It's been about six months now since I've updated this blog...which means it's fair to say that my plan to keep blogging about MVIS hasn't really materialized.

Between my new job (Senior Product Manager for eBay), chasing my kids around, spending time with my wife, and trying to keep working on music, there's not a lot of time left to write here.

So, it's probably time now to pull the curtain on this blog that I started all the way back in 2004. Over all that time, I've met a lot of people through writing this blog, some virtually, some actually, and made some good friends through the process, especially many of my former colleagues at the company.

I wish everyone all the best in their pursuit of truly extraordinary opportunities, wherever you may find them.

Thanks to all,

Ben

Hi all,

Just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for continuing to read this blog over the last few years. It has been great to be able to communicate with all of you.

Last week my status with the company changed, and I'm no longer working for MicroVision. Those of you who have read this blog for a long time will remember that the blog changed a fair bit once I got hired by the company. The frequency of posts dropped off and I didn't blog as much in my own voice -- I was mostly quoting and linking items I thought would be relevant or interesting.

Now that I am again external to the company, I hope to revitalize this blog and bring a fresh analysis of all things that pertain to MicroVision, and the accelerating future. I remain an advocate of the company and the technology and a believer in what MicroVision can accomplish.

Thanks again for sticking with me and I look forward to sharing the ride with all of you once more.

Best wishes,
Ben

PicoPros: NionCom Announces the Introduction of the MemoryKick™ Vision™ Tablet with an Embedded Projector

Today, NionCom announces the official introduction of the MemoryKick™ Vision™ tablet, a device for media management, business productivity, and gaming applications. The Vision™ tablet is an extension of the MicroVision Arrow™ mini-tablet shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in early-January. They both share many components and features.

The MemoryKick™ Vision™ is designed to be the ultimate productivity tool. A user can load all their business documents (PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, ImageAMMO™), photos, and videos on one device for use anywhere. Files can be rapidly transferred between several storage locations. The Vision™ has the capacity to store hundreds of hours of video due to the fact that it has a 500GB to 1TB hard drive, depending on the configuration. In either case, this is remarkably more storage than can be found on devices such as the iPad and the like. These competing devices use very costly flash memory, limiting them to about 64GB of storage or less - barely enough to store a couple HD-quality movies.

A generous 4.3" capacitive touch screen allows for easy management of files, browsing the internet, gaming, and access to many unique applications. The Vision™ tablet also includes applications for streaming live television content through Wi-Fi connectivity. Even VOIP-based phone calls can be made on the device. In addition, an embedded laser projector provides the flexibility for viewing content anywhere - with no need to focus. Whatever is being displayed on the screen can be projected for a large, immersive experience. The Vision™ tablet packs all the functionality of a laptop - and more - into a small, ultra-portable device.

The MemoryKick™ Vision™ tablet is expected to be available in Q2 2011, priced in the mid-$500 range, available worldwide and at prominent retailers in the United States. The Vision™ tablet offers a multitude of unique features that we will describe in follow-up artilces. So, stay tuned for more details and photos of the device, coming soon!

I saw this post on Intel's Developer Blog called "Death of the Mouse?" and it got me thinking:

At CES something caught me, I found it very difficult to find a computer mouse. Not that I wanted one, but as I went from booth to booth, demo to demo, the mouse was like an unwanted dinner guest, nobody told it to come. Game controllers, remote controllers, touch devices, and track pads were are there, but mouse was a no show. I was even tempted to create a contest... "find a mouse at CES"

I don't think this is by accident. CES shows off the latest and greatest technology. It's a window into our future and when it comes down to it, I don't think the mouse has much of a future, on ANY device. Will today's toddlers grow up and see old screencast videos from YouTube with a strange arrow that moves across a computer screen and wonder, "what the heck is that?"

One of the things that got me interested in MicroVision so many years ago was the idea that the user interfaces of computers felt to me to be kind of archaic. Big CRT monitors, computer mice, keyboards, it was all just so clunky. Now, apart from the monitors getting thinner, not too much has changed in the basic operating of a computer. But it's evident from the wild success of iPhone-type devices that touchscreen interfaces can provide most all of the functionality a user could need, and can even offer up new types of interactivity (pinching, stretching, zooming, flicking, etc).

Now what happens when we introduce pico projectors not just as a medium for displaying information, but as a method for interactivity? Here are some of my favorite ideas:

Hey,

This is pretty nice: Mobile Magazine’s 10 Best at CES Awards

The 2011 Consumer Electronics Show ended this past weekend, but not without leaving a lasting impression of what is to come. Tablets and smartphones dominated, showing that the future is indeed mobile. 2,700 exhibitors brought an endless onslaught of innovation that collectively attempted to blow the minds of show goers. Some technologies clearly stood out beyond others, some we thought were just damn cool, and others we know will make a difference in our connected lives. Here’s Mobile Magazine’s list of the 10 Best at CES.

Best Mobile Projector Technology: MicroVision Mini-Tablet Projector

MicroVision’s mini-tablet is basically the Android equivalent of the iPod Touch: A cell phone without cell-phone capabilities, sporting Android 2.2 on its 3.5″ capacitive touch screen. But despite its fare of fairly impressive features – 720p video recording, HDMI I/O ports, etc. – the device was built as a reference for manufacturers who want to include its greatest component in their own devices: The built-in PicoP laser projector. With MicroVision’s PicoP projector engine and laser-scanning technology built right in to the smartphone-sized tablet, the projected images and videos are crisp, clear, and stay constantly in focus even when in motion.

One of my favorite parts of the show was Pioneer's booth, a huge presence that included a wide variety of state of the art automotive A/V equipment, and featured a set up of 3 laser HUDs in front of TVs with simulated traffic conditions. It was hard to capture with my camera how great the laser scanning system looked. The booth was very crowded every time I went past it, and it was easy to see people's excitement about it. Fun stuff!

Hi all,

Just a quick note to say hi from beautiful Las Vegas and highlight a very nice write up of our Android-based mini-tablet design that was announced yesterday.

Engadget: Microvision prototype Android 'mini tablet' with built-in projector hands-on

So far everything is going great here, and I'm really excited by the response we are getting. Thanks all!