Prizes for French high-tech firms

FRENCH firms have won prestigious prizes in the world’s biggest electronics show – for a bracelet that tells you if you’ve been in the sun too long, and a musical light bulb.

The firm Netatmo won in the “wearable technologies” and “tech for a better world” categories at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas for its “intelligent bracelet”, called June, while AwoX from Montpellier won in “domestic networks and connectivity” with its high-tech bulb.

The “June” features a diamond lookalike stone that monitors exposure to sunlight and sends information to a smartphone or tablet. The user is then warned if they have been in the sun too long and advised if they need to put on sunscreen or cover up.

The bulb, called StriimLIGHT Wi-Fi, functions as a normal long-life LED light-bulb but is also a wireless speaker that plays music from your phone or computer.

Music can be played from any smartphone, tablet or desktop computer via an application and you can have different music playing on different bulbs around the house or use two in one room for a stereo effect. You can also control the intensity of the light to suit the ambiance.

AwoX explains in a marketing video that they “avoid you having wires dangling about” and make things “simpler and so much more stylish”.

The bulb is already on sale at €99 in Europe, while the Netatmo is inviting would-be customers to sign up to be notified when its bracelets become available.

Photo: AwoX