Whether Bl00 or Blue, The LED backlash begins

Written by Jason Cundall

May 26, 2005 | 14:29

Tags: #blue #led

Blue (or Bl00, if you must) LED's were the must have in mods not so long ago, and indeed in some cases, still are. So popular were the expensive little lights that the inevitable happened, and the blue LED went mainstream. They're everywhere now, but it seems that a backlash is brewing - as some consumers are finding the cold bright blue lights too distracting:

A rare sight only five years ago, blue LEDs now seem to be everywhere: on laptops, DVD players, air ionizers and even toothbrushes. And they have some consumers seeing red.

Product reviews on sites like Epinions.com are peppered with complaints about dazzling blue LEDs.

While red and green LEDs have been available for decades, blue LEDs only became practical in the 1990s. Novelty value has helped make them a popular choice in modern product design.


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I have to agree to a certain degree - they're too prevalent these days. Yes, they have their place, but do we really need to see blue activity lights on network cards? Or in USB hubs? What do you think? Let us know here, and while you're at it, tell us the weirdest place you've ever spotted a bl00 beastie.
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