Micro projectors

Although technology evolution has made large screens on mobile phones possible, the screen sizes are constrained as the phones will have to fit into a palm. With new features being added to mobile phones regularly, and with the growing need for most of us to stay connected, phones these days are increasingly assuming the role of a regular laptop or a desktop computer. The notion of phones being a mere communication device is changing and phones are seen as more of a "personal assistant" for a business user.
With relatively smaller screens on a phone, it may be difficult if you were to make a presentation from your phone (you think this is too much to expect from a phone?).
Enter "The Micro Projector" - The technology may actually add another dimension to the way you use your mobile phone.

The Micro Projector has two parts - a set of RBC lasers made of semiconductor material and a 1mm mirror that tilts on two axes. As the lasers flash on the mirror, the mirror gimbals on its two axes, flickering to produce 30 million pixels a second, each illuminating a surface for 20 nanoseconds. Using this laser and single-mirror setup, the projector paints a scene onto a surface one pixel at a time. It does this so quickly that our eye perceives those scenes as a static image or a continuous movie.

This technology is really poised to change the way people communicate. Friends might share more movies and pictures, and business professionals who hesitate to pack a bulky projector for a presentation might start using more visuals when they pitch their products.
A company called Microvision has pioneered the Micro Projector technology and the device is right now in a prototype stage. It might be sometime before the device is mass-manufactured and phone makers and consumers could buy these devices. As per company reports the device is set to rollout in 2008, and they have already signed deals with an Asian mobile phone giant. If all goes well, we may soon see people watching full-length movies right from their cell phones.

• Commented by  Anonymous, at 1/27/2007 04:28:00 PM

  Could you please cite your source for this portion of your blog entry: "...they have already signed deals with an Asian mobile phone giant." I would love for this to be true, but I have not seen this reported anywhere else. Thanks.