NEC developing app-controlled, speaker-equipped light fitting

NEC Lighting is developing a ceiling light that’s decked out with a speaker and Bluetooth connectivity. It links up with an smartphone app that allows you to control music as well as the quality of the light itself, and the idea is for light and sound to spread throughout the entire room from a central point. You can also combine the fitting’s audio and visual features to provide ambient mood lighting with appropriate sound — a little like Phillips’ Ambilight TVs, but without the TV. This includes presets for waves, birdsong, and other scenarios presumably more relaxing than your living room’s natural state. NEC says it wants to make the light in a variety of styles from modern to traditional Japanese, and plans to have the first models out by the end of this year.