Mobile Projector First Look

Mobile projectors have been shrinking in size for years now, with the smallest models on the market right now being not much larger than a CD case. While these projectors are travel friendly, the ultimate business travelers still want something smaller, perhaps even built into a notebook or cell phone. This year at CTIA, two companies made incredible advances in this technology, bringing projector technology into devices no bigger than a cell phone or iPod.


Why are we talking about mobile projectors designed for cell phones? Because most industry insiders agree that mobile projectors will be integrated with notebooks sometime within five years or less.

As ultraportable notebooks get smaller and smaller we've had to accept the fact that our screens get smaller as well. Not anymore. Imagine a 10-inch notebook with a mobile projector hidden inside the lid. When you're on the road you can use the 10-inch LCD, but when you arrive at your office or hotel room all you need to do is press a button and you've got up to a 60-inch display with 1080i ... someday.

Texas Instruments brought their DLP technology to the table, bringing the component size down by an incredible amount, letting them build a projector into a gutted concept cell phone. While this prototype is just a simple working model, it shows just how small they can make them once they get companies on board who want this technology inside their products.

Here is a video showing a demo of the TI phone prototype in action. Please note that the phone was not functional, except for the projector. (Video comes courtesy of our sister site Brighthand.com)

Microvision was also showing off a prototype micro projector, with their model being more refined, almost to the point of being a finished product. The model was based off a technology that used three laser modules that fired at a wobbling mirror which scanned lines on whatever surface you pointed it at. Compared to the Texas Instruments version, this had a few advantages. The three lasers give a much brighter screen, there is no focusing adjustment needed if you changed the distance from the wall, and in dark rooms the projector made viewable screens upwards of 80" and 90". Microvision planned on selling the external projector first, and then moving to internal projectors for cell phones or notebooks when the technology became more refined.

Below is a video showing the Microvision Pico Projector in action. In both settings they are showing off an Ipod Nano connected to it, but in one clip the video is paused.

At this time Microvision was the only company with set plans on releasing their product in the upcoming months. If they are available at a reasonable price, you can bet my iPod, ThinkPad, and PS3 will have a new best friend.

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Samsung MBP-100 micro projector

Although every attention went to the introduction of the large amount of Samsung mobile phones at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona, something else attracted my attention; an interesting projection solution that will soon be available (first of all in Korea). The official introduction will still take some time, but we were able to get pre-informed. The Samsung MBP-100 projector will almost certainly be available in Korea in March and in the course of this year there will be a decision made as to whether the Samsung micro-projector will also come available in Europe and / or the United States.

Samsung MBP-100 micro projector preview

The small black box looks a bit like one of the first MiniDisc players that were kind of popular as successor to the traditional Walkman at the time. The Samsung MBP-100 fits in the palm of your hand and is therefore easy to carry around. In the demo-setting a mobile phone was demonstrated in combination with the Samsung micro projector. You can also connect the Samsung MBP-100 to a DVD player, an MP3 player, video player etc. As long as there is an analogue A/V connection available you can connect the Samsung MBP-100 with almost any device.

Samsung mobile projector for cell phones

The built-in battery has a battery life of approximately 3 hours depending for example on the brightness in which the Samsung MBP-100 is projecting. The micro-projector has not been equipped with an extensive menu and as far as it looks like now, the brightness can only be adjusted manually. This should also be considered as an energy saving function. A small dial is placed on the side of the micro-projector to adjust focus. The minimum focus distance is around 20 cm and the maximum projection size is approximately 1.27 meters.

Mobile projection solution on the Samsung MBP100 projector

The Lumens of the Samsung micro-projector is approximately 10 ANSI. Naturally it is not comparable to large projectors. However; that doesn't make the Samsung MBP-100 less interesting. Also the expected price of $200-$300 is interesting but not surprising looking at the target group (young consumer, not the business consumer) for this product. I, myself would love to possess a device like this and I surely hope Samsung will bring the MBP-100 to Europe soon.

Source: LetsGoMobile

Motorola to Embed Video Projector inside Mobile Phones

Microvision says that it has signed an agreement with Motorola to develop pico projector display solutions for mobile applications leveraging Microvision's ultra-miniature laser based display engine, called PicoP. Tiny laser-based projectors are expected to enable a "big screen" viewing experience from mobile devices, by projecting content displayed on the device screen onto a nearby wall or clean surface.

Motorola is committed to driving technology innovation that will enable the next generation of great consumer experiences," said Rob Shaddock, CTO, Motorola Mobile Devices business. "Working together with Microvision, we are pursuing ways that projection technology can redefine how mobile consumers view and interact with the media they take with them."

"With its slim form factor and low power requirements, Microvision's PicoP projector is optimized for the mobile environment," stated Alexander Tokman, President and CEO of Microvision. "We believe that our unique display technology, combined with Motorola's focus on delivering cool experiences, would allow mobile users to enhance their viewing of information and entertainment."

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, however the companies revealed they will work together initially to integrate Microvision's latest PicoP projector inside a functioning mobile device for demonstration purposes. This prototype handset will utilize Microvision's new, WVGA (854 x 480 color pixels) wide angle scanner, first demonstrated in May 2007 at the Society of Information Display annual conference.