In today’s Bulldog wrapup of technology news: Cree ups power in LED bulbs; head of the FBI says there are “no demons” in the iPhone showdown with Apple; CEO Tim Cook defends Apple’s stance; and Uber faces trouble in France.

The details:

  • Cree boosts LED power

Cree, which unveiled a new LED bulb this week, says it now has increased the illumination of LEDs while at the same time lowering costs.

The advance Cree labeled as a “breakthrough” increases lumens per watt (LPW) by 25 percent.

“Today, advancing LED technology goes beyond just increasing LPW,” said John Edmond, Cree co-founder and director of advanced optoelectronics. “Cree is also focused on improving spectral content and the efficacy of warmer color temperatures while pursuing tremendous opportunities to increase LPW at real-world operating conditions. This R&D result continues Cree’s high power LED technology innovation and provides a path to better lighting experiences at the lowest overall system cost.”

  • FBI chief: Apple issues are hardest he’s seen in government

The policy issues raised in the Justice Department’s dispute withApple Inc. over a locked iPhone represent the “hardest question I’ve seen in government, and it’s going to require negotiation and conversation,” FBI Director James Comey said Thursday in defending the government’s demand for the tech company to help access the device.

“I do think the larger question is not going to be answered in in the courts, and it shouldn’t be. Because it’s really about who do we want to be as a country, and how do we want to govern ourselves,” Comey told the House Intelligence Committee.

A week ago, a federal magistrate in California directed Apple to help the FBI hack into a phone used by one of the assailants in the December shootings in San Bernardino, California. Apple was expected to file a formal objection on Friday. A magistrate judge in Brooklyn is weighing a similar Justice Department request in a separate case, and a decision is expected soon.

Days after making his first public statement on the matter in an Internet blog post, Comey appeared determined to tamp down the tension that has flared publicly between the government and the company in the week since the judge’s order. He acknowledged at one point that Apple had been very helpful in the months leading up to the court clash and said that there were “no demons” in the debate.

  • Apple’s Cook: Complying with FBI demand ‘bad for America’

Apple CEO Tim Cook said Wednesday that it would be “bad for America” if his company complied with the FBI’s demand for help unlocking an encrypted iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters.

Cook said he’s prepared to take the dispute to the U.S. Supreme Court. He also said he would try to make his case directly to President Barack Obama, although he did not say when or where they would meet.

In his first interview since the controversy erupted last week, Cook told ABC News that it was a difficult decision to resist a court order directing Apple to override security features on an iPhone used by Syed Farook, one of two extremists who killed 14 people in the Southern California city in December.

“Some things are hard and some things are right, and some things are both. This is one of those things,” Cook said. The interview came as both sides in the dispute are courting public support, through interviews and published statements, while also mustering legal arguments in the case.​

  • Uber faces potential big fine and ban for bosses in France

Uber is at risk of millions of euros in damages and fines and having two top executives banned from running the ride-hailing company in France as their trial wraps up in a Paris court.

The San Francisco-based company is in trouble in France over its now-suspended low-cost UberPop service, which connected clients to non-professional drivers, infuriated French taxi drivers and prompted the criminal charges. Uber continues to operate its standard service with registered professional drivers.

Thursday is the last day of their high-profile trial. The verdict may come at a later date.

Thibaud Simphal, general manager for France, and Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty, chief for Europe, Middle East and Africa, are accused of complicity in practicing an illegal taxi activity. Charges also include deceptive commercial activity and violation of French privacy law.