A regular window is fine for looking through, but it’s not smart. That’s all changing now, thanks to View (formerly known as Soladigm), which is creating windows that be tinted using an iPhone (News - Alert) app or control panel. The company has recently received $60 million in funding, thanks to companies such as Corning (News - Alert), Khosla Ventures, and GE.

View’s windows use electrochromatic technology, in which a low-voltage electrical current is used to adjust a window’s color. These adjustments allow it the window to, for example, stop a particularly annoying glare, or cool/heat a room by adjusting the amount of light that gets let in.

With these windows, View boasts a 20 percent reduction in heating and cooling expenses, as well as an additional 20 percent on lighting, reducing peak electricity costs by 25 percent. That said, they do require more of an initial investment than regular windows and blinds, making them still something of a luxury.

The new funding it raised is going towards the production of its windows. While it has already begun commercial production, it requires more funds in order to increase the scale of production. It now has that, thanks to the aforementioned investors, as well as others such as Sigma Partners, DBL Investors, and more.

There is some competition in the electrochromatic windows market, although View is managing to make a nice name for itself there. It uses just a micrometer’s thickness of electrochromatic material between two panes of glass, allowing the windows to act as normal when not in use, while making efficient use of the necessary materials.

The idea of “smart windows” is a clever one, and could prove very convenient for customers. It’s already being used in the W Hotel in San Francisco, and is seeing moderate success. While it’s more expensive than just installing blinds, it can provide levels of control that window blinds just can’t, including heat regulation. The investors have great faith in View, as it’s clear how helpful smart windows can be once they’re economically manufactured.