that are encouraging the use of lower-cost lighting.

Recently, PureSpectrum, Inc. has begun testing the viability of its innovative ballast design for use with LED applications with its ongoing efforts to continue development of the company's breakthrough ballast technology,

Recently, AIXTRON AG announced a multiple order from Century Epitech Corp, located in Shenzhen, China, one of China's leading players in the high brightness LED sector.

Cologne has been graced with a new landmark: the high-water pumping station in the Bayenthal suburb of the city. The pumping station is already a sight to see during the day thanks to its architectural aesthetic, which includes an organically landscaped area that inconspicuously tucks the structure into the banks of the Rhine.

Recently, GlacialTech Inc announces the availability of BR30 LED lights - the LED BR30 Globes come in two models which range in brightness. The LED BR30 bulbs are designed to replace the equivalent BR30 globes and lamps available in markets today. Using lower wattage compared with the original product, with the high brightness 720 Lumen illumination. The innovative product incorporates the same structure and style of traditional BR30 bulbs but delivers a brighter performance per watt, with less heat radiation.

It’s reported that Springfield Park District officials hope they will soon be able to turn on the lights for the first time at Dreamland Park, 2300 Taylor Ave. However, Elliott McKinley, director of parks for the park district, said work is under way to run electricity to Dreamland Park and also install energy-efficient outdoor lights.

Recently, Sony Corp announced a new product line of Bravia LCD TVs including the XR1 series, which has an RGB LED backlight unit. The company said that the XR1 series offers "the highest picture quality in the history of Bravia," and also has an extremely wide color gamut of 122% NTSC. It is scheduled for release on Oct 10, 2008, many of the details have yet to be released.

It’s reported that Japanese consumer electronics maker Sharp Corp announced it aims to generate sales of $1.8 billion from LED market by the business year to March 2013. Moreover, Sharp would enter the lighting gear market with energy-saving LED technology to establish a new earnings pillar in addition to its flat panel and solar cell businesses this month.

It’s reported that Samsung Electronics has not only released the world’s largest OLED television at the IFA exhibition in Berlin, but it has committed itself to commercial production of mid to large screens by 2010.

Recently, Delta Electronics, Inc., a long-time industry leader in DLP® optics, light engine and projector development for a wide variety of applications, announced it has completed the development of a groundbreaking full HD LED projector for the consumer market.

It’s reported that Lite-On Technology Corp., a world leading supplier of mobile keypads, is venturing into the LEDchip market by investing US$10 million in SemiLEDs Corp., a U.S. producer of high-power LED chips.

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Recently, Microsoft is readying a mouse that uses a blue LED rather than red lasers because the former can be used on a greater number of surfaces; this would mark the fourth great revolution in the way mice have evolved over the past few decades or so.

Recently, GlacialTech Inc, announced the availability of the LED–MR16 bulb, designed to replace the Halogen MR16 globe currently available in markets worldwide.

It’s reported that the shimmer wall adorns the McDowell Street side of the new convention center in downtown Raleigh. Next month, the shimmer wall art installation measures 211 ft long by 44 ft high and will adorn one exterior wall of the city's new convention center.

It’s reported that The Vitec Group plc announces that it has signed an agreement to acquire the business and assets of Litepanels, Inc and of Litepanels, LLC (together "Litepanels" or "the Business"), the leading manufacturer of LED-based lights for the television, broadcast, video and film industries.

Recently, GlacialTech Inc announced the availability of BR40 LED light – the LED-BR40 Globes come in three models which range in brightness from low, to medium to high. The LED BR40 bulbs are designed to replace the equivalent 80W BR40 globes and lamps available in markets today. The innovative product incorporates the same structure and style of traditional BR40 bulbs but delivers a brighter performance per watt, with less heat radiation.

Recently, Manassas is doing an experiment that will likely be common practice in less than 10 years. In the coming weeks, the city will begin the process of selecting a neighborhood for the installation of LED lights in place of the common high pressure sodium lights.

It’s reported that Vitex, leader in thin film encapsulation and Novaled, leader in highly efficient long lifetime OLEDs, are going to combine advantages of the Vitex BarixTM thin film technology with the Novaled doping technology and materials targeting very thin and high efficiency long lifetime OLED products.

It’s reported that Mouser Electronics, an electronics distributor based in Mansfield, Texas USA, will stock Avago’s half-watt cool and warm white LEDs, the ASMT-Mx60 LEDs are the latest in Avago’s Moonstone power LED series.

Recently, Matsushita Electric Works Ltd released insect-repellent lighting equipment-LED Light Up Lighting Equipment, whose "insect attraction index" is about two-thirds lower compared with the product of the same luminance. The company released two white-color types and two light bulb-color types of the lighting equipment Aug 25, 2008, in Japan.

Recently, Lighting Science Group Corporation (LSG), a developer and integrator of intelligent LED lighting solutions, and the Office for Visual Interaction, Inc. (OVI), a global architectural lighting design innovator, announced that the companies have been selected by The New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) to engineer, produce and test the winning design of the City Lights Design Competition.