Check out this newly added portable multimedia projector to Chinavasion’s product page, the PortiMax. This travel-friendly projector is able to project images up to 45-inches with a native resolution of 320 x 240 pixels and provides 30 ANSI lumens brightness, 200:1 contrast ratio and up to 20,000 hours of LED lamp life. Not only that, it also comes with a built-in media player, an SD card slot, a USB port and a 3-in-1 AV in. The PortiMax retails for just $65.16. [Product Page]
If you’ve ever been to an amusement park, you may have noticed ride designers using some non-traditional platforms as projection screens — the most common example being a steady stream of artificial fog. Projecting onto transparent substances is a different story, however, which made this latest technique a bit baffling to say the least. Colloidal Display, developed by Yoichi Ochiai, Alexis Oyama and Keisuke Toyoshima, uses bubbles as an incredibly thin projection “screen,” regulating the substance’s properties, such as reflectance, using ultrasonic sound waves from a nearby speaker. The bubble liquid is made from a mixture of sugar, glycerin, soap, surfactant, water and milk, which the designers say is not easily popped. Still, during their SIGGRAPH demo, a motor dunked the wands in the solution and replaced the bubble every few seconds.
A standard projector directed at the bubble creates an image, which appears to be floating in the air. And, because the bubbles are transparent, they can be stacked to simulate a 3D image. You can also use the same display to project completely different images that fade in and out of view depending on your angle relative to the bubble. There is a tremendous amount of distortion, however, because the screen used is a liquid that remains in a fluid state. Because of the requirement to constantly refresh the bubbles, and the unstable nature of the screen itself, the project, which is merely a proof of concept, wouldn’t be implemented without significant modification. Ultimately, the designers hope to create a film that offers similar transparent properties but with a more solid, permanent composition. For now, you can sneak a peek of the first iteration in our hands-on video after the break.
Gallery: Colloidal Display hands-on
Filed under: Displays
Colloidal Display uses soap bubbles, ultrasonic waves to form a projection screen (hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 12:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
When it comes to the world of pico projectors, there are not too many notable players in the market. I remember when 3M came out with their version a couple of years ago – that was functional enough, but was the world ready for such a peripheral? It seems that when you fast forward to today, most folks do not even carry around a pico projector as there does not seem to be a real need in the business and corporate worlds. Well, there is always room for improvement, and this is where General Imaging jumps right into the picture with their handheld pico projector known as the ipico.
The ipico is said to be unique, affordable and highly portable, where it will be able to let you take sharing to a whole new level, targeting not those who are wearing stiff suits, but rather, to cater for a generation of social media fanatics. Let us take a closer look at what the ipico handheld projector is capable of delivering in terms of specifications right after the jump.
There is one aspect about the ipico that clearly makes it stand out from the rest of the crowd – it is not only sleek looking, but it also comes with a patented pop-up connector which is capable of transforming your iPhone or iPod touch into an actual social media device. The ipico will in no way burn a huge hole in your pocket, as it has been affordably priced so that you can easily share videos, photos and movies in real time while having the option to project them to a display area of up to 50″ in size. Just like any other self-respecting projection device, having it beam onto a flat, white surface would work best.
Specially manufactured to play nice with the iPhone and iPod touch, the ipico does not need any cables whatsoever. Instead, all you need to do is pop up the built-in connector on the ipico, slide it directly into your iPhone or iPod touch, make a careful focus on just about any surface, and it will be able to instantly project your multimedia content to the rest of the world. No longer do you need to wait for your turn to see what’s going on over at your friend’s iPhone display, as the ipico has a wide viewing angle of up to 178 degrees, now how about that?
It is also portable enough to carry with you everywhere, as it tips the scales at a mere 3.35 ounces, measuring roughly two-thirds the width of an iPhone and being slightly over half an inch thick. You might want to reward yourself this holiday season with the white ipico handheld projector as it retails for just $129.99 a pop, and comes with a built-in, rechargeable Lithium-ion battery and USB charging cable. The compatibility list reads as such – iPod touch (3rd and 4th generation), iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS.
[ General Imaging dives into pico projector market with the ipico copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
NEC hits back with their new DLP projector, the NP-L51WJD. Measuring 226mm x 175mm x 43mm and weighing 1.2kg, this travel-friendly projector delivers 1280 x 800 WXGA resolution, 500 ANSI lumens brightness and 4000:1 contrast ratio, and provides up to 20,000 hours of LED lamp life. What’s more, it also comes with a built-in media player, an SD card slot, an HDMI port and a built-in 2W mono speaker. The NP-L51WJD will hit the market from August 20th for unannounced price yet. [NEC]
TAXAN is set to release their latest mobile projector, the KG-PL051W. Measuring 170mm x 138mm x 42.5mm and weighing 800g, this travel-friendly projector provides 1280 x 800 WXGA resolution, 500 ANSI lumens brightness, 3500:1 contrast ratio and up to 30,000 hours of LED lamp life. Not to mention, it also has a built-in media player, an SD card slot, a USB port and an HDMI port. The TAXAN KG-PL051W will hit the market from mid-August for unannounced price yet. [TAXAN]
BenQ has begun shipping two of their new DLP projectors, the LX60ST and LW61ST. Aimed at educational market, these laser-based projectors provide 1024 x 768 native resolution (LX60ST), 1280 x 800 native resolution (LW61ST), 2000 ANSI lumens brightness, 80,000: contrast ratio and up to 20,000 hours of laser lamp life (Eco Mode). The LX60ST and LW61ST are priced at $1,849 and $1,949, respectively. [BenQ]
Two of ViewSonic’s newest LED projectors ‘PLED-W500′ and ‘PLED-W200′ are now available for purchase in India. Both of these ultraportable and energy-efficient projectors (3D-ready) provide 1280 x 800 native resolution, 500 ANSI lumens brightness (W500), 250 ANSI lumens brightness (W200), 6000:1 contrast ratio (W500), 2000:1 contrast ratio (W200) and 20,000 hours (W500) / 30,000 hours (W200) of LED lamp life. The PLED-W500 and PLED-W200 LED are priced at 61,000 rupee (about $1,099) and 44,000 rupee (about $793), respectively. [Tech 2]
Here we have another newly shipped 3LCD projector from Canon, the LV-8227A. Aimed at both educational and business markets, the LV-8227A delivers 1280 x 800 native resolution, 2500 ANSI lumens brightness and 3000:1 contrast ratio, and provides up to 6,000 hours of lamp life (Quiet Mode). It also comes with a built-in 10W mono speaker and a number of connectivity ports including HDMI, Composite, D-Sub, Stereo Mini Jack, 2x RCA Audio and S-Video. The LV-8227A is priced at $799. [About Projectors]
Billiards, a game that has probably been around since the late 1500′s. Originally thought to have been brought to the U.S. by way of the Spaniards, it now appears more likely that its beginnings were of Dutch and English settlers bringing it over. The game is played on a table with a cue… and it has been, for a really long time.
Usually bringing to mind cherry paneled walls and brass bar rails, forget everything you used to know about your low tech billiards tables because the CueLight Interactive Pool Table System lets you transform any pool table into an interactive, multi-touch video experience. HD imagery actually responds to a players every shot, providing an immersive, almost surreal pool playing experience.
CueLight lets you add flames or rippling effects to your felt, even allowing hidden images to be revealed as your ball glides across the surface. The system uses high brightness overhead projectors and a simple handheld device that lets users control all of the tables special effects. So if your ordinary game of pool has gotten a little boring, this may be an option for you. You can get a CueLight system with or without a pool table. Check out the obsuradigital.com website for purchasing information and watch a video of the table in action HERE.
[ CueLight Interactive Pool Table System – Takes your Game High Tech copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
The Sony VPL-BW120S is a new affordable short-range video projector. Priced at just 80,000 Yen ($1,000), the 3LCD projector is able to provide 80-inch screen from a distance of only 1.3 meters. The Sony VPL-BW120S provides a 2,600 lumens brightness, a 4,000:1 contrast ratio and a maximum of 1280×800 pixels resolution. Sony will release the VPL-BW120S short-range video projector later this month. [VR-Zone]
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