Flipkart-backed start-up Cube26 launches smartphone-controlled smart bulb

Indian start-up Cube26 yesterday launched a smart bulb capable of being controlled by a mobile phone application, PTI reported. Priced at Rs1,499, the smart bulb 'IOTA Lite' has a lifespan of 15,000 hours and users get to choose from 16 million colours. The bulb rated 7W offers 500 lumens of brightness.

''The IOTA Lite marks our entry into the IoT segment in India and we believe lighting is integral to the smart home concept. With the launch of IOTA Lite, we intend to transform the lighting experience of Indian smartphone users,'' Cube26 co-founder and CEO Saurav Kumar told reporters.

IoT, a network of inter-connected devices including smartphones, tablets, connected vehicles and appliances, harnesses relevant information from massive amounts of data they collect.

For instance, with IoT, street lights would automatically switch off when they sensed zero traffic on the roads and consequently save power.

The Tiger Global-backed company would sell the smart bulb through e-commerce firm Flipkart from 6 November. ''The home automation segment is growing and is estimated to grow to $40 billion by 2020. Smart lighting, as part of this, is expected to be about $10 billion, which in itself is a huge opportunity,'' Flipkart head of consumer electronics Adarsh Menon said.

An interesting feature of the bulb is a call/SMS alert.

''The IOTA Lite blinks in a certain colour for an incoming call. This feature is beneficial when the user is around high noise area or when the smartphone is on silent mode,'' Kumar said.

Cube26, with its software is installed on more than 5 million smartphones with features like Blink to Capture and Look Away to Pause, has raised Rs50 crore in seed funding from Tiger Global and Flipkart.