It has the same silhouette as a standard light bulb: a white hot-air balloon with a silver, spiral basket. However, on closer inspection, the bulb itself is just a small part of the shape of the LED light. Along the sides are eight curved metal fins, cradling the bulb, designed to cool the device. The bulb is General Electric Co.'s entry into the field of light-emitting diode, or LED, lamps, devices that use a solid-state semiconductor to illuminate the world around them. Now, after a failed House vote yesterday to repeal new efficiency standards for light bulbs, the future for LED lamps is a little brighter.