Pico-projectors are an emerging technology that enables small mobile devices to provide large screen displays that can be viewed on any surface. They are, as the name implies, a small projector which can fit into the form factor of today's mobile devices.
As most mobile devices now have sufficient storage capacity to handle presentation materials but little space to accommodate an attached display screen they are more commonly being used in compact portable devices such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and digital cameras.
Some examples of usage from the consumer world are :
We're excited to hear the community's response, thoughts and ideas on this topic!
I have had requests for an embedded projector in our mobile devices in the past. Companies are wanting to be able to give their sales force everything they need in one platform. They want their teams to be able complete sales transactions, look up current product pricing and have the ability to do power point presentations all on the same device. I think this would be a good option if we can get pico projectors with good resolution.
We in Systems Engineering have been looking at this technology as well. Our first product that we looked at was in deed nice and small, you would proabably say it was pocketable. Unfortunately some of the features were not to the level we were expecting even for an entry level device.
If you would like to read more on our evaluations take a look
community.psion.com/.../aaxa-pico-projector-review.aspx
community.psion.com/.../my-experience-with-our-first-palm-size-pico-projector-from-aaxa.aspx
Hey Steve,
I did read those reviews! How did your team decide on reviewing those particular pico projectors? Were they declared to be the best at some particular property (brightness, etc.)? Also, I recall a comment about 640x480 not being large enough for say a laptop, I wonder if it would be fine for a mobile device? I do believe our displays are VGA as is.
Hi John, the sales force does sound like a prime candidate for a pico projector! Have you seen any other markets that could benefit? I'd imagine any kind of collaborative work would benefit from one of these things!
Hi Jordan, another possible use would be for training videos. Maybe a company will create some device training videos and store them on the terminal. It would be a good way to show them to more than one person if the need arose.
The other use case we had thought might be useful is the field service application. A service person would visit a site and could download the blueprint of the device they are working on and project it on the wall beside them.
What about combining pico projectors and augmented reality? Just think about the possibilities of both together.
Has anyone seen this:
pocketnow.com/.../windows-mobile-lg-expo-packs-a-pico-projector-for-att
Hello together,
Overall, the pico projector possibility is a great idea and I am sure there will be applications and needs for it; i.e. in field service market.
The point is usability at the current edge of the development. When you look at the specs of typical pico projectors, you will find that they mainly work with a white led which produces 10 or a little bit more ANSI lumen. This is by far not enough in the real world. You will need 3W or 5W power leds, which will draw a lot of power out of the mobile device. A second point is resolution. Just VGA is not enough. We have VGA on our mobile devices with our super bright and crystal clear displays. The pico projector will need at least an 800x600 or better 1024x768 resolution or even better 1280x720 Small-HD.
From my opinion, it is a great idea with potential in the future, but the momentary technical possibilities are not powerful enough.
Klaus
Hello,
We have a pico-projector related EC funded project running and our target is:
- ca. 840x580 WVGA
- 10-20 lumens (becaulse of safety legislations)
- less than 200mW power consumption
- size of the projector engine ca. 2ccm
- and we are using lasers, instead of LEDs
We also have this aaxa projector in the office to play with and it is rather far from usable solution right now.
Regards,
Lauri
www.pera.com
I saw HD pico-projectors from Texas Instruments demonstrated at Moblie World Congress in Barcelona last month. They use DLP technology rather than LED to achieve incredible brightness and contrast ratio www.dlp.com/.../press-release.aspx They have been integrated into a number of mobile phones and other devices due out this year http://www.dlp.com/uk/technology/dlp-press-releases/press-release.aspx?id=1371
Sony advertising their new projector video camera on TV in the UK now... Its gaining acceptance.
www.sony.co.uk/.../hdr-pj30ve|7548434524