The clunkiest-sounding brand in smart home lighting is turning the page on the calendar and taking a new name. General Electric's lighting division was sold off to Savant Systems in July. With a change in ownership comes the demise of C by GE and the rise of Cync — yes, like "synchronization" — along with an expanded product catalogue for 2021.

The Cync Outdoor Smart Plug encloses two outlets in a weather-resistance box with open-and-close flaps for each outlet. It can be monitored and controlled via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and Alexa or Google Assistant. Expect it on store shelves in March.

Cync is also planning an Indoor Smart Camera that can go online or work completely self-contained. Buyers can use and add on cloud storage with a subscription or save data to a microSD card. There's also a lens cover and mic switch for extra peace of mind. Look out for this one in May.

Finally, there's the Cync Fan Speed Smart Switch which replaces existing ceiling fans' controller system with one that can be set to four speeds as well as programmed remotely. This will come on sale in June.

Current C by GE light bulb owners can look forward to a big update turning their existing managing app into the Cync app. The biggest new feature will be a synchronized color preview function.

Funnily enough, while Savant may have transitioned the consumer-facing brand away from five letters and two spaces, it has kept the GE Lighting division more or less intact — name, Cleveland location, and all. Window shoppers will be seeing GE's logomark on the new Cync products.

Source: GE Lighting