Traditional methods of learning to play an instrument can be frustrating for beginners, especially when it comes to memorizing instrument key position and music scores.

Everlight Electronics, a leading player in the global LED and optoelectronics industry, introduces a new member of its ITR series of reflective sensors for use in printers, copiers, scanners and for non-contact switching environments like a proximity sensor.

CRAIC Technologies, a leading innovator of UV-visible-NIR microanalysis solutions, is proud to announce the addition of circular polarization spectroscopy capabilities to CRAIC microspectrophotometers.  This unique feature is offered as packages that allow the user to measure the circular polarization spectra in either transmission or reflectance modes.  T he ability to measure circular polarization microspectra™ represents a powerful new tool for both materials science and biological research. 

Planar Systems, a global leader in display and digital signage technology, announced the Planar® DirectLight™ LED Video Wall System, which combines a proprietary, advanced design across a choice of four resolutions ranging from 1.6 to 3.1 millimeter pitch, providing exceptional visual performance, thin mounting depth, precise alignment, mission-critical reliability and adaptability to different customer uses. Planar will debut the Planar DirectLight LED Video Wall System this week at the Digital Signage Expo (DSE) 2015.

Huawei continues to break new ground in the wearables space by unveiling today the Huawei Watch, powered by Android Wear™ at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2015. The fully circular watch features a 1.4-inch touch-sensitive AMOLED display, scratch-proof sapphire crystal lens, cold-forged stainless steel frame, and comes with a built-in heart rate monitor and 6-Axis motion sensors. The Huawei Watch is the first smartwatch in the Huawei wearable family.

LG Electronics has recently announced plans of partnering up with Chinese and Japanese companies to make OLED display TVs more mainstream, according to a Reuters report.

PayGo solar expert Azuri Technologies has introduced a new generation of LED lamps designed specifically for African off-grid rural markets. The new lamps feature in Azuri’s fully digital Quad solar home system, to be released in March.

Thomas Research Products (TRP), a leading manufacturer of SSL power solutions and accessories, announces adding the EnOcean 0-10V LED Relay Controller to its wireless OEM lighting portfolio. The 0-10V LED controller complements TRP's recently launched ZenNet Self-Powered Wireless Lighting Control System for a flexible and energy-saving lighting system. Visitors to Strategies in Light (February 24-26, Las Vegas) can experience the innovative wireless control suite at TRP's booth 923.

Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America (SIICA), a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation, announces the launch of its new PN-E series of LED displays designed for a wide range of professional applications. With their sleek design, and support for landscape and portrait installations, the PN-E703/E603 professional-grade displays offer an amazing degree of flexibility for around-the-clock operations.

With the increasing demand for smartphones, the market request for mobile phone pixel has been rising. To provide the best photography effects for customers, mobile phone manufacturers require the specification of phone flash should be upgraded. At present, the brightness range of Flash LEDs is between 180~280lm, with each smartphone using 1-2 LED pieces. Benefitting from the booming up smartphone market, the usage volume of Flash LED has continued to grow.

With its SPL BF98-40-5 laser bar Osram Opto Semiconductors has succeeded in combining power and beam quality like never before. Thanks to its high brilliance, the laser diode considerably reduces the complexity of coupling light into fibers. Diode or fiber laser systems for material processing can be made simpler and therefore more cost-effective. Even at its maximum output of more than 60 watts the component has an impressively long life.

Phoseon Technology, the leader in UV LED curing solutions, today announced the launch of the FireJet™ FJ800 area curing solution for electronics manufacturing. The new air-cooled solution is optimized for production lines with large area applications such as micro speakers, camera modules and flat panel displays. Starting from a base curing area of 100mm x 100mm, these modular products can scale in all directions and provide contiguous, uniform UV output. The FJ800 light sources are available in 365nm and 395nm wavelengths and come with a separate controller that uses a simple, intuitive graphical interface.

Kiekert AG, the global technology leader in automotive locking systems, has developed an industry-first LED door latch with a variety of unique safety, security and product-branding features.

New LED lighting has been installed on an advertising billboard in Mumbai, India.  The luminaires, designed and manufactured by Leo Integrated Technologies Pvt Ltd, leverage the Bridgelux Vero(R) 29 LED Arrays to produce higher quality colors and brighter illumination than the existing metal halide.

Taurus®, a U.S. gun manufacturer has launched a controversial smartphone sized gun that is equipped with LEDs.

At the Smart City Expo World Congress, Silver Spring Networks unveiled the next generation of its multi-application, smart city networking platform. Key advancements to Silver Spring’s IPv6-based networking platform include smart city extensions in the Streetlight.Vision Central Management System (CMS) software, integrated GPS, a migration path for those dependent on antiquated GPRS, and successful interoperability testing with multiple smart city CMS solutions in advance of certification for the TALQ outdoor lighting protocol. Silver Spring also announced new partners EnLight and Lumnex, who are integrating their smart lighting technologies with the Silver Spring networking and software platform.

Think-Eleven, a San Diego based business development and consulting agency and IC12, an electronics and product design firm, announced the launch of its joint Kickstarter campaign for the Lume Cube. Controlled via a wireless Bluetooth-enabled app, the Lume Cube is a powerful and ultra-portable lighting tool that will open new creative possibilities for photographers and videoagraphers of any skill level looking to get the most out of their smartphone cameras, action cams and more traditional digital cameras. 

Fujitsu Laboratories announced the development of a technology that can embed ID data in light cast by LEDs or other light sources onto objects, and also recover this ID data from objects that have been lit in this way.

Light pioneer Mercedes-Benz offers a preview of what the future holds: instead of the 24 LEDs of the gridded high beam module in the CLS headlamp, 84 LEDs per headlamp will soon be providing for even better light quality and even greater safety at night. In the medium term, as many as 1024 pixels per LED will enable optimum illumination of the road at every speed and in all traffic conditions – and without dazzling other road users.

Everlight Electronics, a leading player in the global LED and optoelectronics industry, will showcase its broad and growing infrared portfolio at electronica 2014 that includes infrared LEDs, photo transistors and photo diodes, infrared receiver modules, optical sensors, photocouplers and high speed couplers. A particular attention this year will be given to three new high performance optocouplers EL617, EL101X and EL121N that combine a high breakdown voltage of 80V with a wide operating temperature range from -55 to 110°C which enhances system reliability.

ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual solution products, announces their latest solid state LED-based, DLP® projectors, the PLED-W600 and PLED-W800, are now shipping. These projectors are lightweight, bright, and come with an integrated MHL-enabled HDMI input allowing users to project directly from compatible mobile devices, as well as from wireless HDMI dongles such as Google’s Chromecast™ device. 

Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Taiwan's largest and one of the world's leading high-tech research and development institutions, is pleased to introduce In-Line Compact Thermal Analyzer (ICTA) Technology. The world's leading automatic thermal analyzer, ICTA offers a measurement speed of 12,000 LEDs per hour, reducing each LED's component thermal resistance testing time to 0.3 seconds. This is 2,000 times faster than the traditional lab method where only six components can be measured per hour. ITRI will receive a 2014 R&D 100 Award  in November for this breakthrough technology in the "Imaging" category.

Li-Fi, a technology that transmits large quantities of data using blinking LED light signals undetectable to the human eye, was considered a substitute for the radio frequency based Wi-Fi transmission during the technology’s early development stages. Yet, the technology’s applications has gradually evolved since it was created by Harald Haas, a professor at the University of Edinburgh, in 2010.

Here at Valuelights we all knew LED lighting was awesome but we didn’t realise how much they had been snapped up in the media, hitting the big screens of Hollywood for their chance to shine with the stars. We’ve compiled the top 10 moments LED has gained its 15 minutes of fame, and schmoozed with the rich and famous.

Royal Philips (NYSE:PHG, AEX:PHIA), the global leader in lighting, today announces the launch of Philips BlueControl, a clinically tested1,5 wearable medical device2 that uses blue LED light to control mild to moderate cases of psoriasis vulgaris. Philips BlueControl will be introduced to international healthcare professionals at the European Academy of Dermatology & Venereology (EADV) Congress (8th - 12th October) in Amsterdam. It will be prescribed by physicians and available through distributors in The Netherlands, Germany and The UK from October 2014.

In an industry first, TCL today introduced a 55-inch full-gamut 4K UHD TV with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price at one-third the cost of comparable OLED color televisions. All consumers of entertainment, whether for gaming, movies or other programming, can now enhance their viewing experience with deeper, sharper and more natural color at an accessible price.

Through its new Outdoor LED Light Box, POP Display and Sign now offers an affordable option for outdoor marketing messages. The high quality construction and sleek modern design of this product ensures that it is a perfect fit for retail, educational, hospitality and other environments where key marketing messages need to be seen.

An ambitious Canadian researcher hopes to be able to plant strawberries and cherry tomatoes on the moon or other planets in the near future, according to a CBC report.

A Mexican software development company Sisoft has caught up with Scottish research team headed by Harald Haas in achieving 10Gbps Internet data transmission using Visible Light Communications (VLC) aka LiFi, according to an Engineering and Technology Magazine report.

Steve Ferrara, Category Product Manager, Philips Healthcare Lighting,is the author of the following Philips Lumec blog post.