GE Lighting's new C by GE smart lighting starter kit features the Google Home Mini

GE Lighting’s C by GE smart lighting division has announced a new bundle that features one of its C-Life smart bulbs pre-paired with a Google Home Mini for $55. That’s less than the price of the two products purchased separately. C by GE took a much different tack than other smart bulb manufacturers when it chose Bluetooth as its control protocol instead of ZigBee (like Philips Hue) or Wi-Fi (like LIFX). That decision eliminated the need for a hub, because you could control the bulbs with your smartphone, but it also meant you needed a Bluetooth-to-Wi-Fi-bridge—the C-Reach—to control them by other means, such as with Amazon’s Echo smart speakers. The bridge costs $50 on Amazon, or you can buy it in various bundles with C by GE smart bulbs.