

How many Sony engineers does it take to change a lightbulb?
We're not altogether sure, but they've done a pretty good job.
Seemingly plucked from a Star Trek set, this curved 360-lumen bulb packs a nifty party piece: as well as being able to control the bulb's brightness via a smartphone or the paired remote, users can play music through the bulb's built-in Bluetooth speaker.
A novel space-saving gadget, the bulb draws its power for both the speaker and LED light component through the light fitting - an idea first championed by the PLAYBULB. However, while Sony's aesthetically pleasing design can only emit a standard warm glow, the latest PLAYBULB design can allow users to switch between colours.
In fact, given that Sony's bulb doesn't sport wake-up functions or colours, and could arrive with a pricetag in the region of £120, if you're looking for a clever lighting fitting you might just want to go for the smarter £79.99 colour PLAYBULB instead.
And so - along with Philips' impressive HUE colour-changing range - here begins the great smart war for your light fittings.
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As Content Director of Shortlist, Marc likes nothing more than to compile endless lists of an evening by candlelight. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.