Tuesday, May 31, 2011

GlacialTech Invites You to be a Spectator of Technology Innovation

GlacialTech Invites You to be a Spectator of Technology Innovation at COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2011

Taipei, Taiwan - GlacialTech Inc., a diverse provider of cooling, power supply, and PC enclosure solutions for consumer and industrial applications,In the case of Cree a significant led light bulbs amount of their LED sales come from the purchase of Cotco whose primary focus was on moving message panels used in displays/electronic bill boards.  is excited to showcase the latest and greatest LED drivers & GREEN battery chargers as well as LED lighting solutions for outdoor/indoor/industrial applications at COMPUTEX 2011.

At this year's COMPUTEX, GlacialTech will reveal a full range of products, in addition to demonstrating its new and unique material treatments. Visit GlacialTech at the Nangang Exhibition Hall, Booth #J411 (6 units) from May 31 to June 4, 2011.

COMPUTEX TAIPEI is the largest computer exhibition in Asia and the largest procurement trade show in the world. Many leading companies from across the globe participate and showcase their products at COMPUTEX, making it the perfect platform for GlacialTech to showcase its award-winning product lines and new technology innovations.

The highlights of GlacialTech's showcased products include its latest V-Shield series & M-Flit series of Laptop cooling pads, a full range of voltage LED Drivers with the GlacialPower brand name, and the most recent LED lighting solutions such as the Pollux Series GL-Panel Light 600X600mm/300X300mm/300X600mm, and the fashionable and circular Capella Series of 12 Watt LED Downlights (6" & 8"), all under the brand name of GlacialLight.

Thermal Solutions Positioned as 'quiet', cost effective, efficient cooling solutions for high frequency and high I/O processors, GlacialTech's IGLOO range of silent heat sinks not only cools the CPU but also enhances system performance.Compact fluorescent light bulbs convert a led tube considerably higher percentage of their energy into light, which is why they are significantly more energy efficient than traditional filament bulbs. The range is designed for the latest Intel and AMD processors. The IGLOO CPU cooling solution allows heat to be dissipated at a faster rate, and also decreases the vibration buildup around fan blades to minimize noise output.

Most interestingly, GlacialTech will announce two new models for extreme cooling, bearing the telling names of Alaska & Siberia and designed for gaming and power-user systems. GlacialTech will also display all series of GlacialStars' products such as IceHut and IceLight case fans with LED functionality as well as very attractive IcePad notebook cooling pads.

LED Lighting GlacialLight, another subdivision of GlacialTech Inc., will showcase a brand new range of high-brightness, low-power consumption LED lighting solutions, for indoor, outdoor and other customized applications. GlacialLight's all-new, environmentally-friendly products include many of the latest LED lighting solutions available; from torches, LEDs with dimming functionality, and baylights, to lamp lights as well as many bulbs. LED tubes, light bar display lights, and streetlight and spotlight solutions will also be on display.

LED Driver GlacialTech's R&D team has developed the GlacialPower LED driver to eliminate the need for an electronic transformer, aiming to provide more energy-saving and environmentally-friendly LED products. GlacialPower's LED driver technology is expected to lead a new trend in innovation and become an essential feature for all LED lighting products.

GlacialTech is looking forward to meeting business partners, industry leaders and global buyers from all over the world at the Nangang Exhibition Hall, Booth # J411 (6 units),While using compact fluorescent light bulbs energy saving light helps conserve energy, it is important that the bulbs are collected and recycled properly to protect our environment COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2011, from May 31 to June 4.While most people Led strip light originally believed that LED lights were only appropriate for retail or night life applications, every day more and more American consumers are seeing that LED lights provide the earth-friendly retrofit

About GlacialLight GlacialTech Inc., is a diversified provider of cooling, power supply, PC enclosure solutions for the consumer and industrial applications. Having established strong relationships with LED semiconductor Co.'s,Under efforts of led spotlight boosting the viability of LED luminaires, many companies are expanding high-power selections. thermal, SMPS and mechanism technology leaders worldwide, GlacialTech leverages world-class engineering, efficient manufacturing and highest-quality materials to provide high brightness, low power LED lighting solutions for indoor, outdoor and other customized applications under the GlacialLight brand.

How to buy the best Sony TV.

How to buy the best Sony TV.
Sony’s range of BRAVIA LCD and LED TVs includes a huge variety of features, screen sizes, and diferent designs.I transferred files over FTP, downloaded Web pages ds マジコン using curl, and ran the speed tester at speedtest.net. You can spend under $1000 and get a small LCD TV, or up to almost $5000 for a huge, fully-featured and attractive LED TV. All of Sony’s TVs are organised into different model series, with further distinctions between each series in features and pricing. We’ve put together a quick guide on each different model, so read through and pick out the Sony TV that seems best for you.
The Sony HX925 series of BRAVIA LED TVs is the cream of the crop, but they also cost the most. The HX925 uses Sony’s most advanced LCD panel and LED lighting system — Sony calls it Intelligent Peak LED, but it’s largely known as ‘local dimming’ — which is able to dynamically dim different parts of the screen, a feature not usually available on the slim ‘edge-lit’ variety of LED TVs. Combine this with Sony’s top-of-the-line X-Reality Pro picture processing engine and a MotionFlow rate of 800, and you’ve got the best picture quality that Sony is able to offer.

Similarly, the HX925 has all the 3D bells and whistles you could ask for. The 3D transmitter has to be purchased separately and plugged in on cheaper Sony TVs, but the HX925 has it all built in — it also comes with two pairs of rechargeable 3D glasses. The HX925 can convert 2D footage into 3D, so you’re not always stuck buying extra 3D Blu-ray movies just to get your 3D fix.

The HX925’s extra features are the best of any Sony TV. Like other high-end models the Sony BRAVIA HX925 can access a number of streaming Internet TV channels and BRAVIA Internet Video — there’s plenty of built-in functionality for accessing services other than free-to-air digital TV.

There are two HX925 models available — the 65in Sony BRAVIA KDL-65HX925,In the case of Cree a significant led light bulbs amount of their LED sales come from the purchase of Cotco whose primary focus was on moving message panels used in displays/electronic bill boards.  which doesn’t have a price tag yet, and the 55in Sony BRAVIA KDL-55HX925, which costs $4499.

Sony HX820 series
As the first step down from the top model, the Sony HX820 should have most of the features at a significantly lower price. It is slightly less well equipped when it comes to outright picture quality — there’s no local dimming for the LED backlight,Use LED light bulbs in Book scanner utility areas, such as hallways and basements, to reduce power consumption while not sacrificing light quality in the most lived in areas of your house. and the TV only has a MotionFlow rate of 400. Nonetheless, we found the 46in Sony BRAVIA KDL-46HX820 was able to produce an excellent picture with very high quality processing, so you don’t have to buy the most expensive Sony TV to get a great screen.

Like the more expensive HX9While using compact fluorescent light bulbs energy saving light helps conserve energy, it is important that the bulbs are collected and recycled properly to protect our environment25, the HX820 has inbuilt 3D and comes with two sets of 3D glasses. You still get the same 2D to 3D tricks so you don’t have to only watch 3D Blu-rays or wait for the far-off 3D TV channel.Compact fluorescent light bulbs convert a led tube considerably higher percentage of their energy into light, which is why they are significantly more energy efficient than traditional filament bulbs.

Similarly, the HX820 can access BRAVIA Internet Video and Sony Internet TV services. You can access your Facebook and Twitter accounts and also use the TV’s inbuilt Web browser to look at Web pages.

There are two screen sizes available in the HX820 model series. The 55in Sony BRAVIA KDL-55HX820 is $3999, and the 46in Sony BRAVIA KDL-46HX820 is $2999. So if you want a huge screen, you’ll need to shell out for the 65in HX925.

White LED lamps to replace vapour bulbs in nine wards

White LED lamps to replace vapour bulbs in nine wards
The Chennai Corporation has decided to go green by replacing sodium vapour lamps with light-emitting diode (LEDs) lamps in all zones except Basin Bridge.

The initiative will help the local body conserve 5,71,261 units of energy annually and save Rs 30 lakh per year of tax payers' money. The decision was made at the monthly council meeting chaired by mayor M Subramanian on Tuesday. The new lighting system will be implemented in nine of the 10 corporation zones.In the case of Cree a significant led light bulbs amount of their LED sales come from the purchase of Cotco whose primary focus was on moving message panels used in displays/electronic bill boards.  A total of 2,785 LEDs will be installed at a cost of Rs 7.54 crore.

"Many councillors have been asking us to use LEDs for a long time. It will not only save energy but also help us use tax payers' money better. Besides, it will be one step to fight global warming,While using compact fluorescent light bulbs energy saving light helps conserve energy, it is important that the bulbs are collected and recycled properly to protect our environment" said mayor Subramanian.
The corporation first experimented with LEDs three years ago when it installed them at Kavankarai in Saidapet to assess their performance. The new LEDs will be installed mainly in slums. "The entire work is expected to get completed in four to six months. The sodium vapour lamps that were removed would be used to replace defunct street lights," Subramanian said.

The white-light-emitting diode lamps have a longer life and use relatively low energy when compared to compact fluorescent lamps (CFL). LED sources are compact, which gives flexibility in designing lighting fixtures and good control over the distribution of light with small reflectors or lenses. LED lamps have no breakable glass tubes, and their internal parts are rigidly supported, making them resistant to vibration and impact.
"The installation of LEDs is a welcome step taken by the corporation as it would give better illumination. It is also less polluting," said K Sakthivel, a resident of Vadapalani.

The history of lighting facilities, especially streetlights, in the city dates back to 1785 when a few dozen oil lamps were installed near Fort St George.

In 1910, the city had around 6,Compact fluorescent light bulbs convert a led tube considerably higher percentage of their energy into light, which is why they are significantly more energy efficient than traditional filament bulbs.500 oil lights as against a mere 200 oil lights in 1857. Electric street lighting was introduced in 1910 and a separate electrical department was introduced. At present, the corporation maintains 1,20,007 street lights in the city. The total energy consumption of these street lights is 15 MW per month and it costs Rs 1.6 lakh per month.

The council also approved Rs 3.26 crore for illumination and a sound-and-light show at the 110-year-old Victoria Hall. It also fixed new deadlines for four road projects between June and September this year. The projects at Villivakkam, Rangarajapuram, MC Road and Kathivakkam High Road were to be completed last year.

Monday, May 30, 2011

“Dynamic Light Spot” – BMW innovations in vehicle lights

“Dynamic Light Spot” – BMW innovations in vehicle lights
Press Release: Outstanding innovations in the area of vehicle and safety engineering have always characterized cars from the BMW Group. With many technological leaps forward, BMW has often been the pacesetter for the entire automobile industry. The sensor system-based, environment-networked driver assistance systems from BMW ConnectedDrive such as the camera-based Speed Limit Info launched in 2008 have been the innovation drivers. Now,The replacement lighting we feel is far led downlight superior to that of the LED lighting. BMW has taken the lead once again with the vehicle’s external lighting, the “Dynamic Light Spot”. The “Dynamic Light Spot” is a spotlighting system that automatically directs a beam of light onto pedestrians at an early stage, thus alerting the driver.

In critical situations, the safety gain for pedestrians and for the passengers in the vehicle is enormous. Another feature that BMW has presented is the “Glare-free high beam assistant”. The system locates vehicles approaching from the opposite direction and vehicles ahead, and prevents glare, despite the high beam being switched on. In this manner, the high beam component is significantly increased, which also brings about a sustained improvement in safety. Another gain in safety, not to be underestimated is the new, optional full-LED headlight, now debuting in the new BMW 6 Series Coupé.

“BMW Dynamic Light Spot”: a targeted beam of light for increased safety .

The risk of a pedestrian dying or getting injured in a traffic accident is four times as high at night or at twilight than in daylight. The same applies to the passengers themselves. Accidents and, in particular, serious accidents at night are very often caused by the late recognition of persons or animals (e.g. deer) on the road. With BMW Night Vision, BMW has deployed a very effective assistance technology for driving in the dark under the umbrella of the technologies of BMW ConnectedDrive. BMW Night Vision helps the driver using a thermal imaging camera for anticipatory and safe driving at night. This support will be expanded by another BMW innovation for increasing the safety of night driving, in the form of the “BMW Dynamic Light Spot”. Through targeted illumination of pedestrians on the road, the system ensures increased safety for all those involved, including the driver of the vehicle. By using “BMW Dynamic Light Spot”, the driver can usually avoid a collision or at least reduce its severity.Compact fluorescent lights have solved LED lighting supplier many of the problems associated with traditional filament light bulbs. The “BMW Dynamic Light Spot” is a so-called marking light. This system uses sensors to identify potentially endangered objects in the driver’s surroundings which are then illuminated in a targeted manner with a spot of light. At the same time, a beam of light projected onto the road in front of the vehicle leading to the possible collision object draws the driver’s attention to that object. Thanks to early recognition of the pedestrian,The U600 works with Sprint's SmartView マジコン connection manager for Windows XP and above, and for Macs running OSX 10.5 and above. the driver can either brake in time or take suitable evasive action.

All cats are grey at night and visibility is very limited .

Conventional low beam light allows drivers a theoretical range of vision of about 50 to 85 metres at night, which does not, however, mean that objects can be recognised at that distance. In tests, the recognisability of a darkly clad pedestrian at twilight was found to be just 29 metres. This is understandable since at greater distances, only the feet are illuminated. If the rule “drive so that you can stop within your visible range” were followed in the dark, it would not be advisable to drive even at 80 km/h since at this speed the braking distance is as much as 63 metres.Philips LED business is inside of Philips lighting so it Led light is more difficult to determine whether they are meeting expectations.

Night vision assistants are good, but in future things will be even better .

Today, night vision assistants like BMW Night Vision are available. They provide the driver with an image of the area in front of the vehicle so that pedestrians and animals can be seen even from distances of several hundred metres away. However, this assumes that the driver uses the Night Vision screen like the rear view mirror and casts a glance at it from time to time. The technology works like this: BMW Night Vision uses an infrared camera with a viewing angle of 24 degrees. It generates a thermal image that shows warm objects – people or animals – as bright shapes.

The marking light – targeted illumination helps to gain time .

Today, it is technically possible to identify the position of pedestrians very accurately. Once this position is known, a headlight can focus on that area and show directly where a pedestrian, who is possibly endangered, is. This system is called the Dynamic Light Spot at BMW. The big difference to other marking light assistants is that the BMW system projects a strip of light on the road to direct the attention of the driver to the hazard. The light automatically draws the attention of the driver to the possible collision and triggers an intuitive and fast reaction from him.

He who sees earlier can react earlier .

In general, it is assumed that a vehicle driver drives in the direction in which he is looking. This has been experienced in vehicle safety training when for example, the driver learns to take evasive action from a tight situation – he usually concentrates on the zone directly in front of the vehicle. So in vehicle safety training, when a collision is imminent, the driver is taught to focus on a free pathway or the “escape route” away from the road so that this particular direction for evasive action is within the line of vision.In many ways LED lights compact fluorescent provide the best of both worlds. They are extremely energy efficient and environmentally friendly (and are, in fact, more environmentally friendly With Dynamic Light Spot, things are different. When an illuminated object that is beyond the braking distance is made visible to the driver, he has sufficient time to use the brakes to stop before the obstacle is reached. At the same time, Dynamic Light Spot and the beam of light on the road are switched off as soon as the vehicle is close enough for the normal lights to continue to illuminate the object. What Dynamic Light Spot from BMW does is to indicate hazards to the driver from as far away as possible and direct his attention to them. The technical components of this system are essentially highly efficient sensors and headlight systems.

The sensor system recognises living creatures by their heat radiation .

To be able to warn the driver of a hazard in time, a recognition distance from the hazard of about 100 metres must be ensured, regardless of the weather conditions. To achieve this, the light marking system must have a sufficiently perceptive sensor system. All the currently available night vision systems based on near infra-red require an input of 100W for illuminating the surroundings in front of the vehicle. This corresponds to an additional CO2 emission of 3 g/km, which is not acceptable in the present circumstances. The BMW Night Vision Assistant has a far greater recognition range and no additional light source is required. This is because BMW Night Vision is based upon detection of the heat radiated by objects and is additionally less susceptible to the influence of the weather. BMW Night Vision guarantees positive recognition of persons at a distance of 97 metres on average.

Dubal mulls shifting to LED lighting

Dubal mulls shifting to LED lighting
Dubai Aluminium (Dubal), operator one of the world's largest single-site primary aluminium smelters, is evaluating the feasibility of converting its lighting system to energy efficient LED lighting, said a senior official.Philips LED business is inside of Philips lighting so it Led light is more difficult to determine whether they are meeting expectations.

“LED technology is not only well tested and proven to be extremely energy efficient but also has become more affordable,” added Tayeb Al Awadhi,Compact fluorescent lights have solved LED lighting supplier many of the problems associated with traditional filament light bulbs. vice president: power & desalination, Dubal.The replacement lighting we feel is far led downlight superior to that of the LED lighting. “The aim is to embark on plant-wide full scale LED lighting conversion at Dubal as soon as practicable.”

“Furthermore,In many ways LED lights compact fluorescent provide the best of both worlds. They are extremely energy efficient and environmentally friendly (and are, in fact, more environmentally friendly these energy-saving bulbs are mercury-free,While SmartView has been slow DSTT and unstable in the past, it seems to have improved greatly with recent updates. making them environment friendly during disposal.”

Dubal has also taken steps to minimize the air-conditioning load by setting the units’ thermostats to 24 degrees Centigrade during working hours and 27 degrees during non-working hours, with advisory stickers being pasted on every thermostat controller to remind users of the initiative.

In addition, a review is currently in progress to convert Dubal’s electrically-driven air-conditioning chillers to a much more efficient system using absorption chiller technology, Al Awadhi said.

“Being steam-driven, absorption chiller technology uses approximately 75 per cent less electrical power than conventional air-conditioning system,” explained Al Awadhi.

“Phase 1 of the project — which entails trialing absorption chiller technology at Dubal’s desalination control building — should begin by the end of 2011. Once operational, the absorption chiller is expected to reduce Dubal’s power consumption by approximately 2 million kWh per annum.”

Dubal will ensure that all unnecessary lights are switched off after working hours, wherever applicable; and that all computers/monitors are also switched off when employees leave after a shift at the office, Al Awadhi added.

“A dedicated committee has been formed within Dubal with the mandate to implement these and other energy-saving initiatives,” he concluded. – TradeArabia News Service

Rexel Australia Electrical Supplies

Rexel Australia Electrical Supplies
Electrical and Data Supplies from Rexel Electrical Supplies
Tubes, Bulbs, Downlight Kits, Work Lights, Exit/Emergency Lights, Desk Lamps
Rexel Electrical Supplies offers a wide range of electrical and data supplies available from John R.Turk stores nationwide.Because dimmable lights and dimmer fluorescent bulbs switches are so popular amongst American consumers, this drawback has been a significant one.

John. R Turk – A full range of electrical and data supplies:
At John R. Turk you’ll find a large range of energy saving LED lights, lamps and tubes, light fittings, power supplies, tools and much, much more from over 200 well-known brands.

Simply register online to see our full range of products or visit one of our 46 branches in NSW, QLD and Northern Territory.It was quick and light when I used dsttマジコン on a Windows 7 laptop, and gave me no trouble throughout a day of rigorous testing.

Product Feature – LED Lights:
Using LED Lights has many benefits; not only to they look great giving your home or business that touch of class but LED lights can also:
Use less electricity than incandescent lights, saving you money
Have a longer life which means reduction in maintenance costs
Admit little to no heat saving on cooling costs and also are less of a fire hazard
Be ideal for both residential and commercial lighting

Some of the LED products available at John R. Turk include:

Tubes – The Osram LED tube SubstiTUBE can be used to replace existing T5 tubes. Offering energy savings of up to 50%.
Bulbs – Sylvania’s general purpose LED light is designed to replace your normal incandescent 60wartt screw in bulbs. This bulb will only use 12 watts, dimmable and will last approximately 25,000 hours!
Downlight Kits – The LEDVANCE Downlight Kit range new from Osram, include features such as: lifespan of 20,000 hours, energy savings of up to 70% , ring colours of matt white or anodized aluminium and high system efficiency up to 70 lm/w. (Brochure available on John R.Thankfully a new form of led strip energy-efficient light bulbs have arrived that provide this desired feature. Turk website)
Work Lights – Cooper lighting’s Mighty D Light, with 80 long life LED lights,Compact fluorescent light bulbs convert a led tube considerably higher percentage of their energy into light, which is why they are significantly more energy efficient than traditional filament bulbs. reflective strips for road side visibility,sale of LED for lighting applications.  Semileds is led lights only a minor palyer and should currently not be mentioned in the same breath as the other others cordless rechargeable unit and 2 hour battery life. Exit/Emergency Lights – The LED exit lights from Legrand, which are energy efficient using only a 3 watt single light source uses 70% less energy than the conventional the old fluorescent versions.
* Desk Lamps - Brilliant Lighting desk lamps consume 80% less energy and use 30 super bright LED’s.

The Fretlight Guitar Sets a Shining Example for Hopeful Guitar Heroes

The Fretlight Guitar Sets a Shining Example for Hopeful Guitar Heroes
With Guitar Hero on extended leave and no new Rock Band title coming out this year, now is the perfect time to trade in our toy guitars for something a bit more substantial. Going from five colorful plastic buttons for six strings with 22 frets each is a daunting task however, especially when music games have trained you to respond to visual cues to guide your playing; you see a green circle, you hold down the corresponding button and strum.The replacement lighting we feel is far led downlight superior to that of the LED lighting. A regular guitar won't flash little circles in front your eyes to help you hit the right notes.

The Fretlight guitar does.

Optek Music Systems' Fretlight is a guitar learning tool like no other. It teaches by example, and that example is a series of red lights blinking on and off on the instrument's neck, letting you know exactly where your fingers need to be to play the music you wish to learn.

How does it work? Let's shed some light.
The Basics

The key to the Fretlight's power lies in a thin layer of LED circuit board pressed between the guitar's neck and polymer fret board. This circuit board contains a red LED for each of the instrument's frets, capable of turning on and off according to the instructions sent to it via the included software suite. Setup is a simple matter of installing the software and plugging the guitar into a Mac or PC via a MIDI to USB cable. As a Fretlight-ready song is played, the frets on the guitar illuminate to indicate where fingers need to be pressed in order to duplicate the sound. These moving lights guide the Fretlight player through the motion of playing songs, forming chords, or crafting light-guided solos to numerous included backing tracks. The software also includes video tutorials which illuminate the Fretlight as the on-screen guitarist plays. Both videos and song files can be slowed,Philips LED business is inside of Philips lighting so it Led light is more difficult to determine whether they are meeting expectations. making it easier for eager students to follow along.
What We Liked:

Not a Bad Little Guitar: You could do a lot worse for the $429.99 asking price of the Fretlight FG-421. The Stratocaster-style alder body has a lovely weight to it, and the sound it crisp and clean when hooked up to an amp or piped through the computer using my M-Audio Fast Track Pro. The five-position pickup switch offers a nice range of tones courtesy of a pair of single coil pickup sand a humbucker. My only real issue with the guitar is a lack of action from the fret board (especially noticeable when bending strings), likely due to it being polymer instead of wood. It's not the sort of instrument you'd bring on stage to make your mark on the music map, but it's a good start.

Connect the Dots to Learning and Fun: The frets in the Fretlight guitar? They light up. I know, I was surprised as well. Used in conjunction with included Fretlight software, the guitar's fret board becomes a lighted you-should-be-here map for your fingers to follow, whether you're trying to learn simple chords or tearing your fingers apart attempting to follow Eric Johnson's "Cliffs of Dover". As a child I took guitar lessons from a man that would simply play something, ask me to play it back, and glare at me judgmentally as I failed. The Fretlight shows you how to play, allows you to set your own pace, and never ever gives you any indication that it's secretly judging you.While SmartView has been slow DSTT and unstable in the past, it seems to have improved greatly with recent updates.Thankfully a new form of led strip energy-efficient light bulbs have arrived that provide this desired feature.

Along with teaching songs, scales and chords the Fretlight software also gives you a chance to flex your solo muscles via its Create a Solo mode. In this mode you select one of 149 backing tracks in wail over. The MIDI files play a series of notes to play that can be plucked in any order to create a passable guitar solo. It makes even the most sausage-fingered novice (me!) sound good, thus it is somewhat addictive.

Required Reading: While I had issues with the Fretlight software in general, tucked away in the 'Chords & Scales' section of the package is a wealth of information about how to actually play the guitar, versus simply watching the red dots flash. Chords are illustrated with photos showing the proper fingering, scales light up the Fretlight with notes that sound perfect when played together. Beyond the lights there are text lessons,In many ways LED lights compact fluorescent provide the best of both worlds. They are extremely energy efficient and environmentally friendly (and are, in fact, more environmentally friendly a glossary of guitar terms, and even a brief introduction to music theory. It's all information just about anyone could find with a Google search, but it's good to have it all in one place.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Marvell chip designed to improve LED light quality

Marvell chip designed to improve LED light quality
Semiconductor company Marvell today is set to introduce a chip geared at improving the light from LED bulbs and connecting them to a network.

The 8801 chip is small--about the size of a penny--and will be about the same price as existing LED lighting electronics. If Marvell signs on light manufacturer customers, it could bring the very good light quality of some commercial LEDs to more affordable consumer products, said Kishore Manghnani, vice president of Marvell's Communications and Consumer business. He said the chip, which integrates multiple functions on this single controller chip, is being tested by commercial or consumer light fixture makers now and it takes them about six months to introduce products with new chips.

Light quality for consumer LED bulbs has improved over the past few years but the color rending index (CRI), a measure of quality, is still not as high as incandescent bulbs. With the chip, Manghnani said a CRI of 95, higher than most of the consumer LED bulbs available now, is possible.

The chip can control the current and temperature of two types of LED light sources. So a fixture or bulb maker could use the chip and driver to use LEDs with two different colors, such as white and red, to improve color rendering. Until now, the electronics to control different colored LEDs would be too large or expensive for consumer products, Manghnani said.

The Marvell component will also make LED dimming more precise and allow a lighting company to embed a wireless chip in the bulb. With a wireless ZigBee or Wi-Fi radio, lights can be controlled from a central point or set on a schedule. Last week, Google demonstrated a networked LED bulb controlled by its Android@Home software due for release by the end of the year.

Marvell's main business is designing electronic components for consumer electronics but it is pushing into energy efficiency with LEDs and connected appliances, such as smart thermostats or smart outlets. One product already available is the Radio Thermostat which connects to a home Wi-Fi network and can be controlled from a smartphone.

How to Make Money During the LED Revolution

How to Make Money During the LED Revolution
According to the Bible, "God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." Not long ago, Congress said, "Let there be no incandescent light of 100-watt capacity or more beyond 2012." Fortunately, this time, LED light is here to assist.

With demand for energy-saving devices going up, LEDs -- or light-emitting diodes -- might just be the next leading light of the market. For the Foolish investor, this could be a good opportunity to add some brightness to your portfolio.

Death of incandescence
A law passed in 2007 by Congress stipulates that bulbs that produce 100 watts' worth of lighting need to meet certain efficiency guidelines beginning in 2012. Since most incandescent bulbs do not meet the prescribed guidelines, many of them face a production or import ban starting in just a few months. By 2014, a similarly tough fate will be met by bulbs producing 40 watts' worth of light. Most lighting companies have, therefore, shifted their focus to alternative lighting technologies.  

As the traditional incandescent light bulb starts to make an overdue exit, LED bulbs are likely to see the tide slowly turning in their favor. The path ahead isn't easy, though.

Technologies like the compact fluorescent light, or CFLs, are probably the most obvious choice after incandescent bulbs, in terms of costs and adaptability. But the disadvantages of CFLs include a shorter life span and slightly higher cost of usage than LEDs. The CFL's lifespan declines more in daily home usage where one needs to switch them on and off frequently. Clearly, there's an opportunity here.

LED by example
Among the movers and shakers of the lighting world, Philips (NYSE: PHG  ) is making some of the first waves in the LED market. At the LightFair lighting conference, Philips unveiled the EnduraLED A21 which uses only 17 watts of power but glows like a 75 watt bulb. The EnduraLED A21, when released, will be the first of its kind to achieve such a feat. This bulb could save electricity bills and the planet at the same time. According to Philips, one can plausibly generate a lifetime savings of $160 on power bills and reduced carbon emissions due to reduced energy consumption using these bulbs.

General Electric (NYSE: GE  ) is also ready for the battle of the bulbs. It's currently showcasing its LED Edge lighting fixtures. Some of the fixtures are slated to make their appearance later this year, while others will make their appearance in the first half of next year. According to GE, these lights will have longer lives in addition to lower power consumption than incandescent bulbs. The fixtures would also include a textured optical screen made by Rambus (Nasdaq: RMBS  ) , a company more well known for its patent-expertise in the computer memory market.

Chip on the shoulder
Apart from Rambus, several other chip makers are also looking to get a piece of the LED pie. One of them is Marvell Technology (Nasdaq: MRVL  ) , which is going to introduce a chip that might increase lighting quality in addition to putting the lights on a network. Embedded Marvell chips in LED lights can allow users to control lights centrally and set schedules. 

Finally, Cree (Nasdaq: CREE  ) might be the most well-known stock to investors interested in LED lighting. Despite some recent struggles, the company is one of the best pure-plays on a LED-lighting driven future. The company recently introduced an LED light that is primarily seen as a replacement of the 60-watt bulb that is aimed at the mass market. Office lighting is also on its radar.

Light of the Fool's eyes
While LED technology is all new and hot and has the potential to become the next big deal in green energy, there are some rough patches on the road ahead. Much like many other green technologies, LED tech has high upfront costs. Although LEDs come with long-term benefits like lower power bills, the high initial price might put off certain buyers.

Currently, the market also has several other competing technologies like CFLs and organic LEDs. But even with the OLEDs, the inhibitor for buyers is the price. Cutting costs on the technology should be the priority for the industry right now before it thinks of brisk business and wide integration.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

SavWatt Signs 100 Electrical Distributors

SavWatt Signs 100 Electrical Distributors and Energy Service Providers and Projects $10 Million in Revenue First 12 Months

(OTCBB: SAVW) pioneers in LED lighting and the Green Revolution, announced today that as a result of overwhelming interest in SavWatt's products at the recent LightFair Exhibition in Philadelphia, Company sign ups of Energy Service Providers and Electrical Supply Distributors as SavWatt Partners will exceed 100 by month end. Partners that sign up with SavWatt receive discounts from SavWatt's standard list price, enabling them to readily resell SavWatt products. With an annual minimum target of $100,000 in purchases required in the agreement in order to maintain their partnership, management projects over $10 million in revenues for the first twelve months of operations.

Michael Haug, CEO of SavWatt commented, "The May 16-19, 2011 International LightFair Show was a very significant debut for SavWatt. We had an overwhelming positive reception and large number of visitors to our booth, especially due to our Eco-Pole exhibit. SavWatt demonstrated that we have what it takes to be a major force in the LED Lighting and Green revolution. We have pre-booked our bigger space for next year's LightFair 2012 in Las Vegas."

About SavWatt
Fast becoming the market leader in LED lighting, SavWatt focuses on developing innovative, energy-efficient and cost-effective LED lighting solutions. By delivering value added, application-specific LED lighting systems, we can significantly reduce energy costs and minimize our carbon footprint world-wide. SavWatt is leading the LED lighting revolution and setting the stage to obsolete the incandescent light bulb. SavWatt's product families include LED fixtures, bulbs, street lights, and parking lights.

This press release contains forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated. Actual results may differ materially due to a number of factors, including the risk we may encounter delays or other difficulties in ramping-up production of our new products; the rapid development of new technology and competing products that may impair demand or render SavWatt's products obsolete; and other factors discussed in SavWatt's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, and subsequent filings.