Shopping in a big department store can quickly devolve from a simple errand to an odyssey filled with frustration. What section do they put the bath towels in again? Is there a route to take that avoids the chemical attack of the perfume aisle on the way to kitchenware? Where do they put the on-sale jackets?

WeMo®, the Internet of Things brand from Belkin International, and Cree, the leader in LED lighting, today announced a strategic relationship to integrate Cree® LED lighting solutions with the WeMo ecosystem. Under the agreement, the first WeMo-compatible Cree bulb will be the Connected Cree® LED Bulb, with a potential to expand to other offerings in the future. 

Osram Licht (Osram) has recently announced that it is proceeding with the next phase of its corporate reorganization, sending a shockwave across the LED industry. The announcement from Germany-based lighting giant follows Dutch electronics company Royal Philips’ sale of its automotive lighting and LED components business. The underperforming divisions that Osram will let go are Classic Lamps & Ballast (CLB unit) and LED Lamps & Systems (LLS unit). They account for 40% of the company’s total revenue. The divisions that Osram deems valuable and will hold on to are Opto Semiconductor (OS unit), Specialty Lighting (SP unit), and Luminaires & Solution (LS unit).

Noribachi, a leading U.S.-based custom LED manufacturer for high output commercial and industrial lighting solutions and Intelligent Energy Light and Power, an electrical engineering and installation firm, shed new light on USA Auto Group with an LED lighting retrofit overhaul (www.shopusaauto.com).

Many LED industry experts have been worried that LEDs long lifetimes of more than two decades would result in longer replacement cycles that could become obstacles to company business models. Pessimistic manufacturers even forecast LED orders could eventually ease as time moves on. Ellis Yan, the CEO of U.S. manufacturer TCP Lighting (TCP), however, shared a very different outlook during a recent interview with LEDinside in Taipei, Taiwan.

Olaf Berlien, Chief Executive Officer of Osram Licht AG, has taken the company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) as an opportunity to announce the promotion of new technologies and innovations. “We will drive new technologies and innovations by using selective incentives and investments,” Berlien told shareholders on Thursday. “I have dedicated a further EUR 10 million from the Managing Board’s budget to fund projects like Lightify,” he said. Osram's Lightify system was recently launched on the market and enables wireless control of all the features light has to offer.

Philips Hue Phoenix from Royal Philips, the global leader in lighting, is the first in a new range of white ambience connected lamps that allow you to create the right light for different moments at home. From helping you to create a cozy atmosphere in the evening to energizing you before heading to the gym, Philips Hue Phoenix gives you access to the full spectrum of white light, at the swipe of a finger.

The smart lighting industry has recently released a flurry of new product announcements for color-changeable and white-temperature tunable luminaires -- including Cree, which has added color tunability to their SmartCast solution -- however, with most consumers happy with their existing white color lighting, how will be market be affected by the rise of these new products?

Today’s LED lighting products can be problematic with blinding light, glare, high light loss and insufficient light source. Long-term usage can provoke discomfort, such as eyestrain. As modern man are conscious of environment protection and energy saving, LED lightings not only can meet these requirements but can also be used in household life and working environment. Let “Low glare, wide angle, high uniformity” be your best options for comfortable lighting.

Billion Electric (TAIEX: 3027) announced the launch of Smart Lighting Control Management System (LCMS) and High Efficiency Class 2 Drivers to the global LED Lighting market.

Digital Lumens announced today that deployments of its enterprise-scale Intelligent LED Lighting System span 200 million square feet (20 million square meters) of commercial and industrial space. This represents 100% installed base growth in 2014, bringing the Internet of Things (IoT) to customers around the world.

LUCIS Technologies today unveiled a cloud-based smart home lighting and safety console, NuBryte, for all of a household’s connected needs such as automated lighting, home safety, and energy management. Users simply need a screw driver and basic wiring skills to replace any light switch with the NuBryte console, immediately transforming their home into a smart home. When installed, people can control and protect their home via a touch screen control pad, or the free NuBryte iPhone app. The standalone system also provides easy-to-understand energy reporting, which helps people reduce energy usage and save money.

Setting up your Christmas light can be ever so convenient with wireless lighting!

Panasonic exhibited at the 16th China Chain Store Industry Conference and Exhibition (CHINA SHOP 2014), which was held from November 6-8 in Fuzhou City, the capital of Fujian Province. In a booth designed to resemble supermarkets and convenience stores, Panasonic introduced one-stop solutions for retail under the theme of "A smart, beautiful lifestyle with intelligent retail," aimed at the rapidly growing demand in China for safe and comfortable shopping environments.

Hodi Technologies, a premier LED lighting and smart-grid system company in China, has selected Greenvity Communications’ Internet of Things (IoT) turnkey solutions for multiple Hodi smart lighting products. In addition, Greenvity and Hodi will collaborate to develop future products focused on controlled lighting and smart metering applications.

DEKRA, a leading global provider of auditing and certification services, has entered into a cooperation agreement with TRaC Global, a Zigbee Alliance Certified test laboratory in the United Kingdom. The new partnership will enable DEKRA to call on TRaC Global for ZigBee certification purposes, while TRaC Global will be able to extend its testing services in the field of electrical safety via DEKRA.

Hubbell Lighting, a world leader in lighting innovation, announced today that Hubbell Building Automation (HBA) has become a Member of The Connected Lighting Alliance. The lighting world is on the eve of a paradigm shift towards wireless connectivity, and HBA’s industry-leading products offer the simplest and most convenient form of new lighting control.

Smart lighting emerged in recent years as a promising technology that has attracted investments from many institutes and LED companies, but further R&D is required before the technology can become truly human centric, said Pei-Ting Chou, Manager, Electronics and Optoelectronics Research Laboratories, ITRI, at LEDforum 2014, which was held on Oct. 24, 2014 in Taipei, Taiwan.

Digital Lumens, the leader in intelligent LED lighting, announced US $23 million in funding from new investors Nokia Growth Partners, Aster Capital, and Goldman Sachs, and current investors, Flybridge Capital Partners, Black Coral Capital, and Stata Ventures. Funds will be used to scale operations, expand product development, and increase sales and marketing as the company rapidly bolsters its global footprint.

ADATA Lighting, the lighting division of ADATA Technology, will unveil its latest smart lighting products at the Hong Kong International Lighting Fair 2014 (Autumn edition) from October 27-30. The company will introduce a wirelessly controlled LED light bulb with 16 million color capability, as well as showcase its new DALI lighting products in an intelligent lighting demonstration and extensive range of outdoor lighting products.

LED industry development has picked up pace in recent years as cities promote highly energy efficient lighting, according to a Securities Times report. Among global LED lighting applications, lighting and automotive lighting industries have been the fastest growing markets, and have become the main growth drivers in the LED industry.

WigWag announced pre-order availability for Filament by WigWag, the smart, dimmable and full-color LED light bulb with price point and lifespan that allow for broad implementation and usage in home or office, as well as compatibility with other brands’ smart devices using the WigWag platform.

Seoul Semiconductor releases a new Acrich LED Light Engine featuring Acrich3 technology that is compatible with smart lighting controls. The 30W light engine has efficiencies of up to 100 lumens per watt.

The global 40W equiv. LED bulb Average Selling Price (ASP) declined 3.2 percent to US $14.20 in May, with price decreases most evident in China. Additionally, the ASP for 60W equiv. LED bulbs dipped slightly by 3.6 percent to US $19.50. With continual LED bulb ASP declines, manufacturers are looking to smart bulbs to break free from intense pricing competition, according to the latest LED bulb retail findings for May 2014 from LEDinside, a division of research organization Trendforce. 

Looking at the current lighting market, smart lighting has already become a new product that manufacturers such as Philips are rushing to release. It was a hot topic not only at the Light+Building exhibition in Germany, but also in the recent Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition earlier this month. The smart lighting market is still in its early stages of development, but manufacturers are eager to expand. The market anticipates to enter into a rapid growth period within one to two years. 

GE today unveiled Link, a new and affordable connected LED bulb that lets consumers remotely control their home lighting from anywhere in the world and sync with other connected devices. Enabled by the new Wink app, Link eliminates the need for expensive add-ons typically associated with connected devices, making it an easy and cost-effective way for consumers to light up their smart homes.

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. 

The growing smart home industry and intensifying competition has created new market situations, according to a Chinese language media CBN.com report. Apple has released its first smart home management App HomeKit at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in early June this year. The company is developing partnerships with numerous top lighting manufacturers on the smart home project.

LED manufacturers involvement in smart lighting has become an unstoppable global trend, according to Marten Willemsen, Vice President, Global Marketing, Seoul Semiconductor.

The advent of solid state lighting has launched the lighting industry into the developmental fast lane. As solid state lighting technology evolves and advances, many manufacturers are looking towards intellectualizing lighting systems to meet increasing market demands and secure a sustainable revenue model.