A new lightbulb might not sound like the most exciting piece of technology in the world. Nevertheless, GE has unleashed a little monster of an LED bulb that does its best to imitate the common features (including brightness and lighting angles) of a conventional incandescent bulb. And since it’s based on light-emitting diodes, rather than a heated-up filament, it will use one-fourth of the typical power draw of an incandescent bulb to output its 450 lumens—the brightness equivalent of a 40-watt incandescent bulb.
The kicker? Picking up the GE Energy Smart LED Bulb will set you back anywhere from $40 to $50. That's a bit pricier than your standard $1-$2 incandescent bulb. However, GE expects its LED bulb to last 17 years—or a 25,000-hour life—if run four hours a day, every day. That’s 25 times the lifespan of a typical incandescent bulb and three times the availability of an average 8,000-hour CFL bulb. The GE Energy Smart LED Bulb fits normal incandescent sockets, which is a nice touch for those worried about having to replace infrastructure just to harness the power of environmentally friendly lighting.
Full story: GE’s New $50 LED Lightbulb Pricey, but Future-Proofed? -PCMag.com