What is it?
LED light bulb with built-in wireless speaker.
How will it change my life?
It may sound like something from the implausible, never-going-to-happen vaults on Tomorrow's World but unlike jet packs and tinfoil loungewear, the MiPow Playbulb Color is cast iron reality. A light bulb that streams music from mobile phone.
Good points?
As you can imagine, installation is as simple as screwing in a light bulb with no fiddly power or attachment cables. The traditional socket easily provides enough power for the three-watt speaker and lighting effects without sending your electricity meter into overdrive.
The device is controlled with a smartphone app connected via Bluetooth. The interface is intuitive and allows for a quick selection of lighting and music on demand. There are four lighting modes which can be set to enhance the ambience of a room including pulsing, flashing, fade and rainbow which is essentially a disco style flash of alternating colours.
The array of colours are impressive and such is the control over the light that the Playbulb can be utilised to gradually fade in more light and music on a timer to make the perfect alarm clock. Putting the audio volume up to its max will comfortably fill any medium-sized room with minimal sound distortion so creating a party atmosphere won't require much logistical planning.
Bad points?
Only two screw-in socket connector types are available so an adapter is required for any older pin-slot (B22) fittings.
Best for ...
Those who love the atmospheric light of candles or the playful colours of digital festive decorations. A multitude of options for music and light should appeal to most, but could be of particular interest to parents with young children who have difficulty sleeping as soft light and music can be faded out.
Other Playbulb variants are also available that either don't have a music speaker or display more than white light, so finding the right product for your environment should be hassle-free.
Avoid if ...
An all-singing, all-dancing light bulb is a step too far in your already gadget-filled life.
Score: 9/10, a proper light bulb moment of genius.
MiPow Playbulb Color, £79.99 (mipow.com)
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