Electronics Weekly: Microvision debuts handheld projector for mobiles

Electronics Weekly: Microvision debuts handheld projector for mobiles

on January 12, 2008

Microvision debuts handheld projector for mobiles

by Nick Flaherty
Friday 11 January 2008

US chip startup Microvision has developed a prototype of a handheld projector for mobile phones and personal media players using a micromachined mirror that it demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show last week. This is increasingly important as phones and PMPs start to handle higher quality content that needs to be displayed and leads the way to integrating a projector into a phone. The company has a deal with Motorola for such an integration.

“Working together with Microvison, we are pursing ways that projection technology can redefine how mobile consumers view and intereact with the media they take with them,” said Rob Shaddock, chief technology officer of Motorola Mobile Devices and one of the founders of UK-based digital signal processing specialist Loughborough Sound Images.

Unlike the Digital Light Processor micromachined mirror array from Texas Instruments, Microvision's SHOW projector uses a single mirror that is moved in two dimensions with red, green and blue scanning laser beams to project an image up to 2.5m across at wide screen WVGA, DVD resolution from a phone.

This keeps the size down to 7mm thick and allows the projector to be powered by a battery for two and a half hours between charges. This is significantly lower power than the mirror arrays or liquid crystal (LCOS) projector technologies, says the company, and comes from the one dimensional laser scanner that Microvision developed for bar code scanners. The company also has a deal with a tier one automotive equipment maker to develop the technology for a head-up display in cars.

The handheld projector is scheduled to go into production by the end of the year, says Microvision.

Comments

This blog is the author's personal website. It is not affiliated with MicroVision, Inc. or any company. This website does not recommend the purchase or sale of any stocks, options, bonds or any investment of any kind. This website does not provide investment advice. Disclaimer and Notices: Disclaimer: This website may contain "forward-looking" information including statements concerning the company's outlook for the future, as well as other statements of beliefs, future plans and strategies or anticipated events, and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. The forward-looking information and statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the statements. The information on this website includes forward looking statements, including statements regarding projections of future operations, product applications, development and production, future benefits of contractual arrangements, growth in demand, as well as statements containing words like believe, estimate, expect, anticipate, target, plan, will, could, would, and other similar expressions. These statements are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results could differ materially from the results implied or expressed in the forward looking statement. Additional information concerning factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward looking statements are included in MVIS most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the heading 'Risk factors related to the company's business,' and our other reports filed with the Comission from time to time. Except as expressly required by Federal securities laws, MVIS Blog undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in circumstances, or other reasons. Legal Notice: Although considerable care has been taken in preparing and maintaining the information and material contained on this website, MVIS Blog makes no representation nor gives any warranty as to the currency, completeness, accuracy or correctness of any of the elements contained herein. Facts and information contained in the website are believed to be accurate at the time of posting. However, information may be superseded by subsequent disclosure, and changes may be made at any time without prior notice. MVIS Blog shall not be responsible for, or liable in respect of, any damage, direct or indirect, or of any nature whatsoever, resulting from the use of the information contained herein. While the information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, its accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed. MVIS Blog has not independently verified the facts, assumptions, and estimates contained on this website. Accordingly, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made as to, and no reliance should be placed on the fairness, accuracy, or completeness of the information and opinions contained on this website. Consequently, MVIS Blog assumes no liability for the accompanying information, which is being provided to you solely for evaluation and general information. This website does not contain inside information, proprietary or confidential information learned or disclosed as part of employment relationships or under nondisclosure agreements or otherwise.