It's tough to predict the future, especially with cutbacks to R&D budgets in the face of a global economic slowdown. Still, it's always nice to see a forward-looking corporate-slide related to mobile handsets from the taller, blonder half of that Sony Ericsson partnership. LTE and fast CPUs are certainly no surprise, nor is that 1,024 x 768 XGA screen resolution that Japan's superphones are already bumping up against. The most compelling vision is that of the embedded camera sensors: 12-20 megapixels capable of recording Full HD video by 2012. Adding more fuel to firey speculation that handsets are about to find themselves embroiled in a megapixel war. Fine by us, just as long the optics and image processing are there to support such a resolution. Even though 12-20 megapixels seems high compared to the 5-8 megapixel cell phones we see today, those numbers are entirely within reason when you recall that Samsung hit 10 megapixels in Korea two years ago. In fact, we wouldn't be surprised in the least to find Ericsson's mythical device on the market well prior to 2012. Combined, these features certainly make for a tantalizing glimpse at the wireless handset future.

Just when we thought the Touch HD really packed the pixels in, Softbank and Sharp have announced the Aquos Fulltouch 931SH slider, which sports a wild 1024 x 480 3.8-inch touchscreen. That's almost the same res as most netbooks, for comparison -- we're not sure what all that pixel density is good for at this size, but we know we want it. Apart from the screen it's also a pretty solid 3G Softbank featurephone: browser, Bluetooth with A2DP, 5.2 megapixel camera with image stabilizer, accelerometer, 1seg TV tuner, and a media player with microSD expansion. Sure, sure -- but look at that screen, people. That's the stuff dreams are made of. Anyone up for a trip to Japan?

[Thanks, Paul]

Not that we're complaining, it's just that human eyes usually can't discern denser than 300ppi, and few interfaces are built to take advantage of... ah, who are we kidding? This is awesome. Seiko Epson has built a 2.57-inch 3D display for phones that runs at an astounding XGA resolution, and should be ready for commercial applications in two years. There's a special lenticular lens on top of the pixels to allow you to view images from multiple angles, which usually means a hit to the pixel density, but obviously this display can handle a bit of that.

Talk about product overlap: just over a month ago, Mitsubishi introduced its XD500U, boasting a pixel count of 1,024 x 768 and brightness of 2,200-lumens. Now say "hello" to the XD211U, with the same pixel count, brightness, and BrilliantColor specs. The XD211U weighs in at 0.5-pounds lighter and does boast a new DDP 2230 TI microarray, however. The theft-deterrent security hook will protect the $1595 beamer from any grabby hands around the office or classroom. The projector might be secure, but you know some deadbeat is going to make off with the detachable keypad and render this thing unusable -- better order a spare keypad right up front.

[Via AboutProjectors]

We'll be straight with you -- Mitsubishi's latest duo isn't exactly cut out for in-home use, but that's not to say it wouldn't be the source of copious quantities of enjoyment if you snagged one from the supply closet one weekend. Without further ado, we present the XL1550U, which features an XGA (1,024 x 768) resolution, 3,100 ANSI lumens and a lamp life of up to 5,000 hours. Moving on, we've got the XL2550U, which touts the same resolution but offers up 4,000 ANSI lumens, the firm's new BrightEra LCD panels and a lamp good for around 4,000 hours of use. Furthermore, both units promise side-loading lamps, built-in Ethernet ports for LAN asset management and an RS-232 port for third-party integration. Both of these beamers will be on the market before this month draws to a close for $3,995 and $4,495, respectively.

[Via AboutProjectors]

If those 42 and 47-inch 1080p LCDs from ByD:sign we saw on Monday were just too much excitement for you, there's always this new PH-4201DFK to bring things back down to earth. The 42-inch plasma sports a mere 1,024 x 768 resolution, and while the 1,200 nit brightness and 10,000:1 contrast ratio actually sound fairly decent for the price (179,800 yen, $1,555 US), we're sure you'll manage to curb your enthusiasm somehow or other. The display can handle a 1080p signal over HDMI and includes optional stereo speakers along with a customary compliment of ports. You should be able to pick one up in Japan now.

[Via Impress]

It's not always easy to balance power and portability when it comes to gaming notebooks, mainly because gamers want to stuff as many graphics cards, fans, and sticks of RAM as possible into a big screen package. Well ABS Computer Technology's new Mayhem Blackhawk may only offer a 14.1-inch XGA display, but it makes up for the relatively low resolution by offering a Core 2 Duo processor, NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 graphics, up to 2GB of RAM, and 160GB of storage in just a 3.8-pound enclosure. Also on board are a DVD burner, three-flavor WiFi, your choice of XP or Vista, and of course the all-important 56.6kbps modem. All this and more -- like a free Logitech headset, Age of Empires III, Far Cry, and MS Works 2004 -- can be yours starting at $1,500.

[Via Computer Shopper]

In almost a bit of underwheleming news -- considering the "true HD" pitches that other companies are making -- Infocus has announced three new projectors, none of them displaying higher than XGA. The Work Big IN24+ and the Work Big IN2+ (both of which are available now) share mostly similar specs including a brightness of 2,200 lumens, contrast of 2,000:1, and VGA, S-Video, and Composite RCA ports; they only differ in resolutions -- the IN24+ ($649) features 800 x 600 SVGA while the IN26+ ($799) sports an XGA-tastic 1024 x 768 pixels. Its other big model for CES is the Play Big IN1, which is scarce on deets -- including pricing and availability -- but has an integrated DVD player and allows you to display movies onto your ceiling so you can enjoy them without the stress of having to sit up. As convenient as that may be, we'll continue to go out of our way to be upright if it means watching at least 720p.

Most PowerPoint presentations tend to be pretty boring, because no matter how good the projector, your audience is still forced to sit through an endless series of poorly-formatted infographics. Well Toshiba's got a new LCD projector on the market known as the TLP-XC2500U that should help spice up those drab meetings and training sessions by incorporating a three megapixel digital camera on an articulating swing arm, allowing you to display documents and 3D objects along with the usual assortment of bullet-point-filled slides. Specs-wise, this model certainly won't make it to the top of the class -- its XGA resolution, 400:1 contrast ratio, and 2,500 ANSI lumens of brightness place it somewhere in the middle of the pack -- but at $1,539, you're getting a pretty good deal when you factor in that bonus camera. Other nice features include a bundled remote with digital zoom, monitor mirroring so you can face your audience and still keep track of what's on screen, and best of all, instant shut-down with no cool down period so you can get the hell out of there as quickly as possible if your presentation was a real dud. Also on board are dual security systems: a removable control panel makes the projector useless without a password (though it could still be jacked and scrapped for parts), and its 8.8-pound weight means that potential thieves will look pretty conspicuous trying to lug it out of the conference room.

[Via About Projectors]

With some big glass like that, we can't imagine Sanyo's new LP-XL40 projector will get by in the classroom without at least a bit of teasing -- kids can be so cruel. But while they're laughing, the XL40 will be propping up some fairly large XGA images at the "worldwide shortest projection distance." At 30 inches you can fill a 60-inch screen, while with 40-inches of distance it can focus an 80-inch image. You can even set up the unit to project from an angle to the side of the screen without image distortion, to allow you to point at the screen without the temptation to make ducky shadow puppets. Sanyo is mainly targeting this LCD projector at the educational market, for cramming into those crowded classrooms, but it might make a nice option for that home theater you were trying to squeeze into your walk-in closet. The 1500 lumens and 400:1 contrast ratio aren't much of anything special, and the $4,478 price tag seems a bit counter-intuitive to the crammed spaces they're hoping will give this thing a go, but we suppose it's a bit cheaper than square footage.

[Via Impress]