Tag Archives: light

Monster Smart Illuminessence is bringing color to light @ CES 2022

February 11, 2022CES 2022, Gadgets, Homeces2022, gadgets, illuminessence, led, light, monsterPLUGHITZ Live

Monster Smart Illuminessence home lighting It’s no secret that the world is getting brighter and more color, thanks in part to companies like Xtreme Cables and the Monster Smart Illumenessence line of LED products. Unline most major rands, the Illuminessence product line is designed to be fun, durable, and inexpensive. In fact, when compared against other major brands. the Illuminessence products regularly come in under their competitors. Plus, the lineup has a number of unique products and partnerships.

Individual LED pixels

All of the new products coming out in the Monster Smart Illuminessence are designed with individual LED pixels. This means that, unlike most LED products that can only produce a single color across the entire body, the new products can target each LED with its own color. This OC-controlled LED design means that advanced patterns, similar to what can be found on the Prism and Digit, are now possible across the Illuminessence family.

New Products

Neon Flux+

The Neon Flux+ is an upgrade to the previous Neon light strip. The original Neon is unique because it has a diffuser along its body making it so that you cannot see the individual LED pixels. Instead, it appears as one single light strip. With the new Neon Flux+, you get all of the benefits of the Neon with two big additions: memory wire and individual LED pixels.

The memory wire gives you the ability to use the strip to create all kinds of things, from a Christmas tree to writing. The concept was born when Jennifer Garrett, the Director of Design, tried to write something on her wall with an original Neon. The experience wasn’t ideal because it required a ton of individual holes to spell out “Design.” She wanted a better experience, and so was born the Neon Flux+.

Bistro Lights

The Bistro Lights are designed to be used outdoors. In the summer, they can be used as lighting around your pool or patio, while during the holidays, can be turned into your Christmas lights without having to take them down and put them up. Like all of the new items, each light can be controlled independently, giving you the ability to create some truly spectacular party effects.

Razer Chroma integration

This is, by far, the most exciting addition to the ecosystem for the year. The Monster Smart app is coming to PC, and it will work in conjunction with the Razer Chroma system. With this integration, you’ll be able to extend your gaming and entertainment experience beyond your screen. All of the Smart Illuminessence products will be compatible with the system, allowing you to even extend the lighting into other rooms.

The most exciting ability, of course, is the option to map out your lighting so that the colors on your screen can be mirrored externally. In the example in the booth, Jennifer was showing a Prism, Light Bar, and Arc all working together to replicate the colors from the screen onto the wall and desk.

Summary

Many of the Monster Smart Illuminessence products are available now, with more coming this year. The Monster Smart desktop app with Razer Chroma support is expected to launch in May 2022. To learn more about the products or purchase one for yourself, you can head to the company’s website or to Walmart.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology.

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Kawantech is moving smart technology to the streets @ CES 2021

February 24, 2021CES 2021, Gadgetsces2021, connected city, gadgets, lightPLUGHITZ Live

Kawantech smart public lighting We live in a world of “Smart” everything. Smartphones put the world in our hands. Smartwatches put an entire computer on our wrists. Smart cars can direct, park and even drive us. We have even done interviews for companies that have come up with smart clothing. And although we here at PLUGHITZ love it all (ok, most of it), it’s getting to the point where new ideas for smart technology are beginning to get mocked and seen as a bit of an overreach by some. So, we have probably hit that point where there’s really nothing else to smarten up, right? Well… No. Some engineers are actually so insightful that they are able to see amazing potential in even the most common items. And Kawantech is one of the companies that share in this ingenuity.

In fact, they are a company that has been created by skilled entrepreneurs that have experience in connected vehicles and infrastructure. And while we are all aware of the strides that have been made in automobile electronics and technology, most people don’t even think about making the actual infrastructure smart. But Kawantech believes that cities actually need digital infrastructure, as well. This will help to get a whole new generation of public services that are based around mobility. A modern city with new technologies can bring added safety and also improve daily life. But creating all new components to add to the current infrastructure would be cumbersome, costly, and possibly bad for the environment. But what they have created is actually a great idea that, in concept, will save money, resources, and even lives.

Their concept is smart public lighting, specifically streetlights. By adding a brain (KARA) inside of streetlights, cities will have the ability to regulate energy, keep the streets safer and even help to alleviate traffic jams. What a great idea! Taking an existing, and useful, object and modifying it to be even more useful. Their concept adds sensors that can be enabled to do things like monitor and report traffic conditions to existing map apps that will add another layer to help commuters better navigate their routes. And uses/features can continue to be upgraded as time goes on and be better adapted to the needs of the users. As for the light itself, it is engineered to be extremely energy efficient. For starters, they will only light up when needed. They will also have the ability to be brighter on the sidewalks and crosswalks than in the streets, to make sure that pedestrians are always well lit and can easily be seen by drivers. Overall, this will allow for energy savings of up to 70% for the cities while keeping the citizens safer and happier.

To find out more, make sure to watch the full interview and visit the Kawantech website.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology.

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CL360 is a bright lighting idea for 360 photos and videos @ CES 2021

February 5, 2021Camera, Cameras, CES 2021, Gadgetscameras, ces2021, gadgets, lightPLUGHITZ Live

CL360 Camera Light One of the growing trends in digital photography and videography is 360. There are a lot of ways to take advantage of this medium, but it also produces a number of unique challenges. The biggest issue has been in lighting. You can’t set up a whole big room or yard full of lighting in order to light your photos correctly, so what do you do? The CL360 Camera Light is the solution to this problem.

If you have used a 360 camera, you know that they generally sit on a tripod or monopod. They then produce their 360 photos or videos, editing out the very bottom of the frame, thus eliminating the majority of the mounting hardware. That is exactly where the CL360 Camera Light finds itself – under the camera. It takes its place between the camera and the mounting solution and produces a very bright wash light in all directions. It can be used as an always-on solution for video, or as a flash for still photos.

The idea here, of course, is to make the quality of your projects better. There is nothing worse than a photo or video that is too dark to be seen. It is even worse when the media is being used in a professional or production setting. For example, anyone who has looked to purchase a house has seen a 360 photo of the rooms in the home that are absolutely dreadful. Besides being placed in the wrong positions, which can only be fixed by training, they are also dark. It makes sense since the houses usually have no power, but adding proper lighting can make the experience better. The same holds true when looking at videos in VR that are produced in a darker environment, such as outside at night.

The CL360 Camera Light is currently in final testing and is hoped to be on the market by mid 2021. For more information and to get updates on production, check out the company website.

Interview by Daniele Mendez of The New Product Launchpad.

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Monster Smart Illuminessence brings the color to your home @ CES 2021

January 27, 2021Accessories, CES 2021, Gadgets, Homeces2021, gadgets, led, light, monsterPLUGHITZ Live

Monster Smart Illuminessence LED decoration One of the companies that have been a consistent guest for us at CES has been Monster. We’ve talked about headphones, earbuds, speakers, and more. Last year, we had the opportunity to speak about one of the newer additions to the Monster family – Monster Smart Illuminessence. This new line of LED products has become incredibly popular, with Jennifer Garrett’s reveal of the products being our top viewed interview of 2020. So, of course, we had to have her back to show us what’s new for 2021.

In the totally new category, Monster Smart Illuminessence has a couple of really cool products. First, we’ve got The V – a clear acrylic tent with fully controllable LEDs embedded. It is able to do all of the cool swirling animations of its bigger cousins, Prism and Digit. It will come in a pack of six with a charging base. Because it is acrylic, you can use it to write on with dry-erase markers for place settings, table decorations, and more.

Next is the Arc, another device featuring the swirling LED animation capabilities. The Arc, however, is designed to be a combination lamp and headphone stand. It also includes a 10-watt Qi-certified wireless charger. In addition to the multicolor LED capability, the Arc is able to be used in warm white and reading light modes, making it a great companion for a nightstand or desk. Following along is the Studio, a ring light with similar capabilities to the Arc. It will also add the ability to be used as a clock.

2021 will also see upgrades to some of the existing product lines. Jennifer showed us a Midnight Edition of both the Digit and Prism. These devices look and function like their original counterparts, but with a dark body. The darker body mutes the lighting to an extent, but also allows it to fit into a mare natural or darker environment than the current white body.

The biggest upgrade comes to the Neon, which is an indoor/outdoor LED strip with a diffuser. The current version of the Neon can do a single color at a time but the second edition, dubbed the Neon Flow, will implement the same kind of animation as the other products in the lineup.

The company is hoping to launch these products in the Summer of 2021. For more information on the current Monster Smart Illuminessence product line and follow the journey of future products, check out their website, and for help with setting up these products, check out our How To videos.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology.

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Wakka Wakka: Solar Power and Emergency Lighting When Needed

January 14, 2014CES 2014, Gadgets2014, CES, charger, light, solar, wakka wakkaJeffrey Powers

Solar powered chargers and lights are not new, but when you do something valuable and helpful — that gets you noticed. That is what I liked about Wakka Wakka: the company is making solar products that help you along with helping people in 3rd world countries get power as well.

Wakka Wakka has on one end a solar panel that can charge the battery inside and give you over 40 hours of light. It can also charge devices if you need emergency power.

The device charges within 8 hours itself and is a perfect item for you boat, house or anywhere you need emergency power. The stand has a hole in it so you can set the charger on a bottle. That way you lift it off the window sill and get the solar device powered even faster.

Wakka Wakka also is helping in 3rd world countries that do not have a standard power grid. By powering these devices in the sun, they can charge their systems to make the day go faster. They also have lights for nighttime travel.

Best part is they are developing a full home emergency kit. The device is not released yet — you’ll have to watch the video for more information. In the meantime, go to www.getwakawaka.com for product lines.

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Interview by Jeffrey Powers of Geekazine

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Fitness Technology Underwater Mini Cameras, Lights at 3,000 Lumens

February 21, 2012CES 2012, Gadgets3000 lumens, camera, CES, fitness technologies, lightJeffrey Powers

Fitness Technologies has been making waterproof MP3 players since 1996. This year, Fitness Technologies introduced a new line of waterproof video cameras designed for rugged outdoor use.

The first is a helmet-mountable cameras and lamps – up to 3,000 lumens. That is a bright light, no different than a headlight. The light has an interesting look, because they contain a heat-sink to keep the light’s heat down.

Fitness Technologies have mini cameras that fit into a waterproof case.

FitnesstechUSA cameras retail for $200 to $250 and are available now.

You can see all three cameras in the video below, plus you can get a look at a pair of tiny waterproof MP3 player and a new line of diving flashlights. You can find more about these and other products by visiting Fitness Tech USA.

Interview by Jeffrey Powers of Geekazine and Andy Smith of Geocaching World

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