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LuminAR robot finally shows us what pico projectors were meant for (video)
Still looking for an excuse to buy a pico projector? We might just have the perfect thing. LuminAR, a project of MIT student Natan Linder, is something like a sentient desk lamp of the sort that will make any dedicated Pixar fan's heart skip a beat. It can follow a user's actions, using a camera to detect gestures and beam information down to augment whichever reality they're currently experiencing. Interestingly, the whole thing is built into a bulb socket, meaning it could be thrown into any lamp you like -- if you can do without the whole automatic motion aspect. It's based on what looks to be a Microsoft Lifecam Show webcam and what is certainly a Microvision Show WX projector, which is both focus and care free. There's a demo video after the break but, sadly, little hope that this thing will be replacing your current desktop lamp any time soon.
DIYer combines iPhone 3GS with Show WX for pico projected gaming bliss (video)
The Moject project proved that smartphones and pico projectors do indeed have a thing for one another, but Ethan Janson has taken things one step further with an unnamed contraption that holds his iPhone 3GS, a Microvision Show WX and an "ancient" point-and-shoot camera. Put simply, the handmade thingamajig allows him to play his iPhone games on a far larger screen, and since the Show WX is continually in focus regardless of distance from walls, there's never a blurring issue when flailing about in order to control the gameplay. The full skinny is down there in the source, but shortcut takers can head straight past the break for a video. [Thanks, Ethan]
Microvision's Show WX laser pico projector available to buy today, will ship March 24
Okay, so maybe Microvision is a little late with the release of its pocketable Show WX pico projector, but we'd rather have a truly useful projector late than a useless one on time. This laser-based beaut will offer you infinite focus -- something we can vouch for having tried out the same technology integrated in a rifle -- which essentially means that no matter how much you twist or jerk the projector around, or how distant your projected surface is, the picture will remain in focus. An 848 x 480 resolution image can be scaled from less than six inches all the way up to 200, though you're most likely to stick with anything up to 30 in order to make the most of the 10 lumens brightness on offer. The contrast ratio is rated as being greater than 5,000:1 while the battery will last you up to two hours on a charge. The wallet damage is $549 for the standard edition, but the limited edition teased above jumps all the way to $999, for which you'll get a personalized splash screen, LE insignia, a certificate of authenticity, a VGA dock and some other trinkets. Come on, it has lasers inside, it was never gonna be cheap!
Microvision's laser-based SHOW WX pico projector shines at CEATEC (video)
Microvision just struck a deal to start shipping its PicoP-based SHOW WX pico projector in Asia, and while the size may not blow any minds, the image quality just might. With a native 848 x 480 resolution (WVGA), this one pumps out more pixels than pretty much any other pico projector on the market today, and with enough darkness, it can actually spit out an image that's around 100-inches in size. We stopped by the company's booth here at CEATEC in order to have a look at what makes the world's first laser-based pico PJ so special, and we can honestly say the picture was pretty stunning (considering the device we're talking about). We got a lecture on just how amazing the innards actually are (hear for yourself after the break), but it's the estimated $500 price tag and 2010 US ship date that really had us intrigued. The company also confessed that it's toiling away in an effort to miniaturize its PicoP engine even further, and while it wouldn't come right out and say it, we got the feeling that it was jonesing to get that very device into all sorts of other gizmos in the near future. In the meanwhile, you can expect the SHOW WX to ship with support for pretty much any input via a composite adapter, while an iPod / iPhone connector is apt to be bundled in as well. There's also a 3.5 millimeter audio passthrough, 10 lumens of brightness, a 60Hz refresh rate (trust us, the lines you see in the video aren't seen by the naked eye) and a built-in battery good for two hours on a charge. Oh, and this thing doesn't even have to refocus as you move it closer and farther from the wall -- pretty swank! %Gallery-74752% %Gallery-74870%
