Tag: projector

Categories
Displays Music

Portable Flicks lets you watch flicks, listen to music anywhere

It would be convenient when having a party if the same portable electronic device could be used to show movies and other videos, as well as listen to music wirelessly.

Flicks does exactly that, combining a Bluetooth-enabled audio system with a 720p HD LED projector in one box. Music can be streamed from a smartphone or tablet, while movies can be watched via an HDMI connection from media devices including Amazon Fire, Google Chromecast and Roku streaming sticks. The projector’s lens displays a 100-inch image at just over eight feet away. The full-color RGB LEDs provide solid image quality with strong color saturation and 700-lume brightness using Texas Instruments DLP technology.

The creators are fielding two SKUs: Flicks at $599, offering up to four hours of movie-viewing or up to 28 hours of Bluetooth music, and Flicks Range at $699, offering up to eight hours of movie-viewing or up to 56 hours of music. Its makers are hoping to raise $50,000 in funding. They will ship the product in May-June 2015.

Flicks holds great promise, especially among home owners who frequently throw parties. The alternate target audience of consumers making business presentations seems a bit more of a stretch because they likely won’t be looking for a projector that offers Bluetooth music streaming as well.

Categories
Connected Objects Displays

Immersis provides immersive gaming without the bulky headset

editors-choiceOne huge knock against virtual reality devices like the Oculus Rift is that they require users to wear bulky headsets to experience their immersive effects. The Immersis projector provides a similar kind of immersive experience for interactive gaming and other video viewing, but doesn’t require any headsets.

The device instead projects panoramic video images onto the user’s wall, enabling multiple players or movie watchers to get the same kind of effect as a virtual reality headset. The first version of Immersis uses technology based on real-time adaptation of an image to fit the shape and size of whatever room the user is in. The device is easy to set up and use. The projection technology is compatible with all existing display technologies currently on the market, either with conventional lamps, LEDs or lasers. The image format will be at least full HD (1920×1080).

Connected to a computer, Immersis can project any kind of video content at 180 degrees. If the content is two-dimensional, the projection is flat. If the content is panoramic, 180 degrees, videogames or 3D applications, the projection will be at 180 degrees. A TV, monitor or tablet can be integrated into the projection, either to benefit from the higher resolution or for a specific interaction on one of the screens. Existing game controllers can be used with the device. Backers who pledge $1,000 as part of an early bird offer will get the system when it ships in October. Immersis is looking to raise $100,000 on Kickstarter.

The system is certainly unique and holds some promise. While its degree of immersion is likely not quite in the same ballpark as what is provided by the Oculus Rift, it may be good enough for some people. But it will likely only appeal to a very niche consumer base–namely hardcore gamers. The required configuration could further turn off some other consumers.

Categories
Displays Tablet Accessories

Project Wedge is a cheap, portable projector for tablets

Lots of young millennial have figured out that televisions are expensive. However, with the right cables and devices, they can project television shows and movies onto a blank wall or screen for entertainment. Since companies would rather have consumers spending money on expensive equipment, the typical project model is lagging behind in innovation.

Project Wedge is a mini projector for the young adult consumer in mind. Working with tablets and smartphones via an HDMI cable, Project Wedge projects images from these devices. It looks sharp on a screen or wall up to 60 inches. With a battery that lasts for four hours, it’ll be easy to watch a move on the big screen, perhaps streamed from Netflix or Amazon Prime.

Not only is Project Wedge easy to use and compatible with a wide range of devices, but it’s also quite compact, not much bigger than a tablet with a stand. All in all this is a nifty little product, perfect for those who don’t care for cable or flatscreen televisions. One will cost backers $150 for delivery in September 2015. This product is looking to raise $100,000 with the help of Indiegogo.

Categories
Displays Video

Bleen promises to project 3-D images in midair

Plenty of science fiction novels, movies, and games have featured 3-D holographic imagery projected from a simple device. From Princess Leia’s plea for help in Star Wars to Cortana’s guidance throughout the Halo games, the transportable 3-D hologram projector is something humans have dreamed about for decades.

Bleen is almost identical to what many people would expect this technology to take form as. Appearing as a large egg or polyhedral rock, the Bleen projector opens up to display buttons and an upward-facing projector that can form a 3-D image over eight feet in the air above the device. With basic applications like movies and games, to interactive workouts and musical performances, Bleen is trying to give the hologram its place in the personal entertainment space.

Bleen has its own marketplace where developers and users can create their own content for download, recorded using the device’s hundreds of high resolution cameras and displayed with fast-pulse laser beams. Bleen is still in its concept phase and needs $225,000 to move forward. Donating $400 to the campaign ($225 now and $175 at the time of shipping) will get consumers a Bleen in the color and shape of their choice. The release date is not firm at this time, but is tentatively set for October 2015.

This is one of those science fiction-turned-reality kind of devices that is so exciting to imagine how it will work and become a part of daily life. As is usually the case, it may turn out to be pure novelty, but anyone wanting personal holograms will want to back Bleen. It may not be quite ready for the mass market, but holograms in the home and a background that dates to technology in the USSR should be enough for some.

Categories
Connected Objects Displays

Ovoid HomePod projects entertainment onto wall

Entertainment and technology are evolving hand in hand, and yet the common experience tends to continue to revolve around a stationary rectangle (or curved rectangle), placed or mounted within the home in various rooms.

The HomePod by KEECKER is the newest way to enjoy multimedia entertainment. KEECKER is a projector that can broadcast any music, TV, game, or Internet content using full-room audio and project visuals onto any surface, indoor or outdoor. Additionally, KEECKER is remote controlled through its smartphone app and can drive to meet users wherever they might be. With Wi-Fi, a terabyte of storage, an Android OS, a panoramic camera, and 90 degrees of movement on its projector, KEECKER is flexible enough to handle any media task.

Additionally, KEECKER can be used to monitor multiple aspects of the home, driving around as a mobile security camera, and using sensors to track motion, noise, temperature, humidity, air quaility, and light. All of these combine to make KEECKER useful in ways beyond entertainment, though it still excels at that. KEECKER needs $100,000 for production and testing costs. The unit costs backers $2,490 and will be available in May 2015.

Consumers may have a hard time grasping exactly what a HomePod entails, but know that KEECKER is essentially somewhere between R2-D2 and DJ Roomba. The wealth of features and possibilities for this device are exciting, but the sticker shock of the price can be a wet blanket for that hype. It’s a very well thought-out device and one that’s capable of replacing several home electronics along with entertaining the dog, but dedicated A/V snobs may find the fidelity lacking.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories

Smartphone Projector Case lets older iPhones show off their new image

Those old iPhones still need some love too, you know. It can’t be right to throw them off to the side after they’ve faithfully served us for so long, can it? Instead of chucking it to the side, reconsider its value while attached to the Iron Man of phone cases: the Smartphone Case Projector.

Although the product might be a little too simplistically titled, it gets a little tricky depending on which iPhone model you have. The iPhone 4/4S version of the case comes equipped with a built-in .5W speaker, a modest 15 lumen lamp, and projects images or video on up to 50″ surface. The iPhone 5/5S version of the case is a lot more versatile, equipped with a brighter 50 lumen lamp that can wirelessly project images, videos, and even Internet pages for up to two hours while simultaneously being able to dock and charge it. The case is in good company as many other products are exploring the hybrid projector model, like the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro.

Unfortunately, the creator didn’t have Tony Stark’s sense of design and, as a result, the Smartphone Projector Case is a behemoth that wouldn’t realistically pass most people’s limits of bulk, especially for just a single feature like projection. If the case still intrigues, the iPhone 4/4S version goes for $200, while the iPhone 5/5S version goes for $300. The campaign is seeking $100,000 to make this longshot a reality.

Categories
Input

ZmartframeMax giant touch screen lets you pinch and zoom across a room

Ever since the major news and sports networks began to roll out giant touch screens that provide the simplicity of tablet control with the presentation of a large monitor, the personal market has patiently waited for their turn.

ZmartframeMax (from the makers of Zmartframe) is a mountable, self-assembled frame that can go over any surface. By combining ZmartframeMax with any projector it then turns the area inside, as large as 70” diagonally, into a fully functional multi-touch display. The frame also includes an embedded Android operating system, but is compatible with touch-enabled versions of Microsoft Windows as well. ZmartFrame GowinTec, the makers of the ZmartframeMax, have set a fundraising goal of $50,000. The ZmartframeMax starts at $288 and backers can choose from five of the standard sizes, or can have one custom-built if they need a specific size for more. The product is expected to release in November.

The idea of being able to replicate the wall-sized touch displays from movies and television is an exciting one, and people are sure to take notice if a product like this fits their needs either personally or professionally. The problem is that as with the Zmartframe and another touch display converters , performance isn’t always optimal and even in the introduction video, the input seems to lag behind. It’s a neat idea, but the execution just might not be there yet for a product such as this. For now, it may make more sense for business professionals with a presentation to give to connect their tablets to projectors and control them from their hands.

Categories
Technology

Tablet PC builds in projector to show the big picture

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Note: Our friend Brad Linder at Lilliputing has tipped us off that this product actually launched in 2012 and so the campaign is likely a fraud. Brad further notes that if you’re interested in this product, you can obtain it for less.-Ed.

Recently, projectors have enjoyed an existence outside of the movie theater and occasional home or two. Set to keychains or guest starring as iPhone accessories, there have been more than a few attempts to make them more mainstream. Enter the Projection Tablet PC from creator Dominic Li. Billed as a revolutionary product, but with a lack of video proof or information in general, all we’re going off is an idea. The only thing that sets apart this otherwise ho-hum tablet is that it’s a projector, so it better work well. Potential backers can grab an early bird version for $499 and start talking to walls in October 2014.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Displays

TouchPico projects the future of smartphone displays

The Premise. The pocket-sized projector is giving the smartphone the ability to share content locally and give presentations for work or just relax with some Netflix. Now imagine that same technology with the ability to project a touchscreen environment as well.

The Product. TouchPico is an Android PC that wirelessly streams smartphone applications onto any surface quickly and easily. Additionally, TouchPico includes a stylus pen that can be used to control the smartphone the way a finger would on the projected surface, turning any wall, desk, or whiteboard into an interactive display. Because TouchPico is powered by Android, any apps from the Google Play store are immediately compatible with TouchPico for projecting and touching. TouchPico can also stream from a Mac or PC computer environment using the mouse instead, assuming the devices are all connected to a wireless-capable router.

The Pitch. In the video introduction to TouchPico, we see the creators excited for a variety of the features that the device can provide in the home, with children, at work, or at school. As the device is put to the test, the “touch” display seems quick, responsive, and accurate, as suitable for Fruit Ninja as it is for navigating a PowerPoint presentation. The developers of TouchPico are hoping to raise $55,000 for production of the device’s modules and to handle the costs of manufacturing.

The Perks. A TouchPico projector with stylus can be grabbed up for $349 in October 2014. Those who don’t have the funds to pay that much right now can put one on “layaway” for a $99 pledge, with a promise to pay $300 later. Distributors and developers who want to start selling TouchPico immediately or get to work on applications for the device can get their hands on one shipped out right now for $799 or $999 respectively.

The Potential. Projectors for smartphones are beginning to take off as a way to share the powerful computing power of these tiny devices in a way that can engage more people than just the one facing the screen. By adding a pseudo-touch display to the mix, the phone can be easily set aside, allowing for a more natural sharing of media or presentation of ideas. Everything about this device looks like it is ready for market and should perform as well as the TouchPico’s expectations.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Displays

Odin hunts down the projectors of old with flexibility and simplicity

The Premise. How many times has showing a video to a co-worker or friend turned into a fifth or sixth replay of the video as more and more people enter the room and wonder what’s so funny? Or needed to give a presentation and didn’t want to haul a laptop to the conference room or deal with the potential formatting hiccups of sharing it and running it on a different machine? The solution is finally here.

The Product. Odin is a smart projector, not any larger than some phones, that can be connected to tablets, smartphones, or even game consoles to display video like any traditional projection display. On top of that, the Odin also comes with Bluetooth speakers, meaning no extra devices need to be connected, just the home of whatever file needs to be shared in a group environment. The quick set-up and utilitarian features make Odin work just as well under professional environments as it might for throwing a killer house party. Powered by Android, Odin can communicate with devices through Wi-fi, Bluetooth, HDMI, and USB.

The Pitch. Odin creator Dos Owls make a strong first impression with a pitch video that’s youthful, confident, and well-directed if not for a curious lack of lighting probably caused by the need to replicate conditions where the device would function best. Still, the development process for this product have led to a great number of videos and explanatory images outlining the many ways and situations in which Odin can prove useful. Dos Owls is projecting a need to raise $10,000 on Indiegogo following a much larger campaign on Kickstarter to get Odin out into the real world.

The Perks. The Odin can be picked up for almost half the retail price for $445, with shipping expected in December.

The Potential. Projectors have been a suitable audio/video display solution for decades, and this seems like a great way to have something with that same kind of power but is pocket-sized portable and pairs easily to most modern devices without having to do any complex wiring and tweaking. Odin looks like the right tool for the job of converting the powerful processors of mobile devices into something that can be used for demonstrations or parties. The flexibility and capabilities of Odin make it a fantastic accessory for any phone, tablet, or other device.