Leedarson, a lighting specialist and ODM of energy efficient bulbs, recently set out to design an LED connected bulb that performs as well or better than the leading smart bulb but is available for a more affordable price. 

Cree introduces the Connected Cree® LED Bulb, the first smart LED bulb to deliver the combination of the lighting experience customers expect from Cree with industry-leading simplicity, multi-platform compatibility and affordability. The new 60-watt replacement Connected Cree LED Bulb is compatible with Wink and ZigBee® certified hubs and is available at The Home Depot® for just US $14.97, a price poised to drive adoption.

Silicon Valley Venture Capital firm Sequoia teams up with Austrialian based smart lighting start-up LIFX with a US $12 million investment. The investment bumps up LIFX’s total funding to US $16.6 million. 

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced the official global launch of its Samsung Smart Home service. The service will first be rolled out in Korea and the United States, with more countries around the world added throughout the year. The service makes home automation effortless and easy, with a single app that makes it possible to connect and control home appliances, TVs and mobile devices. 

Continuing to evolve the WeMo platform of simple, ingenious connected home products, Belkin announced a slate of new WeMo devices including the WeMo LED Lighting Starter Set and WeMo Smart LED Bulbs. Also on tap for the WeMo line at CES is a revised Android and iOS app offering improved functionality and enhanced lighting features.