[NewsPoster]

Remember how we had covered our Battle of the Bulbs earlier, and how we had said that we didn't like the Ilumi for the $90 price tag, and the fact that it didn't continue working? Well, it turns out that Ilumi has created an all-new smartbulb, called the Ilumi A19, and we got our hands on one to check out.

First thing is first: the new A19 Ilumi bulb looks better than the old A21 Ilumi. Ditching the plastic top and the heat sink, the new bulb is all sleek curves and a nice, thick glass top. Why the dramatic redesign? Well, for one thing, the bulb is designed to be used as a pendant light that doesn't require a shade. And honestly, if you snag a couple of the new Ilumis and some cheap hanging sockets, you'd have some awesome modern pendant lights. We approve of this redesign wholeheartedly.

If the redesign wasn't enough, the light from this bulb seems to be better. We're not quite sure what it is, but we're thinking there may be some sort of redesign to how the LEDs are laid out inside. The light seems more full, more even, and cleaner. The light is able to be dimmed quite a bit more than the old one, which we think would be absolutely necessary if you're going to use this light as a pendant light. Again, this is another thing about the new Ilumi we love.

We're still not in love with the Ilumi app, mind you, finding it to be unintuitive and a bit buggy at times. It still requires you to make an account, which we're not fans of, and it still seems somewhat limited on options when compared to Misfit's Home app for the Bolt smartbulb. However, the Ilumi app is currently in the process of getting a complete makeover, and we're hopeful that they're going to work out the kinks and give us a better interface.

Lastly, and potentially most importantly, the new Ilumi bulb has one new feature that we absolutely adore: A $30 price drop compared to the old bulb. The first version of Ilumi that we tested was $90, with this new one coming in at $60. Sure, it's still expensive, but it shows that the creators of the original Ilumi are willing to create better product that are more accessible to a wider range of buyers. Will the new Ilumi hold up? Only time will tell. We're willing to put this bulb through its paces and revisit it in our next battle of the bulbs. If you're interested in testing it along with us, the new A19 Ilumi can be purchased from the Ilumi website for $60, and also in Best Buy retail locations. Who could make use of Ilumi: Looking for a cool pendant light to go in your modern kitchen? Looking for a well-designed, Bluetooth-enabled light bulb? You might want to give this one a try. Who shouldn't snag Ilumi just yet: If you're still scared by the $60 price tag, but you want to try out a smartbulb, try out our current favorite bulb, the Misfit Bolt to see if you're ready to smarten up your home lighting. --Amber Neely (@SurferAmber) Readers: do you have an app or product that you'd like to see us review? Developers and designers: do you want us to take a look at your app or product? Send your suggestions to our Tips email.

[tehwoz]

Just what I need: a lightbulb that radiates my brain with Bluetooth. I need this like a brain tumour.

[Charles Martin]

If you think Bluetooth will give you a brain tumor, you probably already have one -- short of living in an Amish farmhouse in rural PA well away from any urban areas, there are innumerably devices on your person (like your smartphone) and otherwise close enough to your head emitting the 2.4GHz frequency Bluetooth uses -- like every Wi-Fi device, for starters ... not to mention that every cellular phone in at least a five-mile radius of you has its waves passing right through you continuously -- and then there's those radio and TV station signals -- and the microwave ...

[[email protected]]

Be sure to check sales at Best Buy as well. The A19 goes on sale for $45 and the brighter BR30 goes on sale for $55. I was happy to back this company on kickstarter and I love these bulbs. They work great and are very easy to manage. The new app looks very promising too.

[tehwoz]

Originally Posted by Charles Martin 

If you think Bluetooth will give you a brain tumor, you probably already have one -- short of living in an Amish farmhouse in rural PA well away from any urban areas, there are innumerably devices on your person (like your smartphone) and otherwise close enough to your head emitting the 2.4GHz frequency Bluetooth uses -- like every Wi-Fi device, for starters ... not to mention that every cellular phone in at least a five-mile radius of you has its waves passing right through you continuously -- and then there's those radio and TV station signals -- and the microwave ...

** You are absolutely correct that wi-fi and mobile phones are at least as dangerous as bluetooth: indeed moreso than Bluetooth because they have a stronger signal designed to send over larger distances (whereas Bluetooth, depending on the Type) is comparatively low power. HOWEVER, ** You are completely incorrect to suggest that every mobile phone within a 5 mile radius represents a problem, or TV signals, or radio: radiation is proportional to the inverse square law, so ... so long as you keep a mobile device more than a couple of metres away from your head, you should be fine. And that partly is the problem with Bluetooth: even thought the signal strength is usually quite low, people keep it close to their body, or attached to their body, or in their ear ... when there are perfectly adequate wired solutions that involve no danger to your body, or brain.

[Mike Wuerthele]

Your contention that Bluetooth or Wireless isn't safe has no backing in science or physics, though. A Bluetooth 2.2 device at 100 milliwatts at 2.4GHz will at a maximum, heat to 1.5cm of flesh all of 0.1 degree C. Cellphones at 900Mhz penetrate to 2.5cm, with about the same heating effect. While this is still radiation of course, it's not a high-energy gamma by any means.

RF exposure safety limits are 10 Watts per square meter. That is a LOT of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cell devices going, in very close proximity. ALARA is well-fulfilled with Bluetooth earbuds.