This week’s Smart Living roundup features a new cost-effective indoor flood light, a smart doorbell that recognizes your face, and a connected bike thats gets you where you need to be.

Philips introduces SlimStyle

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Philips, one of the most recognized brands for smart lights, has introduced a new member to its SlimStyle family of energy-saving LED bulbs.  The SlimStyle BR30 has a slimmer shape that offers the uniform light distribution of an incandescent floodlight, but has eliminated the the heat sink commonly found in LED lights.

The 9.5-watt bulb is equivalent to a 65-watt incandescent floodlight, which means it is able to give out brightness comparable to the aforementioned incandescent floodlight but consumes 85 percent less energy.  It puts out 650 lumens and lasts 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs, so it’s suited for rooms with high ceilings where bulbs are troublesome to change frequently.

The SlimStyle BR30 is priced at MSRP $12.97 and will go on sale online starting in July. Look for the new BR30 to hit retail store shelves in August.

Chui intelligent doorbell

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As smart doorbells provide the convenience of web cameras and remote locks, one startup kicks things up a notch with a doorbell that not only recognizes faces, but connects with other smart devices to play a favorite tune when it sees you.

Chui‘s intelligent doorbell not only allows homeowners to see who’s at the door from their your mobile device or computer, but can also trigger a series of preset actions, such as turning on the lights, adjusting the thermostat, playing a favorite song, or unlocking the door the moment it recognizes a face.

The facial recognition feature allows Chui to store various settings for different members of the family.

Chui can be activated in three ways: push a physical button on the device to start scanning the person’s face; it starts scanning when it detects a face; and when it detects motion.  As for security, users can add a QR code requirement or password in addition to facial recognition.

Chui has been successfully funded and is expected to start shipping by Fall 2014. Also, you can pre-order your Chui for $199.

The Vanhawks Valour connected bike

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If you ride your bike about town, you’d know how hard it is to follow GPS directions while pedaling.  Vanhawks Valour is a connected bike packed with Bluetooth 4.0, a gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer, speed sensor, GPS receiver, Mesh-network connectivity, blind spot detection sensors and LEDs, so you get turn-by-turn directions right on the handlebar of the bike.  You use your smartphone to plot your route, and LED lights on the Valour tells you when and where you need to make a turn.

Aside from the giving riders directions, the bike sensors also gather data for those keeping track of their fitness progress.  An added bonus is that the Valour doesn’t need to be plugged in to charge the electronic components of the bike — just using the bike will keep it charged.   An hour of bike riding fully charges it, and when winter or the rainy season sets in, the Valour hibernates to conserve its energy.

Sensors on the bike also help in plotting out routes such as noting potholes, traffic and road construction, comprising useful information for the Valour community.  Since the bike is constantly connected, it creates a mesh network for its community of users which means if ever your bike gets stolen, the community can help you get it back.

The bike is ergonomically designed and made of carbon fiber. An API is also available for developers, which will give access to riding statistics such as their Pedal by Pedal playbook, bike orientation and real time speed.

The Vanhawks Valour bike was recently successfully funded on Kickstarter and will start shipping by October 2014.

image via Philips