Our pick of the hottest lamp and gear developments this month…

LED lamps continue to mimic the sources they replace

GE has unveiled its highly-anticipated LED module – and aims to take on the likes of Xicato, Philips and Bridgelux. So how does it measure up? Ray Molony reports

GE has unveiled a GLS lookalike that combines CFL with halogen in a bid to address consumer dissatisfaction with the run-up time of CFL. The idea is that the halogen capsule inside the hybrid lamp comes on instantly, allowing it to operate noticeably brighter in less than a half a second.

Philips has been given an award for its 12W LED bulb, a replacement for the 60 W incandescent bulb which was banned last month.

Combining low energy with style has never been an easy trick to pull off. But that could change this month as a British design company introduces the ‘world’s first designer compact fluorescent’. Ray Molony reports