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Had this been by Apple, it would now be called "Revolutionary", irrespective of the hardware specs - Sad state of tech journalism. Because, I honestly think tha

by neya 14y ago

Had this been by Apple, it would now be called "Revolutionary", irrespective of the hardware specs - Sad state of tech journalism. Because, I honestly think that a projector inside a phone is actually revolutionary. Remembered, the iPhone 5 was rumored to have this and ended up with a few inches of extra screen and a new processor, and now this Samsung phone actually has this. Bravo Samsung, for actually being innovative and not just on marketing terms!

bstar77 14y ago
Apple would never release something like this because its an absolutely ridiculous concept. The design compromises that had to be made to make this phone would be absolutely unacceptable for apple to accept(just read the reviews). There are already small accessory projectors for iPhone. Why would you want to carry a projector in you pocket all the time, making you phone 2x heavier than it should be? This thing will be doa. Talk about fragmenting a brand, Samsung will make anything, I can't imagine there any market for a 2 year old android phone with a projector. This just screams of a project being shoved out the door with inadequate r&d resources.
- nitrogen 14y ago
  This concept has been rolling around in various companies R&D departments since at least 2005, when The Island included a scene with a projector phone.
avolcano 14y ago
Are we to applaud innovation for the sake of innovation, regardless of whether or not it produces a good product? Apple made a new phone with a few inches of extra screen and a new processor because that's what they needed to make their phone better. No reason to start attaching gimmicks for the sake of being a little different.
- nitrogen 14y ago
  The fact that you probably don't have a use for a projector phone doesn't mean that nobody does. That's the nice thing about a company that makes more than one product: you have options. Making fun of, say, a traveling salesman for liking a projector phone is about like making fun of a construction company for owning a full-sized truck.
  - seanmcdirmid 14y ago
    Exactly. A very niche early adopter device. There will be a market for this device, but its not big enough to interest Apple. As the technology gets more advanced/cheaper/smaller that could definitely change, but right now its early.
    - Volpe 14y ago
      Apple still make Mac Pros... a very niche product... there are probably more people into projector phones than mac pros. I'll be curious if all the Apple fan boy's retract what they say when the iPhone gets a projector added to it. I suspect they'll argue the: "The market it ready for it now!" line :P
      - seanmcdirmid 14y ago
        Apple makes tons of money on the MBP, even if this business is dwarfed by the iOS devices they sell. Who cares? Apple will release what makes them tons of money; that is just how they work. If they can fit it into a good product, they won't care what Apple fan boys or Apple haters said in the past, its completely irrelevant to them.
        Volpe 14y ago
        I didn't say MBP, I said Mac Pro (as in their Tower product). I didn't mean, what will apple think of fan boys or haters. I was questioning the consistency of view of the fan boys, of course its rather moot, as fan boys are of course not consistent at the level of discussion, but instead company. Apple don't release things that make them tons of money, they market things that make them tons of money. It was pretty clear the iPod (1st generation) was not a fantastic product, but Apple marketed the crap out of it, to the point it would seem like the only option to some people.
- wycx 14y ago
  Someone has to make products that suck to show everyone what not to do before we get good (i.e. refined) products. Resistive touchscreen phones and tablets sucked, but lead to capacitive touch screen devices which we probably all agree are much better. I don't think there are many examples of products that were perfect on the first attempt to make them, or even the first few goes. Projector phones might seem compromised now, but if some company thinks hard enough about them, we might get something really nice. It won't be innovative, but it will be refined.
seanmcdirmid 14y ago
This sounds very trollish. When pico projectors are smaller and provide more of a mass consumer experience, Apple might decide to use them. This is a rustic early adopter device in the sense that the pre-iPhone smartphones were.
jemeshsu 14y ago
Projector in smartphone is not new, so Samsung is not innovative by my definition, more like following the "Same"sung tactic. They are clearly testing the market, just like they release an Android based camera. I would not call it innovation by slapping two products together to create a hybrid product. Do you call a fridge that has a 10" LCD dashboard running Android Jelly Bean innovative?
- neya 14y ago
  So what is innovative by your definition, then? A few inches of extra screen and a dual-core processor?

by neya 14y ago

bstar77 14y ago

Apple would never release something like this because its an absolutely ridiculous concept. The design compromises that had to be made to make this phone would be absolutely unacceptable for apple to accept(just read the reviews). There are already small accessory projectors for iPhone. Why would you want to carry a projector in you pocket all the time, making you phone 2x heavier than it should be? This thing will be doa. Talk about fragmenting a brand, Samsung will make anything, I can't imagine there any market for a 2 year old android phone with a projector. This just screams of a project being shoved out the door with inadequate r&d resources.

nitrogen 14y ago
This concept has been rolling around in various companies R&D departments since at least 2005, when The Island included a scene with a projector phone.

avolcano 14y ago

Are we to applaud innovation for the sake of innovation, regardless of whether or not it produces a good product? Apple made a new phone with a few inches of extra screen and a new processor because that's what they needed to make their phone better. No reason to start attaching gimmicks for the sake of being a little different.

nitrogen 14y ago
The fact that you probably don't have a use for a projector phone doesn't mean that nobody does. That's the nice thing about a company that makes more than one product: you have options. Making fun of, say, a traveling salesman for liking a projector phone is about like making fun of a construction company for owning a full-sized truck.
- seanmcdirmid 14y ago
  Exactly. A very niche early adopter device. There will be a market for this device, but its not big enough to interest Apple. As the technology gets more advanced/cheaper/smaller that could definitely change, but right now its early.
  - Volpe 14y ago
    Apple still make Mac Pros... a very niche product... there are probably more people into projector phones than mac pros. I'll be curious if all the Apple fan boy's retract what they say when the iPhone gets a projector added to it. I suspect they'll argue the: "The market it ready for it now!" line :P
    - seanmcdirmid 14y ago
      Apple makes tons of money on the MBP, even if this business is dwarfed by the iOS devices they sell. Who cares? Apple will release what makes them tons of money; that is just how they work. If they can fit it into a good product, they won't care what Apple fan boys or Apple haters said in the past, its completely irrelevant to them.
      - Volpe 14y ago
        I didn't say MBP, I said Mac Pro (as in their Tower product). I didn't mean, what will apple think of fan boys or haters. I was questioning the consistency of view of the fan boys, of course its rather moot, as fan boys are of course not consistent at the level of discussion, but instead company. Apple don't release things that make them tons of money, they market things that make them tons of money. It was pretty clear the iPod (1st generation) was not a fantastic product, but Apple marketed the crap out of it, to the point it would seem like the only option to some people.
wycx 14y ago
Someone has to make products that suck to show everyone what not to do before we get good (i.e. refined) products. Resistive touchscreen phones and tablets sucked, but lead to capacitive touch screen devices which we probably all agree are much better. I don't think there are many examples of products that were perfect on the first attempt to make them, or even the first few goes. Projector phones might seem compromised now, but if some company thinks hard enough about them, we might get something really nice. It won't be innovative, but it will be refined.

seanmcdirmid 14y ago

This sounds very trollish. When pico projectors are smaller and provide more of a mass consumer experience, Apple might decide to use them. This is a rustic early adopter device in the sense that the pre-iPhone smartphones were.

jemeshsu 14y ago

Projector in smartphone is not new, so Samsung is not innovative by my definition, more like following the "Same"sung tactic. They are clearly testing the market, just like they release an Android based camera. I would not call it innovation by slapping two products together to create a hybrid product. Do you call a fridge that has a 10" LCD dashboard running Android Jelly Bean innovative?

neya 14y ago
So what is innovative by your definition, then? A few inches of extra screen and a dual-core processor?