Gizmodo buddy Kate Greene interviewed QD Vision's Seth Coe Sullivan and the founder of the MIT spinoff explained the process as such:

The quantum dot lighting solution is relatively simple: Adding red quantum dots to a white LED makes the resulting white light appear warmer. Light from the LED gives electrons in the quantum dots an energetic boost for a short time; when the electrons return to their lower energy state, they emit a photon, a process called photoluminescence. (Photoluminescence is in contrast to electroluminescence, in which electric current, not light, excites electrons.)

Unlike filters, the method does not soak up light and hurt efficiency — they're taking "blue photons from the LED and outputting red photons from the quantum dots." QD Vision's tech got some press earlier in the year, but I hadn't noticed it before writing my ode to the classic lightbulb. And although the bulbs aren't out yet, they'll be $100 when they are. We'll have to take one for a spin when they come around. And if they work, and last as long as they say they should, I'm going to kiss the incandescent goodbye forever. [Kate Greene]

The Yas Hotel in Dubai's sister Emirate, Abu Dhabi, has earned the impressive (though weirdly categorized) title of the world's largest LED project, which, given that it's comprised of about 5,300 steel panels adorned with over 5000 lighting fixtures, I don't doubt it for a second. The lighting grid can change colors and display patterns, and, though it's a stretch, play low-res video.

Underneath this curvilinear shell is a typically extravagant 500-room hotel, which, bizarrely, is divided by a Formula 1 race track, meaning that this egregious phallic symbol is regularly entered and exited by other compensatory phallic symbols, raced in competition to win yet more phallic symbols, which is a bit too much for me to process, now or ever. [Inhabitat via Flavorwire]

The Zero is available in several different configurations, ranging from a wall sconce to ceiling lamps to floor and table models. The lamps also come with color filters and perforations that create an other worldly ambiance with LED lighting effects. It's worth checking out Punto's other products as well—their self-titled and Linea lines are equally as impressive. [Punto via Trendir]

We take the miracle of the lightbulb for granted. We've been doing this for probably almost 100 years now, within a generation or two after the world figured out AC was the way to send power over distance, and the subsequent widespread adoption. But as LEDs get better and studies are done, the old regular lightbulb is going to villainized as an energy hog. Which it is.

A study covered by the NYTimes today drives the point home even further. Done by lightbulb company (of the old and new kind) Osram, it went beyond the typical lumen-per-watt analysis and studied the entire lifecycle, from manufacturing to disposal. And it was damning. Even considering the relative complication of an LED lightbulb's design, the equivalent life of incandescent bulbs are not as green. Five times less green, they say.

I lament every study like this that passes the news wire. Some others are skeptical of LED lightbulbs today, even while believing in the future of them. Maggie Koerth-Baker at Boingboing covers LED lighting as a beat and says that the best lights are commercial—that the 20 dollar kind at Home Depot are basically, a big fat lie. The thousands of hours they're supposed to live are often off by factors of 20, and that throws the whole green equation off, if you assume Osram didn't do real testing of LED life. And I doubt they did since they're the manufacturer of bulbs, but have no data here. Let's believe that for a moment, ignoring the vague conflicts of interest that may exist in a company that sells lightbulbs, even if it sells both. No matter what you say, LED lightbulbs are efficient as hell. And the new and efficient must replace the old.

This desertion of technology where raw energy is being wasted has a side effect of eliminating the beauty that comes from devices closely harnessing and taming the most primal forces. In the last half century, I feel as if we've turned away from wanting to know where untamed power comes from, much like we stopped wanting to know where meat comes from. First the nuke plants went boom in Chernobyl, and then our dreams for a safe, nuclear-powered future go with it. And steam-powered devices, even in play, are ok, as long as we don't talk about the majority of steam powered devices being powered by ugly, sooty coal. Electric cars are seen as far more futuristic, efficient and cool than the muscular cars that harness fire—fire!—in blocks of metal, powered by sipping pickled dinosaur juice. Electric ranges are being used in the most tech'd high end restaurants for sake of control and efficiency, and although BBQ will never die, I would find it hard to argue with the efficiency of electric range if I were building a new home. We think "fire"—smoke or smokeless—is primitive and has no place in our future. Consider this all more man vs nature conflict, where man further tames the wild and natural. And another step in the suppression of an analog world by digital means. This decade, the lightbulb, driven by hot filament so ready to ignite if only it were given oxygen and a chance, finds itself under this same scrutiny. This coming decade will find it a relic and a terrible thing to have around, given a greener alternative.

Somewhere along the line, because of these treehuggers and the energy bean counters and studies obsessed with efficiency, we forgot about how wonderful lightbulbs look. The hot light you'd find in a blacksmith's forge as he hammered away at horseshoes. Or a miniature Sun, (although nothing alike) because of the way the yellow lights brand marks into your eyes if you stare directly at them. Like the fire of a hundred candles, on demand. I like this. But never mind that, the studies say. We will come leaps and bounds forward with LED lightbulbs. For efficiency!

Most of this does not concern me, or move me to object in any way to LED lightbulbs, as much as the thought of LED light itself, so alien, in my house. In wikipedia, we get a description, under the disadvantages of the problems of white LEDs that "spike at 460 nm and dip at 500 nm," causing objects to be "perceived differently under cool-white LED illumination than sunlight or incandescent sources, due to metamerism." I don't know what that means, exactly, but it's easy to imagine and be horrified by the thought of my home filled with the kind of blue/white lighting more appropriate for the bridge of a space ship than the place where my intimate life occurs. I cannot imagine and would not read, make love, bathe, have friends over, eat dinner, listen to music or play with my dogs under LED lighting blue enough to make hospital or high school lighting fixtures look as natural as skylights after sunrise.

The general trend is that LEDs get twice as bright/efficient every 36 months, but brightness is not the issue here. They should stop this research, and focus on whatever it takes to make LED lightbulbs look like they're powered by hot tungsten on the verge of incinerating itself to illuminate our private night lives. That kind of raw power and energy might be a wasteful relic of our past, but quality of glow is something we should be mindful of measuring, too. Lightbulb makers, you should not forget where we came from when building the future.

*OLED lights like this one are supposedly closer to traditional bulbs in quality but if regular LED isn't price or energy efficient yet, um, OLED lights like this one aren't going to be closer.

This art installation is called "An Almost Ephimeral Autumn" and was created by a group called Luzinterrupus. It took them about three hours to set it up in a Madrid park.

Unfortunately this was only a short exhibit, and the leaves remained trapped in a pretend breeze for a mere four hours. What a shame. I'd have loved to hop on a plane and race through that park, pretending to be an autumn fairy. [Design Boom]

I suppose this is the right bed for you if you prefer to pleasure partners like you're a character in a supernatural slasher film or in an '80s metal music video—but I digress. The bed, nightstand and wall lamp combo are handcrafted from rotten teak planks, which provides ideal cavities to embed LEDs (a clear epoxy material generates the light color effect). Guys with little taste and lots of money can score a set for $7,500. [Treecycled Furniture via Born Rich]

Less than five bucks for an 8-LED lamp that won't even be a blip on your electricity bill? Why not grab one, especially if it somehow pisses off your teleco? [Uxsight via OhGizmo! via Wired]

In other words, you could use duct tape to actually pimp something out as opposed to simply keeping it together. That must be what designer Keywon had in mind when he came up with a prototype called Sculpt-a-Light. By rolling the tape and connecting the ends, you complete the circuit. Of course, you would need a smaller and more effective power source before anything like this could actually be considered for the mass market, but it is an interesting idea nonetheless. [Keywon via Architectradure via OhGizmo]

But we'll admit it—this techno-barbarism is strangely hypnotic. [Soomi Park via fashioningtechnology via Valleywag]

That is to say, he made a 3D printing of a dead firefly and crammed three LEDs inside. As bizarre as this is, a whole swarm of these would make for an interesting chandelier. [Design News Now via No Smarties via Boing Boing]

You control the 12-person table through two 15-inch touchscreen monitors. Their controls drive an integrated PC, speakers w/amp and, of course, all of those RGB LEDs that cover so much of the table's surface.

There is a future for integrated technology behind the cold metal and plastic shells that are so popular today. But the Stardust Table isn't it. We hope. [Treecycled Furniture via Bornrich]

One press of this oversized key will illuminate your workspace, giving you an unprecedented tactile experience and level of control over your environment. If you happen to be a food addict that spends most of their day eating and crying in the dark, I suggest going with a lighting solution that is more your speed. [CTRL Light and Shift Light]

The Price

$30

The Verdict

It's handy, even if we'd like to see the price drop by $10.

Taking the Gorillatorch out of the box, my immediate reaction was that it was a bit smaller than I'd expected. Especially compared to their dSLR tripod, pictured here, it's a little guy.
But the small size isn't necessarily a bad thing. Coupled with bright light output (that will blind you head-on) and feet that will stick firmly to metal surfaces (seriously, if you twist the light, the legs flex while the feet stayed glued), it's incredibly multifunctional. You can wrap or stick the torch almost anywhere you need some extra light.
I also loved the six-shooter style AA battery compartment.

Of course, this is an LED light. And that means it's more of a spotlight than a warmly diffused bulb. Reading requires creative positioning to avoid the overexposed center. Luckily, the LED is on a dimmer, so you can tweak the output pretty aggressively.

My biggest qualm is the price. For $30, I'd prefer the LED to be removable so the tripod could be used to hold a camera as well. But if you've got a good job, then sure, the Gorillatorch will scratch that consumer itch. [Gorillatorch]


Magnetism in feet is quite strong

Extremely high quality, flexible Gorillapod legs

Useful, dimming LED

Removable head would be welcome

Sometimes harsh spotlight output

The tub also features touch controls and a motion-activated hand shower. Unfortunately, it's only a concept—but the design was good enough to become a Red Dot 2009 award winner. [Red Dot via Born Rich via Unplgged via DVICE]

It does, however, stream 1080p from a wireless source. That and the clear plastic block design—appearing as if the panel is suspended in a thin block of Lucite, like a visible LCD version of Han Solo—mean it's guaranteed to look oh so purdy hanging on a wall and from the side. What remains to be seen is how good the XBR10 looks compared to the XBR8. (The obscenely over-engineered set from two generations ago looked better to reviewers than the XBR9.)

The set has a few more things going for it, too. Like DLNA media streaming, Youtube, Amazon on Demand and "later in the fall, Netflix". (There are also other services, but I have no doubt they'll be of lesser value than the ones I mentioned.) It plays 24p content and has 240Hz tech, which interpolates 3 frames for every one (a tech that no one can see.) And it'll have the cross media interface.

The thing about the XBR8 was that it was expensive; the picture quality alone could not justify the $3000-$4000 cost. So, how does a wireless set like this one get away with costing $4500 and $5000 for 46 and 52-inch flavors?

SONY ADDS SUPER SLIM EDGE-LIT LED MODELS TO BRAVIA HDTV LINE
New XBR10 LCDs Feature 1080p Wireless High Definition Leaving the Cables Behind

ATLANTA (CEDIA Booth # 1409), Sept. 9, 2009 – Sony today introduced a new line of ultra-thin BRAVIA™ LCD HDTVs featuring an advanced edge-lit LED backlight and exceptional contrast ratio of over 1,000,000:1.

The XBR10-series models also deliver full 1080p wireless transmission of high definition signals from a separate media box to a receiver embedded in the TV, allowing source components to be placed out of sight.

"BRAVIA is on the cutting edge of television technology and the XBR10 series pushes the limits of industry-leading, innovative features," said Jeff Goldstein, vice president of the television business for Sony Electronics. "Not only will this TV look striking when hanging on a wall, the wireless feature clears the clutter of components and messy tangles of unsightly wires, allowing you to hide components away across the room."

The XBR10 models also feature an Ethernet connection allowing them to directly access Sony BRAVIA Internet Video content using an existing broadband network. The platform offers one of the largest selections of free and premium movies, TV shows, sports, music and more from an array of partners like, Amazon Video on Demand, YouTube®, Slacker Internet Radio, and, later this fall, Netflix.

Bravia Internet Widgets, powered by the Yahoo! Widget Engine, also expand and personalize the TV experience by adding on-screen applications that provide such information as weather reports, stock information, financial news, Twitter, and additional content.

The full HD 1920 x 1080 progressive (1080p) models also feature Sony's Motionflow™ 240Hz technology, which delivers exceptionally crisp and detailed images with natural motion. The Motionflow algorithm goes beyond traditional 120Hz technology by quadrupling the frame rate of conventional LCD TVs and interpolating three new frames.

The models are Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA®) compliant, enabling easy access to digital photos, music, and video stored on a PC or other DLNA server using the XMB® interface and the TV's remote control. They also offer a USB input for displaying digital photos or playing digital video and music files from a USB storage device.

Other notable features include:
BRAVIA Engine™ 3
24p True Cinema™
xross media bar™ (XMB)with enhanced 3D favorites Menu
Internet powered TV Guide Onscreen

BRAVIA Sync™
4 HDMI inputs
RS232C
Single PC, component, composite and component/composite selectable inputs

It's designed by Yukio Hashimoto who says he designed it with the image of a bird perched under the moonlight in mind. I'd be interested to see how the wood deals with heat dissipation, but given you need to contact Yamagiwa for pricing, I'm sure I can't afford one anyway. Sure is perty, though. [Yamagiwa Lighting via DVICE via Book of Joe]

Despite what the aesthetics might suggest, something like this could be invaluable for commuters, people with poor eyesight, and fans of Tron. [Toxel via Designlaunches via Boing Boing Gadgets]

Halo is a concept by French designer Aissa Logerot. Shaped like a bottle of spray paint, the LED light can change colors on the fly and while it's powered by an internal battery (that recharges with a simple shake of the can—a cutesy but awesome idea).

Combine this LED light with slow-shutter photography and you can freeze light graffiti in thin air without ruining a facade in the process. Of course, that non-destructive practicality probably eliminates any incentive for about 99.9% of graffiti enthusiasts.


[Halo via Core77]