Hands-on with Texas Instruments' cellphone projector

Now that we have email, internet, TV, GPS, cameras, and satellite radio on our cellphones, our next wish is for bigger, higher resolution screens -- which seems paradoxical, because larger displays almost always mean bulkier devices. Well Texas Instruments thinks it'll soon be able to nullify this trade-off with an in-handset projector that we've heard about several times before, but last night's Pepcom event in New York was the first time we've been able to peep the technology up close. Not that the TI reps made it easy to do so: the prototype unit was in a locked metal case underneath the table, and we had to swear up and down that we saw Walt Mossberg getting a demo before they'd cough it up. As you can see, the reason they want to keep this under wraps for the time being is that the quality and brightness are certainly not ready for prime time yet; while the unit we saw used lasers as the light source, we're told that an LED-based model still in the lab offers significant improvements. Keep reading for more shots of this rare prototype -- along with a video courtesy of Popular Science -- and give yourself a few moments to bask in the future before returning to the stark reality of your own phone and its dim little QQVGA action...

[86-13555152333 @ May 3rd 2008 1:14AM]

申 请 号： 200710165341.4 申 请 日： 2007.10.29
名 称： 一种新型智能超大屏幕手机
公 开 (公告) 号： CN101137157 公开(公告)日： 2008.03.05
主 分 类 号： H04Q7/32(2006.01)I 分案原申请号：
分 类 号： H04Q7/32(2006.01)I;H04M1/21(2006.01)I
颁 证 日： 优 先 权：
申请(专利权)人： 窦春广 电话号码 [phone]
地 址： 155120黑龙江省双鸭山市岭东区二站路113号
发 明 (设计)人： 窦春广;韩秀美;窦春波;窦春莲 国 际 申 请：
国 际 公 布： 进入国家日期：
专利 代理 机构： 代 理 人：

摘要　
本发明公开了一种新型智能超大屏幕手机，包括手机本体，所述手机配置有一个小型投影仪。它以投影机代替手机屏幕，解决了手机屏幕较小，上网、看电影等不舒服的问题。本发明用投影仪代替手机屏幕，真正扩大了手机的屏幕，使人们使用起来爽心悦目，一般情况下，大屏幕手机往往给使用者带来了较舒适的视觉效果，同时，对于拍照手机来说，随着屏幕的增大也方便了用户取景和更好的享受图片、视频带来的视觉冲击，还有诸如收发短信时可以减少翻屏的频率等等。

[Andres @ Sep 20th 2007 12:26PM]

I'm not sure why I am doing this (for fear of being flamed), but look at those icons. LOOK AT THE ICONS! They look damn familiar.

[haritori @ Sep 20th 2007 12:28PM]

Flame!

[sean @ Sep 20th 2007 1:00PM]

now i can show everyone my porn collection.

[Ian H. @ Sep 20th 2007 3:33PM]

I don't get why shiny PNG icons are suddenly the exclusive domain of Apple...

[Sam @ Sep 20th 2007 3:51PM]

Not any old PNG icons, MAC icons. That's iCal, Quicktime, Address Book, etc straight out of Mac OS X.

[bla @ Sep 20th 2007 7:20PM]

um, mabye it is an APPLE COMPUTER?????!?

[andy @ Sep 20th 2007 12:28PM]

haha with mac icons

[Poom @ Sep 20th 2007 12:28PM]

Wow!!! Absolutely awesome!! I hope Nokia has this technology in their phones. Maybe we'll get to see an enterprise cellphone with projector feature soon. Give a presentation anywhere!

[strider_mt2k @ Sep 20th 2007 12:29PM]

What a bright idea!

[Xew @ Sep 20th 2007 10:49PM]

you... and... your... pun... arg....

[Xzavier @ Sep 20th 2007 12:31PM]

Interesting... why in the first picture is the screen on the cell phone not matching the screen on the table cloth?

[Carbonize @ Sep 20th 2007 12:50PM]

Thats because it's not a real phone and not a real screen.

[jizzmopper @ Sep 20th 2007 12:35PM]

I love this idea! So freakin cool!

Plus, *any* public restroom could be a peepshow booth!

Ahh the possibilities!

[Tai @ Sep 20th 2007 12:57PM]

you must be a foot tapper!

[lolec @ Sep 20th 2007 12:36PM]

is the cellphone functional or is just a looklikecellphone box? or more specific, its he proyector the size of the "cellphone"or quite smaller?? i can see this in media players rather than cellphones

[joe @ Sep 20th 2007 12:41PM]

Speaking as someone that has worked a lot in conference rooms, the idea of a tiny low-quality projector is GREAT. I can't count the number of times I've wished to be able to throw something up on the whiteboard to discuss it with the group instead of huddling around my laptop's screen.

Even dim, low quality projected images are better than printouts and 15 people around a 15" laptop screen.

[Xzavier @ Sep 20th 2007 2:34PM]

Just as long as you don't ask for I.T. support... everything is A-OK!

[Kenneth @ Sep 20th 2007 12:49PM]

O. M. G. It amazing...its the mothalovin mirrors, man. The matrix has you TI...that's funkin wild!!!

[Adoniteking @ Sep 20th 2007 1:24PM]

shouldn't you be in school or some institution...

[Kenneth @ Sep 21st 2007 10:18AM]

Reality check: it serves a purpose but it's going to be very expensive. Probably around the $1000 mark or more...

[Numetheus @ Feb 21st 2008 8:28PM]

Reality Check: All new technology is expensive when it first comes out. I remember when DVD burners for computers were above $500. Now you can get them for under $50? I remember when flat panel monitors were in the $1000++ and look at where they are now. Technology like this is not expensive because of the materials it takes to create them. Technology is only expensive like this because it costs more to produce in smaller quantities. If there is a high demand, it is cheaper to produce and will drive prices down. That is the way it works.

[anderesp @ Sep 20th 2007 1:01PM]

if that clunky piece of hardware is still called a phone.


i guess.

[Kaemon @ Sep 20th 2007 1:12PM]

Pro-to-type
Prototype.
–noun
1. the original or model on which something is based or formed.
2. someone or something that serves to illustrate the typical qualities of a class; model; exemplar: She is the prototype of a student activist.
3. something analogous to another thing of a later period: a Renaissance prototype of our modern public housing.
4. Biology. an archetype; a primitive form regarded as the basis of a group.
–verb (used with object)
5. to create the prototype or an experimental model of: to prototype a solar-power car.

Of course it looks ugly and not quite workable yet. Its not even close to being finished. Any piece of hardware and what not is usually much bigger and less usable then a finished product.

[JCA @ Sep 20th 2007 8:06PM]

It is not a prototype. Its what you'd call a proof of concept. We may just be splitting hairs but working in hardware design (Moto), a prototype looks very close to its final form from the very first iteration.

No manufacturer in their right mind would take that humongous piece of crap to market. Even if they did pretty it up a little.

[derX @ Sep 21st 2007 6:00PM]

Yo, I wouldn't admit I work for Moto in ANY design department...a lot of people on this site are still, you know, upset about that neverending RAZR design....

--------

...well, at least you don't work in any of Palm's design departments.

[HineyWipe @ Sep 20th 2007 12:58PM]

One sec, Ben, I got a call:

"Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope..."

[R1cebrner @ Sep 20th 2007 1:08PM]

i Can see that being used in every business oriented smartphone, and or media player/phone. I want one.

[keithwwalker @ Sep 20th 2007 1:24PM]

So not only can the guy behind me in the movie theater piss me off with his cell phone conversation, but he will be showing his own movie off the back of my head!?!

[3rdsun @ Sep 20th 2007 4:06PM]

is your head that big to compete with the screen
Hope it get smaller by the time its ready for production

[Ken @ Sep 20th 2007 1:31PM]

1. This is gonna revolutionize mobile computing.

2. The prototype shown seems to have seen a lot of abuse (the corners have been worn a bit)

3. "omg rip off of apple icons" shut up

4. "it's too big for a cell phone" you're a dumbass. Don't you have any clue what this means? You are soon going to have a full fledged computer in your pocket. Remember that microsoft video with the kid and his flying robot? This technology lets the interface he used become reality. Projected full res screens and a laser key pad would make it worth it size no problem.

[Clark H. @ Sep 20th 2007 4:59PM]

Wow... that did NOT go to the right comment...

[tiuk @ Sep 20th 2007 1:55PM]

Wonder what it does to battery life.

[Goldilocks @ Sep 20th 2007 2:18PM]

Tiuk, my thought exactly.

[deedeedee @ Sep 20th 2007 2:25PM]

useless, screw projector or gps, all i want is a real razor on my razr so I can shave on the way to work, it'll probably also prevent others from borrowing my phone. say, that could be a nice ipod add-on as well, iShave

[Josh @ Mar 16th 2009 4:07PM]

If that's what you want, you should check out this phone: http://www.pomegranatephone.com/

[kyle @ Sep 20th 2007 2:29PM]

Well, as cool as this is. The phone -is- fake. In every single shot and video of the phone, the time is always exactly 2:55 PM. Really interesting concept though. Can't fault Texas Instruments for using a fake phone, it's not as if they're trying to hide that fact.

[Sam @ Sep 20th 2007 3:51PM]

It's a demo of the projector, not the clock. I very much doubt the thing can make phone calls either. It's likely a shell with a light up screen of color printed acetate.

[kyle @ Sep 20th 2007 3:52PM]

Sam, I didn't say it was a demo of the clock. Stop smoking crack.

[jroc @ Sep 20th 2007 2:33PM]

Yes! More Pr0n for everyone!

[Mikael Andersson, in Sweden @ Sep 21st 2007 8:32PM]

Now is not TI with the DLP technology the only tech of micro projectors for cell phone applications.
Israeli Explay is anorther one and Novalux which combine the TI DLP tech with a small laser chip.
Novalux is a Californien based company.

[AnusJuice.com @ Sep 20th 2007 5:54PM]

So now not only do we have to force everyone within ear shot to hear our one-sided conversations, now we get to trap them and show them our useless pictures as well! This gets better and better! Now if only they could project our mother-n-law as well....

[JeffDM @ Sep 20th 2007 4:53PM]

3. "omg rip off of apple icons" shut up

Huh? You certainly aren't making any argument. These aren't just similar looking icon remakes, it looks like they just made copies of Apple's icon files. Even for a prototype, it's just a bad idea on TI's part to do that.

[Clark H. @ Sep 20th 2007 4:58PM]

DIE, SPAMMER!

[Dom @ Sep 20th 2007 6:10PM]

its a good concept however..what do guys think the battery life is? and untop of that....whats the size of this going to be ....with the projector lense at the front...i mean that pretty much rules out the option of a modern.. (thin) phone..

[haritori @ Sep 20th 2007 6:27PM]

its bad enough on the bus or tube, at the back thugs playin there tripped out (tinny crap eminem) phone tunes! now im gonna have to watch their happy slaps too!

[haritori @ Sep 20th 2007 6:29PM]

or even better for the voilent amongst you, not only can you happy slap some poor guy half to death but you project his personal happy slap on to his body then you can project the video of you projecting a video on to a victim to other victims before you happy slap them and project there slap on them!!!!

[LeLapinMechant @ Sep 20th 2007 8:22PM]

OMG you're all right! They rip off icons.

That's the oldschool MacMAME arcade cabinet icon. Screw ripping off multinational corporation Apple, ripping off the kind developers who port the software to run illegally copied arcade games? That's just rough. Unless..... MacMAME runs on the TI Phone!!

Shitake mushrooms, man. I wanna run me some projector pacman from my cellphone.

[Charbax @ Sep 21st 2007 12:32AM]

Combine this a camera, a foldable mirror and with this software: http://techvideoblog.com/cebit/yahsin-projector-and-digital-pen-concept/

And you've got the most compact large screen computing interface.

[xc7x @ Sep 21st 2007 1:41AM]

wait a minute,hasn't this sort of tech been thought of already,i thought Motorola just hooked up with a tech company offering projection?