Feb 20
Pico projectors, such as the Shine above, offer projection in a smaller form factor than traditional projectors, and as technology improves, they are more able to handle brighter conditions and … Continue reading
Jan 14
Pico projectors did seem as though they were going to be the next big thing in the world of consumer electronics, but apparently, that was not the case. I guess you can more or less lump pico projectors with the likes of the netbook, although the netbook has already been dead and buried for quite some time now, while pico projectors occupy an extremely niche market. Favi Entertainment has no qualms about releasing another pico projector into the fray, although to make sure that their offering stands out from the crowd, it will come with additional features that would not be normally found on a standard issue model. We are looking at the Favi WiFi-enabled Pico+ Projector with Miracast and Airplay Wireless display, where it would enable users to wirelessly share their mobile screens as well as laptop content on up to a 100” projector screen.
Measuring roughly the size of a cell phone, this particular pico projector would have no qualms about planting itself into the side of a notebook bag, or to reside in a purse or in a backpack side pocket. Not only that, it wants to make sure that it can last the distance, which is why it comes with a best-in-class 5,000mAh battery that is able to run for a good 3 hours of continuous playback in eco-mode, while its power bank feature would also let you juice up your mobile device, both while projecting or when the projector is turned off.
Jeremy Yakel, President of FAVI Entertainment, shared, “With only your smartphone and the FAVI Pico+ projector, business users and students have complete control over their presentation content and display. It includes a built-in WiFi hotspot allowing you to wirelessly project your mobile content without the need for an external WiFi connection. Furthermore, everyday users can easily pull up their saved content, movies and photos from any external USB device or SD Card. The Pico+ supports standard HDMI from cable/satellite TV, Blu-ray players or game consoles making it an ideal projector for home use.”
The asking price of $299 a pop ain’t too shabby either, don’t you think so?
Press Release
[ Favi Pico+ Projector with Miracast and Airplay Wireless display copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Oct 22
Genius has announced the launch a new product line called BellaVision. The first product ability the new line is a new pico projector called the BV 180. The little pico projector has a native resolution of 800×600 in a pocket-sized package. The projector is rated for 35 lm of brightness. That means you need a […]
Apr 15
The name AAXA Technologies would certainly be a familiar one to those who happen to have some knowledge about the world of pico projectors. Ah yes, pico projectors, the tiny devices that was once thought to be able to take the world by storm, but one way or another, pico projectors never really managed to take off in a big way. Well, suffice to say, the pico projector market has plodded along rather all right on its own, being more of a niche market that warrants a new iteration from time to time, and AAXA Technologies has stepped into its role this time around with the release of the P2 Jr pico projector.
What makes the P2 Jr a next generation pico projector would be the fact that it is based on AAXA’s amazingly small 4024 optical engine. This super diminutive 4024 light engine is roughly the size of three stacked half-dollars, where it is capable of producing a giant 55 lumens of brightness, which is a whole lot more than many flashlight combined together. Right at the heart of this pico projector engine would be Texas Instruments Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology that has been mated to 15,000 hour LEDs and advanced micro-optics.
The result of all this amalgamation and technology coming together? You end up with a pico projector that is capable of producing an extremely vivid 55 lumen picture, in addition to having 1000:1 contrast ratio and images that are splashed in vibrant colors. To ensure that it remains up to date and relevant in today’s market, the P2 Jr will also accept a High Definition digital video input of up to 1080P (1920×1080), courtesy of its mini-HDMI port. Video sources will be able to include cell phones, tablets, Blu-ray players, and video game consoles. There is also an additional video input in the guise of the VGA harness cable thrown into the mix for added versatility.
So far, the P2 Jr’s built-in rechargeable lithium ion battery has been rated to run for 120 minutes on a full charge, and can be powered by battery and DC power mode, where everything is going for $199 a pop for a limited time.
Product Page
[ AAXA Technologies introduces P2 Jr pico projector copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Apr 12
When it comes to the pico projector market, there aren’t too many names to fall back on if you want something reliable. Well, AAXA Technologies is one of them, and their latest addition to their stable of devices would come in the form of the P2 Jr pico projector. This is a next generation pico projector which will be powered by AAXA’s amazingly small 4024 optical engine, which so happens to measure approximately the size of three stacked half-dollars, where it can also produce a giant 55 lumens of brightness which is far more than what many flashlights offer.
The Texas Instruments Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology within has been mated to 15,000 hour LEDs and advanced micro-optics, resulting in a highly portable device that allows you to enjoy a vivid 55 lumen picture, 1000:1 contrast, Vibrant-Color image. It will accept a High Definition digital video input of up to 1080P (1920×1080) thanks to its mini-HDMI port, and your video sources will vary from cell phones to tablets, Blu-ray players and video game consoles. Touted to come with a 2 hour battery life on a single charge, the P2 Jr Pico Projector will retail for $199 a pop. [Press Release]
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Phone Camera Assists Medical Field Again, Genius Ring Mouse 2, 
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Feb 11
We’ve come across a number of DLP-based pico projectors over the years and while these products are getting smaller, brighter and higher resolution, it’s the integration with other devices that’s really captured our imagination. Samsung’s Galaxy Beam, which we reviewed last year, merges a 15-lumen nHD (640×360) DLP-based pico projector with a Galaxy S Advance. More recently at CES 2013, Texas Instruments announced its new Tilt & Roll Pixel chip architecture and demoed a handful of other DLP-equipped products live on our stage, including 3M’s Streaming Projector and Smart Devices’ U7 tablet.
Gallery: Texas Instruments DLP tech hands-on
Gallery: SmartDevices U7 tablet hands-on
The company recently invited us to play with some of these devices and to show us other applications in areas such as 3D printing, 3D scanning, optical research, medical imaging and even automotive. Some of this DLP-equipped tech, like the Interactive Center Console, shows where we’re headed in the near future — other products, like Christie’s VeinViewer Flex, exist today but remind us of something right out of science-fiction. Take a look at our galleries below, then join us after the break for our hands-on video and more info on these devices.
Filed under: Cellphones, Misc, Tablets, Transportation, Science, Mobile, Samsung
Jan 09
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: an interview with Texas Instruments’ Frank Moizio
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Love tiny projectors? Boy have we got the conversation for you! We’ll be speaking with Texas Instruments business manager, DLP Pico Projection, Frank Moizio, who will be showing off new devices featuring the technology and discussing the company’s new architecture and the outlook for pico projectors in the future.
January 9, 2013 12:30 PM EST
Check out our full CES 2013 stage schedule here!
Continue reading Live from the Engadget CES Stage: an interview with Texas Instruments’ Frank Moizio
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
Jan 07
DLP unveils Tilt & Roll Pixel chip architecture, promises brighter projectors with better resolution
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Pico projectors are slowly getting better and better as the years go by, and DLP’s latest chip architecture announced at CES aims to raise the bar once more. The platform, which the company is dubbing Tilt & Roll Pixel, is the same size as the current generation, but it promises that products will be able to offer twice the resolution, 30 percent higher brightness and 50 percent increase in energy efficiency. Given our fondness for products like the Samsung Galaxy Beam, we’re pretty excited to see how good movies look on our living room wall. Don’t get too anxious, however — the new platform is currently sampling to manufacturers and products are expected to arrive “as early as the end of the year.” We have the press release for your viewing pleasure past the break.
Update: DLP emailed us with an updated press release to confirm the name of the new architecture. We were also informed that chips using WVGA resolution will be slightly smaller, shrinking from 0.3 inches to 0.2.
Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Mobile
Dec 09
Gift Guide: Samsung Galaxy Beam
Posted in: Today's Chili
Short Version
The Samsung Galaxy Beam is an Android-powered smartphone that has a pico projector embedded into its top edge so you can beam on-screen content onto a wall or other large surface. As well as projecting video and photo content, the projector can be used for presentations, decorative projections to create a mood, or for augmenting the phone’s alarm clock — by, for example, beaming the day’s weather forecast and your schedule onto the ceiling so it’s the first thing you see when you wake up.
Long Version
Features:
- Built-in 15 lumens pico projector with resolution of 640×360
- Dedicated projector button and app — offering a variety of projecting modes
- 4-inch touchscreen display (480×800 resolution)
- Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
- Dual-core 1GHz processor
- 2,000 mAh battery (plus a spare in the box)
- 5 megapixel rear camera, 1.3 megapixel front camera
Info:
- MSRP: US: From ~$480 unlocked/UK: From £26 per month on two-year contract or from £280 SIM-free
- Available: Now
- Retailers: US: Amazon, Expansys/UK: Expansys, Clove, Carphone Warehouse, Phones 4u
The Samsung Galaxy Beam is…
… a mid-range 3G, Android Gingerbread-powered smartphone that would be entirely unremarkable if it weren’t for the pico projector Samsung has embedded in the phone’s top edge. The Beam has the photon-firing power to lift your digital stuff off the phone and throw it all over your walls — albeit, in a fairly grounded nHD resolution of 640×360. Glorious HD this is not, but it’s intended as a fun feature — not a replacement for your front room home cinema. That said, it is entirely possible to watch movies using the Beam’s projector — you just need to find a dark, cosy environment where the projection isn’t competing with outside light. High-contrast content looks the best, such as cartoons and animations, more subtle shades will just look murky.
The projector can be fired up via a physical button on the side of the phone, or by tapping on a dedicated app. The app lets you choose from multiple modes: the Quick Pad presentation mode that beams out whatever’s on screen and lets you scribble over it; Ambience mode projects decorative backgrounds plus music to create your own private disco; and Torch mode projects solid blocks of colour so you can have a scary Halloween sidekick. The projector can be a little thirsty on the battery but Samsung has put a very beefy cell in the Beam — and included a spare plus a charger-cum-phone-stand in the box — so you can be charging one battery while using the other to project. Each battery is good for around three hours of projecting time — so more than enough to watch a film. And for longer projecting sessions you just need to remember to keep one battery on charge so you always have a fully charged spare to swap to.
Elsewhere the phone is a fairly standard (i.e. mid-range) Gingerbread smartphone — with a dual-core 1GHz chip, 4-inch touchscreen, and a 5-megapixel rear camera. Samsung has previously said the Beam will get an update to Ice Cream Sandwich but don’t rely on that happening. The phone dishes up adequate Internet browsing performance, and will even handle 3D games — just don’t expect it to be a powerhouse. That’s not the point of the Beam: it’s all about the projector.
Buy the Samsung Galaxy Beam for…
… bedroom-loving teenagers who are addicted to watching YouTube/music videos and want a fun gadget to impress their friends with.
Because…
… with its embedded pico-projector, the Beam has a pretty unique boast. Every smartphone under the sun can run apps and surf the web, but it’s a rare phone that can turn your bedroom into a micro cinema at the push of a button. Sure, the Beam is not a super-powered or super speedy phone, but it’s got enough power under its hood for the average user and — more importantly — it brings a little light into their life.
Dec 04
Welcome to Tuesday evening everyone. Today we found out that nightly builds to CyanogenMod 10.1 are ready to go for the Nexus 10, which comes just a short time after nightlies started rolling out for the Nexus 4. IDC said today that Android will likely stay on top in the battle for mobile dominance until 2016, with iOS placing in second throughout, so it looks like the mobile landscape won’t be changing all that much in the coming years. Verizon is set to begin rolling out targeted ad campaigns this week, but you’ll only see those ads if you give Verizon permission.
The Kindle app for iOS was updated today with X-Ray functionality in tow, but that wasn’t the only thing getting an iOS update. Gmail for iOS was updated to version 2.0, with YouTube getting an update on iPhone 5 and iPad. In other words, it wasn’t a bad day if you’re an iOS user and you happen to be using some of the platform’s most popular apps. Netflix has signed a deal with Disney, but unfortunately for all of you Disney fans, that deal won’t go into effect until 2016 rolls around, so you’ve a while to wait.
Speaking of Netflix, we found out today that the PlayStation 3 has become the number one device for streaming Netflix, while the Fuhu nabi Jr has arrived with an aging Tegra 2 processor under the hood. The cool little Black Diamond III multi-sensory Bluetooth speaker launched today, while the LaCie d2 external hard drive has been re-released with USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt functionality. Toshiba announced its new Excite 10 SE 10-inch tablet today, while the Samsung S Pebble music player touched down in the United States.
Samsung also introduced a new Pico Projector for Galaxy devices today, HP has a new printer out in India that doubles as a hotspot, and we got word that Google I/O 2013 will be kicking off on May 15 with tickets going on sale early next year. Moshi has a new line of accessories for the iPhone 5 and the Retina MacBook Pro, while Apple delivered an update for the iWork suite that brings mobile/desktop compatibility with it. Google confirmed that it had one time looked into creating its own wireless network, and finally tonight, Chris Burns gives his review of Gmail 2.0 on iOS. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, enjoy the rest of your night folks!
SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: December 4, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
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