Nathan Davis29 March 2007, 12:16 AM
Texas Instruments demonstrates the prototype of a tiny next-generation DLP projector that can easily fit in a mobile phone.
Soon you just might watch shows in crisply hairy clarity on the back of people's heads on the bus or train -- rather than, for example, craning your head in an attempt to look at the minuscule visual cues of today's portable media players.
Texas Instruments, whose Dr. Larry Hornbeck invented the complex DLP processor, says it will demonstrate at this year's CTIA Wireless convention a prototype of a tiny next-generation DLP projector that could easily fit in a regular mobile phone.
It dubs the impressive little device a 'pico-projector.' It says the projector is so small it can, quite literally, "fit on your finger tips."
The technology behind the pico-projector will help "expand beyond the limitations of a physical screen," it says, for "mobile users of cellular phones, digital cameras, and portable media players."
We're pretty sure even pico-projectors require some form of physical screen upon which to project, such as walls and miffed people's faces, but hey, we aren't Texas Instruments.
"DLP pico-projection technology will advance the viewing experience of mobile devices providing significant improvements in productivity and entertainment experiences," it declares.
 Entertainment: For those with productivity in mind. |
Depending on the tiny projector's specs, it may go nicely with another recent Texas Instruments project -- its tasty new 720p high definition video
processor for mobile devices .
Of course, at the opposite end of the DLP spectrum is something like Panasonic's seductively
high-end, treble-chip projectors. Sure, they're roughly in the price range of housing, but they have freaking robots in them, folks.
Robots.
Suffice it to say, the pico-projector would be nifty for the spontaneous presentation, but it's questionable when it comes to common use as a mobile display.