5 ms·

This is actually really neat. Another step along the 'phone is the only device you need' road. It would be great for quickly sharing stuff like a youtube video

by polshaw 14y ago

This is actually really neat. Another step along the 'phone is the only device you need' road. It would be great for quickly sharing stuff like a youtube video. Kids could use it to watch a movie in their room, or at a friend's, or grandma's. Similarly, it could be great for the travelling. I can see some really great augmented reality uses for this, provided there is enough developer interest. Don't scoff at it because it doesn't match up to your 'real' projector-- it has some cool uses. The specs may not be so great yet (640x360 resolution, 15 Lumens), but it's very impressive that they got this into just 12.5mm thick phone, and specs (particularly resolution) will improve in future products.

marcusf 14y ago
This does carry the hallmarks of disruption (in the true Christensen sense of the word). If I were a projector company, I'd invest heavily in designing low power projection chips to sell to handset makers / make phone-sized projects to integrate with handsets. Maybe that already exists (beyond this phone)? I have to say I'm not well read on the state of the art here.
- Schwolop 14y ago
  As a budding robot maker, I'd much rather they build a focus-less laser projector that's higher power and daylight visible. I don't give a rat's arse about handheld projection, but projectors on mobile robots are the future, and changing the focus of a regular beam projector on the fly by measuring the distance to the wall and then adjusting feels like a dodgy hack when I know there are laser devices in the market that just don't need to do this at all.
  - marcusf 14y ago
    Sounds cool. Are you working on anything in particular where you use a mobile projector today?
    - Schwolop 14y ago
      http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3800926 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3800926 I'm doing customer discovery/development at the moment before going too far into the actual prototyping. My current business model has changed a bit so the first product might end up being aimed at enterprises - essentially taking the top half of the robot platform described in that link and putting it in the middle of a conference table. The aim being to bring virtual conferencing, remote desktop assistance, and tele-presentations to the same level of efficacy as being there in person. So the product lets you do things like background subtraction behind the presenter, then stitching their image into the actual presentation or screen. Simultaneously the presenter gets to see the augmented image on a nearby wall by way of the projector part (like a portable green-screen). If both sides of the communication have the device then you can do cool stuff like rotating the projector to simulate having one party actually in the room with the other party. Add to that gestural and voice-controlled interfaces and I think its a step change improvement from existing systems.
- tehayj 14y ago
  The mobile porn industry will like this too.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
adam-a 14y ago
What I find quite interesting is this _disruptive_ design first appeared (to my knowledge at least) in Shenzen knockoffs at least 4 years ago[1]. Maybe there is prior art from Samsung but it seems like more evidence of the rise of hardware innovation in China and Shenzen. [1] - http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/worlds-first-projector-cellphone-is-also-an-iphone-clone-in-ro/ http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/worlds-first-projector-ce...
hammock 14y ago
To me it's a step backwards. The non-apple smartphone makers - I'm looking at you Samsung, Moto - are reusing their same old feature phone strategy, but applying it to smartphones by making gimmicky one-trick ponies. The "projector phone." The "notepad phone." The "maxxx battery phone." The "swipe typing phone." The "social networks phone." We've been down that road before with feature phones. Experience with the iPhone might tell you though that consumers are looking for something different this time around. (not an apple fanboy here, btw) Pico projectors are cool technology, and ought to be used more, but this phone is not a killer app.
- saket123 14y ago
  I don't think this is a one trick phone. Its a full fledged smartphone with everything what an iPhone can do plus this cool projector. Infact this is a very good innovation in field of hardware as manufacturers using Windows or Android are increasingly relying on hardware to differentiate.

by polshaw 14y ago

marcusf 14y ago

This does carry the hallmarks of disruption (in the true Christensen sense of the word). If I were a projector company, I'd invest heavily in designing low power projection chips to sell to handset makers / make phone-sized projects to integrate with handsets. Maybe that already exists (beyond this phone)? I have to say I'm not well read on the state of the art here.

Schwolop 14y ago
As a budding robot maker, I'd much rather they build a focus-less laser projector that's higher power and daylight visible. I don't give a rat's arse about handheld projection, but projectors on mobile robots are the future, and changing the focus of a regular beam projector on the fly by measuring the distance to the wall and then adjusting feels like a dodgy hack when I know there are laser devices in the market that just don't need to do this at all.
- marcusf 14y ago
  Sounds cool. Are you working on anything in particular where you use a mobile projector today?
  - Schwolop 14y ago
    http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3800926 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3800926 I'm doing customer discovery/development at the moment before going too far into the actual prototyping. My current business model has changed a bit so the first product might end up being aimed at enterprises - essentially taking the top half of the robot platform described in that link and putting it in the middle of a conference table. The aim being to bring virtual conferencing, remote desktop assistance, and tele-presentations to the same level of efficacy as being there in person. So the product lets you do things like background subtraction behind the presenter, then stitching their image into the actual presentation or screen. Simultaneously the presenter gets to see the augmented image on a nearby wall by way of the projector part (like a portable green-screen). If both sides of the communication have the device then you can do cool stuff like rotating the projector to simulate having one party actually in the room with the other party. Add to that gestural and voice-controlled interfaces and I think its a step change improvement from existing systems.
tehayj 14y ago
The mobile porn industry will like this too.
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]

adam-a 14y ago

What I find quite interesting is this _disruptive_ design first appeared (to my knowledge at least) in Shenzen knockoffs at least 4 years ago[1]. Maybe there is prior art from Samsung but it seems like more evidence of the rise of hardware innovation in China and Shenzen. [1] - http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/worlds-first-projector-cellphone-is-also-an-iphone-clone-in-ro/ http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/13/worlds-first-projector-ce...

hammock 14y ago

To me it's a step backwards. The non-apple smartphone makers - I'm looking at you Samsung, Moto - are reusing their same old feature phone strategy, but applying it to smartphones by making gimmicky one-trick ponies. The "projector phone." The "notepad phone." The "maxxx battery phone." The "swipe typing phone." The "social networks phone." We've been down that road before with feature phones. Experience with the iPhone might tell you though that consumers are looking for something different this time around. (not an apple fanboy here, btw) Pico projectors are cool technology, and ought to be used more, but this phone is not a killer app.

saket123 14y ago
I don't think this is a one trick phone. Its a full fledged smartphone with everything what an iPhone can do plus this cool projector. Infact this is a very good innovation in field of hardware as manufacturers using Windows or Android are increasingly relying on hardware to differentiate.