"Oh Kickstarter, is there anything you can't do?"
Apparently not, given the supremely exciting level of participation in the Kickstarter effort for the LIFX, a WiFi-enabled, multi-colored, energy-efficient LED light bulb that you can control with your iPhone or Android phone.
As of writing this, there were 51 days to go on the project, and already 8,732 backers totalling a whopping $1,309,901.
The creators of the project were only hoping for $100,000.
Self-proclaimed as "the smartest light bulb you've ever experienced," the LIFX is set to deliver you 25 years of lighting, reduce your energy costs, and give you the novelty — and most likely the functionality — of a light bulb you can control from your phone.
There is a sheer plethora of features that will be available if you install an LIFX in your home:
- Control your lights from anywhere
- Choose any brightness for a specific bulb, a room or your whole house
- Create the colors to match any mood or decor
- Get notifications such as Twitter, Facebook, Texts and more
- Reduce your energy consumption and save money
- Visualise your music with animated colors
- Make an impression at your next dinner party
- Get creative with colors and effects
- Create a night light for your kids
- Security mode when you're on holidays
- Create groups of lights
- Robot dance like it's 1999
I'm sure the last point there is relevant to someone, but ….
On top of all of the pre-programmed abilities, the designers of this new technology are going to be releasing a software developer kit (SDK) and a hacker kit so hackers and developers can do what they like with the bulb, freeing the market for as many apps as can be imagined.
Naturally, the LIFX App will be available for free on the iOS App Store and Google Play, and the developers also have hopes to make apps for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
If you are at all interested in finding out more about this fantastic light bulb, head on over to the Kickstarter project where the inventors — Phil Bosua, Andrew Birt, Andy Gelme, John Bosua, Ben Hamey, Dave Evans and Guy King — have laid out the entire project for anyone to read and understand.
