Buddy Technologies Limited, a leader in IoT and cloud-based solutions for making spaces smarter, is pleased to announce that following considerable research & development effort, it will finalise the release of four new lights from LIFX – two LIFX filament-style feature bulbs, a new tunable white LIFX Candle bulb and LIFX Z-TV light strip, as well as a new product from the Buddy Commercial Team – LIFX Switch.
LIFX's new "filament" series represents the first smart lamps of the Edison-type vintage world. These lights address the customer's necessity for feature lighting that suits modern fixtures where the bulb is intended to be visible and is part of the appeal of that fixture. These are particularly common in pendant lighting fixtures and are increasingly found in retail and out-of-home hospitality / restaurant environments. Built on the same technology platform as the rest of the LIFX range, these filament-style bulbs support all voice assistants, cloud connectivity, remote on / off and dimming characteristics.
As a tunable white model in the Candle range, LIFX Candle White to Warm will join the previously announced LIFX Candle Color. Using the LIFX mobile app or any of the popular voice assistants to adjust the light from the same cool white to warm white LIFX Mini Day & Dusk product, the retail availability of LIFX Candle White to Warm is targeted at the beginning of 2020.
LIFX Z-TV is a new lighting product designed to meet the customer's requirement for backlighting for fit-to-use TV. One of the most popular uses of the LIFX Z Strip product is to place behind TVs an attractive glow. Not only does this reduce the burden of the eye while watching TV, it can also enhance the viewing experience. LIFX Z-TV is the perfect length at the back of the most popular home theater TV sizes (46' and above) for easy non-bending performance. For specific screen applications, the Z-TV range is expected to grow to include at least two more variants in 2020.
LIFX Switch is the first Buddy Technologies product in a totally new category. Developed by the Buddy Commercial team, fully compatible with Buddy Ohm and built on the LIFX Control Module platform (and operating natively with the LIFX mobile app and all voice platforms), the LIFX Switch is a four-gang (i.e. four switched circuits) internet-connected light switch intended to be one of the most affordable wired-in smart switches available on the market.
Each button on the LIFX Switch can be configured to switch either a live electrical circuit (in the case of non-smart lights) or a "soft switch" that can control a single light, a scene, a set of lights or even a combination of multiple smart home features (i.e. turn off the lights, shut down the garage door and lock the front door). To help define the functionality of each button, the four buttons on the LIFX Switch can be configured to be backlit with whatever color the user wants. LIFX Switch will be accessible in light and dark color combinations.
As smart home devices become more prevalent on the market and, in particular, as clients begin changing their non-smart lights to smart lights, it is vital to have an intelligent switching solution that can be deployed in every room at an affordable price. Instead of competing with $300+ high-end products, the LIFX Switch is designed to be as user-friendly as a standard, all-in-house light switch.
LIFX Switch will allow clients to use mobile apps or voice assistants to manage their non-smart lights, and all LIFX scheduling characteristics will be available to all switch-controlled lights (smart or not). LIFX Switch will be a first-class Buddy Ohm sensor that is essential to the business sector, meaning that all circuits governed by the product will also have data on their energy consumption piped into Buddy Ohm's energy monitoring and auditing platform. This will improve the use of LIFX Switch in company environments and provide the first mechanism to encourage the control of energy consumption in building through Buddy Ohm. (Control is not anticipated to be accessible to the public before 2020).
"We're thrilled to bring LIFX Switch to the market and deliver a new Buddy Ohm sensor platform while bringing to the market what we believe to be the most important thing for mainstream consumers–a smart switch that looks, feels and works like a regular switch," said Travis Gerber, CEO of Buddy's Commercial Business. "This product brings together the best of Buddy's consumer and commercial enterprises and shows third-party clients the ability of our Managed Services team to introduce the LIFX Control Module platform to their products."
The Company intends to launch marketing for these products in the coming months, beginning at the International Funkausstellung Berlin (IFA) trade show in early September. Additional information on retail accessibility and pricing will be revealed later. The Company will keep the market apprised by way of further ASX announcements in the future.