With the wide variety of handheld devices on the market that allow consumers to view and share their images on-the-go, the desire to see those images in a larger format has always been hanging over this market. A new technology 3M is showing might just take care of this issue.
3M has developed an ultra-compact, LED-illuminated projection engine designed for integration into virtually any personal electronic device. Roughly the size of a wireless earpiece and less than half an inch thick, the 3M mobile projection engine delivers brilliant VGA resolution images and the company announced they are working with several vendors on possible integration as early as Q2 2008.
With the expansion of digital media now accessible by mobile devices, the consumer market has a need for the flexibility and convenience of larger displays. “3M mobile projection engines achieve the size, efficiency, image quality and affordability needed for consumer adoption of this promising new product category,” said Mike Kelly, executive vice president, 3M Display and Graphics Business. “This development continues 3M’s long history as a global leader in advanced projection display technology. What is really exciting is that this technology is available now.”
When deployed in a host device, such as a mobile phone, 3M’s technology can project a 40-inch or larger image with no-speckle and a high-fill factor, they tell us, that ensures solid image quality. Each engine uses an advanced liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) electronic imager in conjunction with proprietary 3M optics technology.
