Matchbox-Sized Projector Coming Your Way?

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.upstream.fi/index.html' target='_blank'>http://www.upstream.fi/index.html</a><br /><br /></div>"Upstream's unique and revolutionary technology, called Photon Vacuum, practically maximizes the amount of photons sent to the target from the light source in a minimum space. This is not an easy trick since the etendue law of light in physics requires more space for better efficiency. Our special technology enables us to get rid of a variety of components currently used in projectors that unnecessarily waste energy. The current table projectors extract typically only a few watts of light power out of 200W of input power.<br /><br />Photon Vacuum enables the smallest projector designs in the world, ultimately to a size of matchbox. It is possible to push the power consumption of the whole device ultimately to below 4 watts while still gaining a travel-TV sized color projection. There are a myriad of possible applications for this technology."<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/parekh-20040305-UpstreamProjector.jpg" /><br /><br />I have no clue how this would work, and their website is brief on details. But if it comes to market, it'd be awesome to have my Toshiba e805 and this projector in one pocket. 8)

[jkendrick]

Very cool device and I can't wait to see it appear in a small form factor. You're right, one pocket, easy travelling!

So Janak, has the Toshiba changed the way you work yet? It's an enabling device, I find.

[Janak Parekh]

So Janak, has the Toshiba changed the way you work yet? It's an enabling device, I find.
Not entirely, because I still carry my i700. :| I'm waiting for a BT phone from Verizon... until then, the i700 is fantastic for what it does.

Instead, the e800 has become my "heavy app" PDA -- it handles WiFi surfing, ebook reading, and a few other tasks.

Yes, I'm a freak for carrying two Pocket PCs. :lol:

--janak

[Pat Logsdon]

WANT.

At that size, they'd have to use LED as the light source, which is good news for anyone that's ever had to replace a bulb in one of the projectors. I believe the last bulb my company bought for our projector was ~$900.

:evil:

[David Johnston]

Wow!

One thing though - what's up with those corner highlights in the image? It honestly looks to me like they drew a rounded rectangle in PSP, added some directional lighting (using a PSP8 preset), and then added a lense-like circle to it...

Other than that, fantastic!

[huangzhinong]

If it's true, I think building the matchbox size projector into PPC won't add to much size to PPC. Building into laptop won't have any effect for form factors and battery life.

[Jason Dunn]

One thing though - what's up with those corner highlights in the image? It honestly looks to me like they drew a rounded rectangle in PSP, added some directional lighting (using a PSP8 preset), and then added a lense-like circle to it...

This device doesn't exist yet, that's just a rendering of a concept, so I wouldn't be too concerned yet about how it looks. The technology is what's important here. ;-)

[David Johnston]

This device doesn't exist yet, that's just a rendering of a concept, so I wouldn't be too concerned yet about how it looks. The technology is what's important here. ;-)

Ah, I completely and utterly missed the 'non-existant' part of the story... It did seem a too 'wow-ish' :)

[Mikko Alasaarela]

You are absolutely right, the image is just a sketch. We will reveal the actual designs later this year, and they won't look like this. If you want to be notified about new developments, just send us email. We are happy to keep you updated.

[foebea]

"a travel-TV sized color projection"
So you can connect this to your ppc, and go from a 3.5" screen, to a 4" projected image?

ill wait to see some demos myself.