January 02, 2008

CES 2008: Microvision Shrinks Projector To The Size Of A PDA January 02, 2008

Read more Gadgets , Gizmodo UK , Mobile Devices , Mobile phones , Movies , PDA , Projector , Smartphones

You might high-def projectors are the most exciting thing happening in the projector world but you’d be wrong. In fact, think ‘tiny’ and you’d be on the right track.

Microvision claims to have cracked the creation of a projector so small that it can be incorporated into mobile phones. The company will be showing off its PicoP projector technology – just 7mm thick - at next week’s gadget smorgasbord, CES 2008, in Vegas next week.

The prototype device – codenamed SHOW - is embedded in a PDA-sized device for use by professionals on the go, but Microvision says it can also be fitted to regular mobile phones. Texas Instruments previewed something similar a few months back - jump now to see a video of it in action.

Performance wise, the SHOW is no slouch either throwing up a 2.5 metre image with a resolution of 848x480 pixels. Battery life is rated at 2.5 hours and images are always in focus.

“Consumers want better display solutions that will enrich their experience in watching TV, videos and movies, in playing games, and in browsing the web from their cell phones and other mobile devices,”points out Alexander Tokman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Microvision. “While mobile multi-media subscription services are on the rise, handset manufacturers, content providers and service providers view tiny cell phone displays as a barrier to stronger consumer adoption of their products and services. With Microvision's SHOW you could view and share everything ranging from YouTube videos, MSN newscasts, and Google search results to PowerPoint presentations, feature-length films, and family photos in a large, full-color, hi-resolution format instead of a 2-inch, QVGA display.”

The company has worked 10 years on this and, having inked a new deal with Motorola, let’s hope that 2008 is the year we might see a product we can actually buy.-Martin Lynch

[Microvision]

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