Pocket-Sized Laser Projector to Bring ‘Big-Screen Viewing’ to Mobile Devices

Pocket-Sized Laser Projector to Bring ‘Big-Screen Viewing’ to Mobile Devices

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With the global mobile TV market expected to more than double from $7.9 billion in 2008 to $17.1 billion in 2012, according to the Yankee Group, a worldwide audience is already viewing YouTube videos, films, digital pictures and other content on the small screens of mobile devices in record numbers. Microvision, a maker of ultra-miniature projection display and image capture products for mobility applications, is bringing new technology to original equipment manufacturers that they claim will alleviate the small-screen viewing problem which many users dislike.

The company recently announced plans to demonstrate its next-generation pico projector prototype—a pocket-sized laser projector that connects to a variety of mobile devices including phones, personal media players, digital cameras and other mobile devices—at CEATEC in Tokyo, Japan last month.

“Our latest pico projector prototype provides a thinner, smaller and brighter PicoP engine and several image quality enhancements over the projector which we introduced at CES earlier this year,” said Alexander Tokman, president and CEO of Microvision. “Through the integration of new-generation green lasers and electronics innovations we are able to deliver the type of image quality that we believe will delight customers. We recently began shipments of this prototype to our OEM customers for evaluation and end-user testing. We consider both the new prototype and our work with OEMs as important steps forward in the path toward commercialization.”

Among the inherent advantages of the PicoP engine, we are told, is the small form factor and low power requirements, while delivering very good image quality. PicoP uses a collimated beam of light to achieve very efficient full-color, hi-resolution, high-contrast images. Additionally, PicoP does not require any projection lenses and is therefore ‘focus-free’ at any distance—another major advantage inherent in the PicoP architecture, we are told.

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