Yes, I've looked at one or two reviews for half rounds that suggest they are brighter than regular strings. Maybe they're not the ones to go for!
I tried Elixirs years ago on my acoustic and found that my acid sweat caused the coating to break up after a while, making the strings more unpleasant to play than regular strings. Maybe their technology has improved since then?
The Fender nickels have moved to the top of my list now!