DLP Pico nHD chip announced

The leading developers of the technology used in every major brand of projector have unveiled a pioneering new chip that will allow projectors to be shrunk to even smaller sizes.

Texas Instruments – the company that makes the crucial digital light processing, or DLP, chips – launched a new DLP Pico chip at last week's IFA Berlin consumer electronics show.

The tiny chip, which has been called the nHD chip, is only around the size of a raisin but has proven extremely effective in projecting images with resolutions of up 640x360 pixels. The size of the chip is likely to make pico projectors a much more commonplace feature in gadgets such as cameras, mobile phones and portable games consoles.

Texas Instruments says the new model gives a much-improved contrast ratio of 1000:1 for much darker black tones and a richer colour spectrum. It will also significantly lower the power consumption of devices using it, compared to older projection technology.

Via ProjectorPoint

Philips PicoPix camcorder range launched at IFA Berlin

Philips joins other major brands including Optoma and Aiptek by adding the hand-held devices to their range. The company chose to make rumors official at one of the world's biggest platforms for consumer electronics in the world.

The image quality of the projectors are between 20 and 30 lumens, depending on which model you buy, with a resolution of 800x600 and contrast ratio of 400:1.

Buy an Optoma PK201 Pico Pocket Projector

The more advanced models – the 1230 and 1430 – come with a integrated battery, giving 2.5 hours of playback, while the 1020 model can be powered via a USB computer connection.

The 1230 also features stereo loudspeakers, while the 1430 has the speakers, as well as an integrated MP4 player and an SD card slot.

Embracing the eco-friendly requirements of modern gadgets, all of the projectors feature low energy consumption LED bulbs, with lifespans of up to 20,000 hours.

Buy Optoma PK102 Pico Pocket Projector

Via ProjectorPoint

MiLi iPhone Projector Accessory

When the iPhone first came out it was a pretty eye catching desirable status symbol. Now everyones, got the damn thing and you're just as likely to see a 14 year old kid wielding the amazing smartphone power as some old rich dude in a Porsche. Hmmm... so what could you do to make your iPhone stand out a bit from the masses and enter the realm of the extraordinary again? Purchase the MiLi iPhone Projector of course.

This unfold-able LED pico projector is designed specifically with your iPhone in mind. Simply flip it open and dock your iPhone. Play any movie or video on your phone and project it up to 70 inches wide. Your friends will gasp in awe at your new pocketable movie theater. What's more, plug in any other AV source or VGA input from your laptop and display that as well. The built-in battery even powers and recharges your iPhone while docked in the projector.

Buy the MiLi Power-Angel 1200mAh Extended Battery Backup & Stand for iPhone 3G 3GS & iPod Touch 2G 3G (Black)

The MiLi iPhone Projector can also be used with your laptop via other AV sources or VGA input from your laptop. The built-in battery even powers and recharges your iPhone while docked in the projector. It also has a built-in speaker that can boost the volume of your iPhone. It comes with a 100-240V AC Wall adapter for charging, VGA Video Cable, Composite Video Cable, and IR Remote. This will be the talk of your friends and family so be sure to order yours today.

The Mili iPhone Projector is available at thinkgeek for $349.99.

Optoma PK301 pico projector

"The Optoma Pico PK301 is probably the most impressive Pico projector on the market today," commented Product Manager, Richard Stamper.  "With impressive resolution and brightness the PK301 is an essential business tool, brilliantly handling and projecting highly professional looking PowerPoint ® slides, photo and video files.  After work, you'll be watching movies at up to 120 inches using the HDMI input or the built in memory.

Buy the Optoma PK301 Pico Pocket Projector

A MicroSD slot allows for up to 32GB of removable storage space with the PK301, whilst connectivity options include mini HDMI, VGA and USB.

Whilst the WVGA (854 x 480) pixel resolution is nothing to write home about, the tiny size and 250g weight make it a perfect portable device for those regularly travelling to make presentations.

Via Tech Digest

Samsung SP-H03 pico projector

Weighing in at 210g, the device aims at super portability and hopes to appeal to those of you who are employed with that oh-so-joyous task of performing presentations.

Graham Long, Vice President of Samsung's IT Business Division at Samsung Electronics said:

“The SP-H03 was designed to be extremely portable, eliminating the hassle and setup issues often encountered by presenters as they travel from organisation to organisation".

“By creating a convenient, portable, powerful and inexpensive device, Samsung is poised to assert its leadership at the top of this market”.

Suitable for projecting images from 9 to 80 inches the SP-H03 gives 30 ANSI lumens of brightness and gives you a 1GB internal memory, but is expandable with a MicroSD card so storing data shouldn't be a problem.

The detachable battery will apparently last up to the 2-hour mark in Eco mode (no word on battery life when not in "eco" mode) which should be just enough for presentations, but if you want to watch movies it sounds like you'll need to hunt for a power socket.

3M Mpro 150 Pico Projector

The MPro 150 is astonishingly minute, weighing a mere 158g. Yes, that’s great for Bond-loving execs looking to mimic Q’s own mini-gadget filled briefcase, but what we’re really after here is image quality. Tucked inside the MPr0 150’s minuscule shell is its MM200 optical engine, which uses an advanced liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) system where most use a DLP engine. 3M claims that this gives you a full colour gamut (reproduction).

Unfortunately, we found the MPro 150’s pictures extremely lacking in brightness. There’s a bit more lumination than the similarly sized Optoma PK101 (the MPro packs 15 lumens) but it still yields flat and lifeless pictures. We suggest you don’t dare increase the picture size over 35in and be sure to turn off or black-out any light source you can find. Otherwise it’s fuzzy heaven.

Buy the 3M Pocket Projector MPro150

Read the full review at Stuff Mid-East

Texas Instruments Blaze tablet: 1GHz processor & pico projector

Texas Instruments has unveiled the Blaze tablet design built for developers. The design puts its newer 1GHz OMAP4 chip behind a 10-inch, multi-touch screen and a modular design that can add any number of features. It has the option of an external DLP pico projector alongside camera modules, 3G, FM radio, GPS and Wi-Fi.

Buy an Apple iPad Tablet (64GB, Wifi)

The reference slate has 1GB of RAM and 32GB of flash as well as a raft of expansion, ranging from HDMI video output to an SD card slot and USB. An accelerometer and gyroscope make it ready for games and other motion-sensitive apps.

Buy a 7" inch Google Android Touchpad Tablet PC notebook Netbook Internet MID UMPC E-Book Reader

Via electronista

Samsung Galaxy Beam: AMOLED touch screen, Android OS, projector

Samsung, which has been making serious plays in the smartphone world, has announced that their "Beam" phone, which has Android and a built-in projector, will soon be shipping.

The phone itself is a real spectacle. It has a 3.7" touchscreen (Super AMOLED display), Android 2.1, Bluetooth 3.0, A-GPS, 802.11n Wi-Fi, an 8MP phone, FM radio, microSD slot and yes, a DLP-based pico projector. It's certainly a never-before-seen set of specifications, and the battery life of 7 hours of talk time is also fairly unheard of.

Buy a Samsung Galaxy Spica GT-I5700 Black Unlocked

Via hothardware

Favi RIOLED-Q and RIOLED-V pico projectors

Favi is releasing a pair some time between late February and early March for prices yet unknown. First is the RIOLED-Q (pictured) which sports a pretty 800 x 600 native resolution at 50 lumens -- supposedly the best brightness in class (like the Optoma PK301), along with built-in SD / MMC card reader, battery, three-watt stereo speaker and an ever-so-handy digital keystone correction. Joining the party is the smaller RIOLED-V which is shy about its display specification, but proudly packs a card reader and WiFi to cater its various web apps for YouTube, Flickr, Picasa, Yahoo News, Weather, Email, Internet Radio and web browser.

Via Engadget

RoyalTek RPJ-2000 pico projector

RoyalTek's maiden entry into the pico projector market has resulted in the RPJ-2000, where this standalone projector sans internal memory will rely on 3M's 2nd-generation LCoS engine. Out in Taiwan and Europe, this model has received the go ahead from Apple to be used with the iPhone and iPod. It runs quietly thanks to Quanta's fanless technology, and retails for around 219 Euros across the Atlantic for the basic model. iPhone and iPod owners who want to hook up their devices to this will have to fork out another 30 Euros for a connectivity kit. RoyalTek has targeted a 60,000 unit sales in 2010.

Via UberGizmo

Light Blue Optics "Light Touch" coming to CES?

Light Blue Optics are rumored to launch their first product, the “Light Touch” at CES (Jan 6th).

LBO’s pico projector modules are Holographic Laser-based, and apparently allow the user to touch the projected image to provide user input.

Their modules support WVGA-QVGA images at 10 lumens. LBO’s proprietary technology has an ultra-wide throw angle and the ability to correct for optical aberrations using software. The projectors can switch between conventional front projection onto a wall and a novel table-down projection mode where the device is placed on a table and the content is projected down onto the surface in front of it. LBO has recently raised $15 million.

Via IntoMobile