Lightbulbs beyond Edison's wildest dreams (pictures)

We've come a long way from Edison's traditional incandescent, with huge leaps in lighting technology in the last decade or so alone. Want to see some of the more noteworthy advancements? Click on through.

Edison had big plans for the light bulb, but who knows if he ever imagined lighting as efficient as the modern LED. With strong efficiency scores, a 25,000-hour lifespan, and a 10-year warranty, this Cree LED is one of our favorites.

We're pretty sure that Edison never envisioned a flattened light bulb -- but Philips did. Their new SlimStyle BR30 LED is unlike just about anything else you'll find in the lighting aisle...

...except for the original, A19-shaped SlimStyle LED that came before it.

Even Philips' more traditional LEDs have a strange look to them. This 75-watt replacement has a flat-topped bulb that's split into three sections for better heat dispersal.

You can find color-changing smarts from the Lumen LED, which pairs directly with your phone over Bluetooth.

The recently released Lumini is a smaller version of the same bulb.

Another new color-changing option in 2014 is the Lifx LED, which boasts brighter, better colors than the competition.

For lighting smarts without the color-changing, music-playing novelty factor, there's the Connected by TCP LED Lighting Kit. Screw these bulbs in, plug the base station into your router, and download the TCP app to your smart phone, and you'll be automating your lights in no time.

How about a little mood music with that mood lighting? This audiophile's bulb from AwoX has smart speakers built right in.