Mobile phone projector from Microvision

Microvision, developer of light-scanning technologies for display and imaging products, will unveil at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2008) in Las Vegas next week an advanced prototype of the first handheld, battery-powered, ‘plug-and-play’ projector based on the company’s single micro-mirror laser scanning display technology. Code-named SHOW, Microvision’s stand-alone pico projector intended for mobile device applications, is powered by the company’s proprietary ultra-miniature PicoP display engine. Microvision will preview the PDA-sized, fully self-contained, battery operated, full-color laser projector to select global OEMs, mobile carriers, content providers, development partners and members of the media.

Microvision SHOW mobile projector

SHOW connects directly to laptops, mobile phones, portable media players (PMPs), digital cameras and other mobile devices to project large, high-resolution images and video onto any surface. The images projected can range anywhere from 12 inches (30 cm) to 100 inches (2.5 m) in size depending upon the projection distance and are always in focus. The production version of the device is expected to offer approximately 2.5 hours of continuous battery life, sufficient to watch a full-length movie without a need for recharging.



Microvision pico projector for mobile devices

"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."

Mobile phone projector

Microvision says that SHOW can project a widescreen, WVGA (848 X 480 pixels), DVD quality image - offering a very different experience from the tiny 2-inch display solutions available today on various portable devices. Designed for viewing high-quality projected images in a variety of controlled lighting environments, SHOW offers more than five times the resolution compared with competing miniature projectors that typically only offer QVGA resolution (320 x 240 pixels). At the heart of SHOW is Microvision's PicoP display engine, measuring close to 5 cc in volume and approximately 7 mm thick (approximately the size of a thin mint chocolate candy). Microvision envisions the PicoP display engine being used not only in stand-alone accessory products like SHOW, but also embedded directly into mobile consumer products.