The recent leak of Samsung’s new smartwatch-related patents including a full-length display smartwatch and a hangable smartwatch will definitely catch gadget lovers’ attention, reported AndroidHeadlines. The patents show more than two types of smartwatches with groundbreaking functions that have not been realized on the market before. Instead of remaking the crown of the watch, through those patents released, Samsung takes it up a notch and presents its creativity redeveloping the already existing concepts and designs.

Samsung Electronics is making it clear that quantum dot (QD) technology will be at the center front of its 2017 TV product lineup, reported ZDnet.

As 2016 comes to an end, there were many exciting and surprising technology breakthroughs, based on statistics complied by LEDinside there were at least 10 major technology advancements this year.

LightPath Technologies (“LightPath,” the “Company,” or “we”), a leading vertically integrated global manufacturer, distributor, and integrator of proprietary optical and infrared components and high-level assemblies, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of ISP Optics Corporation (“ISP”) for a purchase price of US $18 million, subject to post-closing adjustments, of which $12 million was paid in cash with the balance in the form of five-year subordinated notes issued to the sellers. 

When Revolux, the automotive industry’s largest provider of dealership LED lighting solutions, recently visited Premier Automotive’s Toyota of New Orleans, it wasn’t to discuss how to light the showroom or service bays, but rather to help those in need see their way to their next hot meal.

To meet OLED display supplies for the next generation iPhone 8, Apple tracked down equipment maker Canon Tokki located in Japanese rice fields next to the city of Mitsuke in Niigata prefecture, reported Bloomberg.

GE, the world’s leading digital industrial company, executed on its agreement to acquire a 75% stake in Concept Laser of Germany. The agreement, announced in late October, allows for GE to take full ownership over the next several years.

Schréder, an intelligent outdoor lighting solutions provider, has become a partner of the Smart City Institute, a non-profit organization that aims to stimulate research, teaching, innovation and entrepreneurship to enable smart cities.

Large LED companies are increasingly turning to strategies focused on filing patent infringement lawsuits against competitors, Korean LED giant Seoul Semiconductor has become the latest company to take legal action against 29 firms worldwide for infringing backlight, filament, LED chip and package patents, reported Business Korea.

The upcoming iPhone 8 will overhaul basic form factor designs, gone will be the flat glass screen design to sport a curved plastic OLED display made by arch-rival Samsung, reported The Korean Herald.

Veeco Instruments announced  that OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH has completed an agreement naming Veeco as the supplier for Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) and Precision Surface Processing (PSP) systems needed for high-volume LED production in Kulim. As part of the agreement, OSRAM Opto Semiconductors has ordered multiple TurboDisc® EPIK®700 Gallium Nitride (GaN) MOCVD, and WaferStorm® 3306 PSP Wet Process systems.

Scripps Networks Interactive, the leader in lifestyle media, surveyed 700 U.S. homeowners of all ages, finding that safety and comfort are the primary reasons consumers invest in smart home technology. The study was conducted through the company’s Under One Roof consumer panel, in partnership with the Consumer Technology Association; the National Kitchen and Bath Association; the National Association of Home Builders; CEDIA; and Shelly Palmer Strategic Advisors. The research findings will be presented at CES® 2017 and at Design and Construction Week 2017.

AIXTRON, a worldwide leading provider of deposition equipment to the semiconductor industry, announced that U.S. based Lumentum Holdings, a leading manufacturer of semiconductor photonic devices for communications, industrial, and consumer applications, has placed a repeat order for multiple AIX 2800G4-TM systems to produce devices for varied optoelectronic and laser applications.

Laser diode is a next generation lighting technology incubating in Shenzhen, China, giving hope that the region will emerge as a leading international laser lighting player soon.

LG Display is merging its businesses to specialize in OLED technology, a sector the company considers its next generation growth engine. To keep up with accelerated growth in the OLED market, the company intends to merge and restructure existing distributed business structure by product to optimize efficiency and synergy, reported Business Korea.

The ZigBee Alliance, an association of companies creating, maintaining and delivering open, global standards for the low-power wireless Internet of Things (IoT), and the Thread Group, an organization focused on making Thread the foundation for the Internet of Things in the home and beyond, today announced that multiple members of both organizations have demonstrated prototypes that run the ZigBee Alliance’s universal language for smart devices on Thread networks. The demonstrations, shown privately at the Thread Group’s Members Meeting in November and set for public display in both organizations’ booths at CES, are a key milestone in their liaison agreement, and highlight accelerating momentum behind an emerging ecosystem of connected products that will interoperate over Thread IP networks using the widely deployed ZigBee language.

Smart-lighting start up Gooee, creator of the first ‘full stack’ cloud-based platform that connects lighting manufacturers to the IoT, has partnered with Bajaj Electricals, the Indian manufacturer and supplier of electrical products that is part of the US$20 billion publicly listed Bajaj Group.

Fluence Bioengineering today announced that its LED systems have been selected by MedMen, a leading cannabis firm, for its newly renovated cultivation facility in Los Angeles. The new, state-of-the-art vertical farm replaces a traditional single-tier cultivation facility, and enables MedMen to use fewer natural resources, increase overall revenue per square foot and reduce operating cost per pound.

Today, Magneti Marelli Automotive Lighting and the Carnia Industrial Park inaugurated a new pavilion dedicated to the production of electronics for LED rear lighting for cars in the production complex in Tolmezzo (UD) in Friuli Venezia Giulia. The new industrial site has production lines for circuit boards and will be completed by a design center specifically dedicated to electronics for rear illumination for cars.

Lighting manufacturers are being urged to pay greater attention to lighting control detectors, in order to pass on improved energy savings to customers.

A new Chinese LED company Suijing Optoelectronics listed on China’s Over The Counter Bulletin Board (OTCCB) has become the latest company to sign a red KSF phosphor license agreement with GE Lighting.

Japan Display Inc. (JDI) intends to acquire Panasonic and Sony’s OLED joint venture JOLED to better compete with Korean rivals and emerging Chinese players, reported Nikkei Asian Review.

Japanese consumer electronic giant Sony will be launching two new OLED TVs by 2017, reported Forbes.

ALPHA-RLH (Route des Lasers & des Hyperfréquences) is a newly formed technology cluster specializing in photonics, lasers, microwave and digital technologies. It is the result of a merger between two French competitiveness clusters, Route des Lasers and Elopsys.

The LED industry was volatile throughout 2016, but started to rebound during first half of the year following soaring upstream chip prices. Despite positive growth in the industry, companies were still shutting down or exiting the market, while more were paying attention to industry developments. Under current market situations, leading manufacturers’ development strategy also come under the lime light.

China’s capital Beijing has installed 28 streetlights enhanced with advanced graphene material technology in Tongzhou District, which can slash energy consumption by 20% to 30% compared to current lamps on the market, reported China Daily.

AIXTRON, one of the world’s leading providers of deposition equipment to the semiconductor industry, announced today that Grand Chip Investment GmbH (GCI) declared today that the voluntary public takeover offer for the acquisition of all shares, including all shares represented by ADSs, of AIXTRON SE (AIXTRON) by GCI published on July 29, 2016 has lapsed due to the non-fulfillment of an offer condition.

Nanoco Group, a world leader in the development and manufacture of cadmium-free quantum dots and other nanomaterials, announces that it has acquired a group of patents from the Eastman Kodak Company ("Kodak") in connection with the use of quantum dots in electroluminescent displays, a future display technology.

Leviton announced the acquisition of ConTech Lighting, a leading, Chicago-based manufacturer of high-performance and sustainable lighting solutions and fixtures. Through this acquisition, Leviton continues its strategic growth in lighting and expands its product offerings and solutions with ConTech Lighting’s high-quality, innovative designs.

LED technologies are rapidly growing in terms of market share for roadway lighting systems in the U.S., with about 15% of roadway lights using LED sources. Unlike the yellowish glow of high pressure sodium lamps found in most of the other U.S. streetlights, LED illumination usually is white in color. This difference has sparked concerns about health and wellbeing from the American Medical Association (AMA).