Skip to main content

This sun rises on your wall and sets when you tell it to

Don’t let the name fool you; the Solar Light isn’t just another solar-powered device that aims to save you dough on your electric bill. It’s way cooler than that.

Created by designer John Liow, the Solar Light is a fresh take on the premise of a “smart” light fixture. It has a variety of functions, but the basic idea behind the device is simple. Using a smartphone app, the light can be synchronized to any timezone in the world so that it mirrors the natural rise and fall of the Sun in that particular area. In short, it gets brighter as dawn approaches, reaches peak brightness at high noon, and slowly begins soften as evening falls.

Recommended Videos

solar light profile shotBy mimicking the natural cycle of the Sun, Liow hopes that the Solar Light will make it easier for people to keep in tune with what’s going on outside the walls of their homes, offices, and other indoor environments. If synced with timezones other than our own, the Solar Light provides us with a passive way to stay connected with places we don’t physically inhabit. Let’s say you travel internationally a lot, and are gearing up for a trip on the other side of the globe. With this light, you could start to acclimate yourself to a new timezone before you actually depart.

That’s just one of the potential uses. The Solar Light also boasts a second function that’s the exact inverse of the first. Rather than mirroring the Sun’s activity throughout the day, it does just the opposite; it gets dimmer as the sun comes up , and brighter when it disappears at night. Used in this way, the Solar Light offers a simple way to regulate your electricity usage by automatically producing the appropriate amount of light for any given time of day. If your pad has a lot of windows, why use artificial light when you can take advantage of free sunlight?Screen Shot 2013-10-23 at 4.47.15 PM

If you ever need to adjust the Solar Light’s brightness, you can do so with the accompanying smartphone app. The ambient function allows the user to disengage the twenty-four hour light cycle and adjust brightness settings.

Unfortunately, the Solar Light isn’t available just yet, but Liow has plans to release it in 2014. We’ll keep you posted on availability. For the time being, you can learn more about the Solar Light on Liow’s site.

Drew Prindle
Former Senior Editor, Features
Drew Prindle is an award-winning writer, editor, and storyteller who currently serves as Senior Features Editor for Digital…
Samsung Memorial Day sale: The best washer, dryer, and refrigerator deals
Samsung front-load washer and dryer set in chapagne finish in a laundry room.

The Samsung Memorial Day sale is finally online, so now's the perfect time to make some upgrades in your home. The brand, which is known for making some of the best phones and best TVs, is also a reliable name in the world of appliances, including washer, dryers, and refrigerators. No matter your budget and the amount of space you have, something will surely catch your eye in this year's Memorial Days deals for Samsung appliances.

You can take a look at all the home appliances that are on sale for Memorial Day from Samsung through the link below, but we've also highlighted our recommendations below if you want to finish your purchase quickly. That's actually a good idea, because we're not sure how much longer stocks will remain available. You shouldn't wait until the last minute of these Samsung Memorial Day deals before you proceed with your transaction, as you'll be in danger of missing out.

Read more
How to use the robotic arm of the Roborock Saros Z70
The Saros Z70 picking up a sock.

While the Roborock Saros Z70 didn’t exactly live up to the hype, there’s no denying its robotic arm is still a cool piece of technology. Capable of picking up small objects in its path, moving them to a new location, then continuing its cleaning process, the Saros Z70 and its robotic arm might be the coolest feature we’ve ever seen in a robot vacuum. But how exactly does it work? And what are the robotic arm’s limitations?

Here’s a closer look at how to use the robotic arm of the Roborock Saros Z70 and ways you can improve its performance.
Limitations of the Roborock Saros Z70’s robotic arm

Read more
The new Blink Video Doorbell offers two-year battery life, person detection
Close up of Blink Video Doorbell

The Blink Video Doorbell is a popular choice for frugal shoppers, and its next-generation successor is looking to follow in its footsteps. Available today, the new Blink Video Doorbell offers a remarkable two-year battery life, an improved field of view, a reworked design, and the low price of just $70.

If you’ve ever been shopping for an affordable video doorbell, you’ve probably stumbled upon the old Blink Video Doorbell. Available for just $60, it was a great alternative to premium devices from Nest and Ring. Blink is looking to build on that success with the new Video Doorbell. Its price has crept up $10, but it also picked up some nice new features. The biggest improvement is its field of view -- it’s been enhanced to a 150-degree head-to-toe perspective, compared to the 135-degree horizontal view of its predecessor.

Read more