Chinese smartphone manufacturer Meizu will be launching its latest model Meizu Pro 6 on April 13, 2016, with recent market rumors from China pointing the new phone might be equipped with LED ring flash, reported Android Headlines.

Highlights this week: Apple has dropped Osram Licht from its list of top 200 suppliers and added Royal Philips to its supply chain, ahead of the release of the iPhone 7.

Using state-of-the-art theoretical methods, UCSB researchers have identified a specific type of defect in the atomic structure of a LED that results in less efficient performance. The characterization of these point defects could result in the fabrication of even more efficient, longer lasting LED lighting.

Kyulux, an advanced materials startup that is commercializing the next generation of OLED display and lighting technology known as TADF (Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence), announced today that Samsung Venture Investment Corporation took the lead in a $13.5 million (¥1.5 Billion Japanese Yen) Series A round of venture funding.  Participating in the round were global OLED panel manufacturers including Samsung Display, LG Display, Japan Display and JOLED, top tier Japanese venture capital funds, and a Japanese Government affiliated venture fund. Kyushu University also announced the transfer of a large portfolio of TADF related patents and equity participation by the university in the financing. 

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and OLEDWorks LLC announced today that OLEDWorks is developing a new lighting prototype with support from NYSERDA that would save energy and not disrupt sleep patterns for patients in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. OLEDWorks will collaborate with Highland Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center, which has formed a team of doctors and nurses to provide feedback on the innovative white and amber OLED lighting system.

Foxconn’s acquisition of Sharp could help Apple reduce its dependency on Samsung for OLED display panels, analyzed 9to5Mac.

Matheson Tri-Gas, Inc., together with its parent company, Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (TNSC), has announced that the Solid State Lighting & Energy Electronics Center (SSLEEC), the world renowned research center at the University of California, Santa Barbara, installed an SR-4000HT grade gallium nitride (GaN) metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) reactor for its continued compound semiconductor device developmental work for UVCLED. SSLEEC is co-directed by Nobel Prize-winning Professor Shuji Nakamura and Professor Steven DenBaars.

Affected by the uncertain economic outlook, Taiwanese LED manufacturer Everlight’s business operations in 2016 lacked strong growth momentum, reported Taiwanese media UDN. Waning consumer consumption led to sliding revenues in the backlight market, which has neutralized lighting market growth. 

LED headlights found in 31 different midsize car models evaluated delivered a relatively mediocre performance out in the first headlight ratings conducted by The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the U.S.

It might not be something the general public will necessarily notice, but they will see it.

Airbus has launched its new Cabin brand “Airspace by Airbus”. At the heart of this new philosophy Airbus connects the wellbeing for passengers with the operational performance for its airline customers. Representing the best of Airbus’ cabin innovation and design, Airspace will offer a sophisticated, flexible canvas as a back-drop to enhance the airlines’ own brands. 

A recent report from renowned Apple specialist and analyst Ming Chi Kuo from KGI Securities projects the current iPhone 6 design might be overhauled in the next generation phone, and be replaced with a 5.8” curved glass casing AMOLED display phone, reported MacRumors.

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) announced that ANSI Accredited Standards Committee C78 reaffirmed C78.1430 Slide Projector Lamps, Condensing, Dichroic, 1.65-in. (42 mm), Integral Reflector, Rim Reference Tungsten-Halogen Lamps with GX5.3 Bases. This standard defines the dimensional limits and other physical characteristics required to ensure commonality and interchangeability and to assist in the proper application of projection lamps.

Seoul Semiconductor announced that it won a patent infringement lawsuit regarding LED backlight lens technology against Japanese lens maker Enplas.

A report from IHS recently claimed AMOLED panel production costs for smartphone displays was nearing LCD displays or translated into LED industry language ready to take out LED backlight, reportedPhonearena.com and Korean media ETnews.

Nichia announced several LED patent lawsuits this week, including its two patent infringement suits filed against TV manufacturer Vizio in Eastern Court of Texas and District Court for the Central District of California in U.S., and ongoing YAG patents lawsuit against Everlight China. The lawsuit filed against Vizio stands out in particular, since it targets the end product manufacturer instead of a LED chip or component supplier.

Dutch lighting giant Philips Lighting has started selling energy efficient LED bulbs at Palace shopping mall in Ghana capital Accra, reported Graphic Online.

Illuminating fishing nets is a cost-effective means of dramatically reducing the number of sea turtles getting caught and dying unnecessarily, conservation biologists at the University of Exeter have found.

Silver Spring Networks announced a new go-to-market partner, Rongwen, for its rapidly growing smart cities and smart street lighting business. Rongwen is one of the largest smart LED street light providers and operators in China, and has deployed more than 250,000 controllable LED street lights in its home country under the Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) business model. 

Veeco Instruments Inc. announced today that it sold its first Predictive Analytics solution to a major data storage customer. Incorporating Rudolph Technologies, Inc.’s (NYSE: RTEC) proven fault detection and predictive maintenance software, the new platform delivers increased Veeco system productivity for maximum efficiency resulting in reduced maintenance costs.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted Apple 59 patents including one related to AMOLED displays, reported Patently Apple.

The U.S. Department of Energy's CALiPER program has released Report 20.5, which is part of a series of investigations on LED PAR38 lamps. The new report builds on CALiPER Report 20.4 by providing a tear-down analysis of its 32 LED PAR38 lamp models and also performing additional analyses on the spectroradiometric data obtained using a specially developed automated long-term test apparatus. 

Philips Lighting, a Royal Philips company and global leader in lighting, has collaborated with The University of Arizona Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (CEAC) to test energy efficient ways to grow food that will help feed astronauts on missions to the moon, Mars and beyond. A recent study, conducted over a nine week period, found that replacing water-cooled high-pressure sodium (HPS) systems with energy efficient LED lighting from Philips in a prototype lunar greenhouse resulted in an increased amount of high-quality, edible lettuce while dramatically improving operational efficiency and use of resources.

Lighting Science, the global technology leader in human health focused LED solutions, unveils a bold new brand identity designed to more accurately communicate the mission of the company and its groundbreaking products. The brand relaunch coincides with the expansion of Lighting Science’s line of biologically-tuned LED products including the Sleepy Baby®, GoodNight™, and GoodDay™ bulbs which emit pre-sleep and awake & alert spectrums of light, respectively.

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) announced that ANSI Accredited Standards Committee C136 revised ANSI C136.2-2015 Dielectric Withstand and Electrical Transient Immunity Requirements. This standard covers luminaires and control devices classified for up to 600-volt operation. It is also intended for use in roadway and area lighting applications. 

The UAE’s largest telecommunication company Du announced it is testing LED-based Li-Fi or Visible Communication Technology (VLC) capable of transferring data at 1 gigabyte per second, reported The National.

It’s important to know how microorganisms — particularly pathogenic microbes — grow under various conditions. Certain bacteria can cause food poisoning when eaten and bacterial growth in medical blood supplies, while rare, might necessitate discarding the blood.

LG Display announced that it will invest in a new OLED light panel manufacturing facility. The planned facility will be the first 5th generation (1000 x 1200mm) OLED light panel manufacturing plant in the world. It is to be located in the South Korean city of Gumi, where it will produce a range of OLED light panels.

Xenics USA, Xenics North and Latin American office covering the full spectral range of Xenics' advanced infrared imagers, cores and cameras, has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Laser Components’ North American sales, marketing and distribution office. With this new agreement, Laser Components USA, Inc. will become the partner to sell and market Xenics in-house developed SWIR line-scan imagers with rectangular pixels. This partnership will further extend Xenics position in the North American IR spectroscopy market. The agreement was jointly signed on February 12, 2016 at the Photonics West Trade show held in San Francisco.

Gooee, the IoT platform provider for lighting, has partnered with EnOcean, the world leader in energy harvesting wireless technology, to integrate a BLE based self-powered wall switch module into the Bluetooth Smart Mesh stack; the primary communication protocol in Gooee’s enterprise IoT ecosystem.