It’s only a matter of time before everything we own has network connectivity, so it shouldn’t shock anyone when smart lightbulbs begin hitting store shelves.
As our world gets more and more connected, it’s not surprising to see all the things we can control with WiFi and a smartphone app, but lightbulbs were’t high on many people’s expectations when it comes to connected household accessory, yet we already have Bluetooth color changing bulbs from Phillips and Lumen on the market. Now LG is throwing its hat in the ring with the Smart Lamp.
LG’s bulb is not exactly the same as the competition, though. It comes it at less than half the price of Lumen’s bulb and $27 less than Phillips’s. There are many similarities, such as the connectivity and intensity controls. They can all be set to assist your phone in providing notifications or alarms and sync to music playing from your phone, but LG’s bulb only provides white light, while Lumen and Phillips both offer bulbs of varying hues.
Connected bulbs represent a big move to provide granular home automation. In the past, many home automation solutions required mostly proprietary hardware, which presents a large barrier to entry. That all changes when you can automate your house one bulb at a time.
While it used to cost tens of thousands to integrate smart connected systems into your house to control things like lighting, media centers, climate, coffee makers, or whatever else you were trying to connect, you can now buy wireless bulbs, smart thermostats–such as the Nest, and $35 media dongles like the Chromecast.
There are plenty of ways this new technology can help integrate your smartphone into your–now smarter–house. With new connected lightbulbs–such as the LG Smart Lamp, your lights could dim or flicker when you have a call or a text, pulse to the beat of your music, or come in in the morning with your alarm clock.
The LG Smart Lamp is currently is only announced for LG’s home country of South Korea, but it will no doubt be available for US customers later this year.
Source: Engadget
Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter
Read more on Walyou, Google Gives the Smartwatch its Blessing With Android Wear, Tizen’s Role in the Mobile OS Race
