The Galaxy Beam which is the latest pico projector phone being released from Samsung is scheduled for release this July. Before you get your hopes up you should know that this only covers Singapore for now. It is still unknown when it will be available in other parts of the world.

Compared to its predecessor the AMOLED Beam, the Galaxy Beam has some very impressive features. For starters it has a 8-megapixel camera with auto focus as well as flash. It has a 3.7 inch Super AMOLED display. The OS that runs everything is Android 2.1. The Galaxy Beam uses Bluetooth 3.0, HSUPA/HSDPA and WiFi b/g/n for connectivity. It also has A-GPS and it comes with TV-Out for added media sharing.

Projector phones are starting to grow in number. The Samsung Galaxy Beam sets a milestone by being the first to feature the Google Android operating system.

Source: Best Pico Projectors

Technorati Tags: Samsung Group, Samsung i7500, Super AMOLED

Aaxa  have now released a projector that has really gotten our attention. It is a micro projector that is ambitiously called the M1 Ultimate and it has a brightness rating of 75 Lumens. That is more than twice as much brightness as some of the other projectors that we have covered here.

Featuring an LED image engine that has the capability of throwing out 800×600 pixels, this projector has the ability to display SVGA standard images. It has a maximum diagonal size limit of about 100 inches, which is quite expensive. However, you need a pitch dark room for achieving that large an image. Under normal lighting conditions, the maximum image size that you can achieve while maintaining visibility is 50 inches, which is again not that bad for a projector this size.

This is another one of those stand along projectors that have the ability to run certain commonly used file formats on their own. It has an SD card slot, from where you can run common file types like JPEG, DAT, RM, RMVB, MP3, MP4 and AVI. It also has a 1 GB internal memory that can be used to store the files right onboard.

if you are looking to connect it to one of your devices, there’s a composite video cable that can take inputs from your iPod or your DVD player. If you want to use it with your PC, there’s also a VGA input available onboard the projector. But the best feature by far has to the mini-USB port that supports USB-on-the-go feature that enables you to transfer files from your digital camera to the projector directly. This can be very helpful for visual media professionals, I can tell this much from personal experience in the field.

I think that this product will certainly be one to watch in the future.

Technorati Tags: aaxa, pico

NionCom’s MemoryKick Vision is a small tablet computer with a laser pico-projector (using Microvision’s PicoP engine with focus-free 848×480 resolution, but we do not know the brightness). The tablet runs Android v2.2 and has 4GB of internal flash memory, an internal HD (500GB or 1TB, there are two configurations) and a microSD slot. Other features include a 4.3″ 800×480 capacitive touch display, USB slot, HDMI input and output, output, Wi-Fi and a 5mp camera (can record 720p videos).

The MemoryKick Vision will be released in Q2 2011 for ‘about’ $500.

Source: Pico Projector Info

Technorati Tags: microvision, pico

With the advent of pico projectors, a lot of gadgets are getting upgraded with the ability to project images and Flip has just made their pocketable  video cameras becoming a part of that movement. On the other side of things, 3M — a company known for making sleek and svelte pico projectors — has released a new camcorder that packs in a pico projector as well. Looks like a new sub-genre is starting take shape in the a/v market.

Flip’s iGo is a pico projector that serves as a plug in module for the Flip MinoHD and the Flip UltraHD video cameras. It is a simple plug and play option that is meant to give a whole new idea to instant sharing. This projector module can throw a maximum image of 70″ (5″ minimum) and has a maximum resolution of 1200×800 — which is really impressive for this segment. It has an average (for pico projectors) brightness rating of 20 ANSI lumens.

Also, it looks like Flip is not playing spoilt sport and will allow you to use it as a stand alone device as well. It has Flip input, composite video, stereo audio, Mini HDMI, VGA and mini USB ports. It can project both in 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios.

Coming to the 3M camcorder model — it packs in a projector, has a similar form factor as the Flip and is called Shoot n’ Share. No points for the name. It has a measly 15 lumens brightness rating, meaning you will have turn off all the light there is and also draw the curtains. It does record (720p@60 according to the PR) HD video, it can only display 640×480 by itself, which is really sad for company that is known for its pico projectors. Thankfully, the cost is only $299.

Technorati Tags: Flip MinoHD, Handheld projector, microvision

3M has finally followed up on their previously released MPro150 and MPro120 pico projectors with the comparatively larger MP180. Thankfully, the previous models were quite slim and were loved for it. So the new one isn’t all that big and still manages to look pretty sleek beside all the other Pico projector models in the market. And it has upgrades  coming with too, especially in the areas where it is needed the mot.

The MP180 from 3M has upped the brightness up to 30 Lumens, making everyone a bit happier. However, that is also probably the reason why this model is larger than the previous ones. 30 Lumens still does not match up to the amazing brightness of some of the full format, professional projectors but then it is quite bright for its size and market segment.

The MP180 also improves on the speakers from the last models, which had really tiny ones. The newer speakers aren’t that large but it is still better than what was there before and was barely audible in a mid level noisy room. The output resolution is still 800×600, which is really good compared to some of the newcomers that we have seen recently.

The MP180 also has a cheaper counterpart called MP160. The only difference between the two is that MP180 has an inbuilt microSD card slot and an embedded OS for playing files on its own and the MP160 can only pass through VGA and composite video ins. The MP180 has a price tag of $399 and the MP160 comes for $349. It is pretty clear that the MP180 is the better deal of the lot. However, do keep in mind that their other specifications are still the same. So it is also a good chance to save some money if you really don’t ever need to run common audio, video, image and document files and will need a computer anyway.

Source: Micro Projector News

Technorati Tags: 3M, Handheld projector

Microvision has reported that it has successfully integrated direct green lasers into some of its pico projector prototypes. This is an important step towards the further miniaturization of the pico projector modules and making them cheaper too. These lasers hold to key to simplifying the manufacturing process, which will in turn benefit the whole chain.

Direct green lasers are those lasers that produce green light natively, without any modifications to them. Green makes up one of the three primary colors that are required to produce a color image digitally — RGB (Red Green Blue). But current Pico projectors do this with red and blue lasers coupled with an infrared laser that is forced to produce green light. This is done through tweaking the laser in a way that forces it to reduce its wavelength (infrared has a longer wavelength than green, which is more towards the middle of the light spectrum) and thus produce green light.

The problem with this process is that it creates a lot of complications in the manufacturing process where a lot of components are held at high tension situations to make this work. This makes the modules bigger thanks to the extra components that are required. It also increases the costs involved. Hence, once direct green lasers are successfully incorporated into the whole thing, the pico projector modules will become both cheaper and smaller. Much like the rest of the products in the electronics industry.

Direct green lasers are actually a new phenomenon and at least five different companies have said that they are working on it. Due to the complexity of synthetic green lasers (those infrared lasers that are made to produce green light), only two manufacturers make then. The commercial availability is said to be between late 2011 and mid 2012.

Source: Micro Projector News

Technorati Tags: Consumer Electronics Show, Handheld projector, microvision

AAXA’s second-gen laser projector, the L1 v2 is now shipping from Amazon.com for $449. The L1 v2 is an update to the L1, with improved thermal and optical efficiency, and a cheaper price (but it’s slightly larger). The L1 v2 is a laser-driven LCoS pico projector that offers 800×600 resolution at 20 lumens and focus-free images. It has an on-board media player (supporting videos, images and office documents).

Microvision announced that it will supply their laser PicoP pico-projector modules to Pioneer, which will use them for consumer and in-vehicle head-up displays (HUDs). Pioneer will develop, manufacture and distribute display engines based on the PicoP engine, and hopes to launch the first product (an in-vehicle HUD) by 2012.