Toshiba shows iPhone-sized projector

At a recent product showcase held in Japan, Toshiba showed off a prototype projector about the size of Apple’s iPhone that is capable of throwing up images up to 50 inches in size at 480x320 resolution. The projector’s DLP Pico chip was sourced from Texas Instruments and the optical module uses red, green and blue LEDs for the light source. There is a price to pay for the diminutive size, as the brightness, at just 7 lumens, makes the projector usable only in very dark environments, while the built-in battery’s life is rated at less than an hour when fully charged.

Toshiba is planning on bringing the projector to market in the first half of 2009, albeit with improvements that include a 10 lumens brightness, two-hour battery life, and the ability to create 60-inch images. Pricing has not been revealed, though it should be competitive with similar products, or in the range of $300 to $400.

At the same time, Toshiba showed a small USB projector which is even smaller, measuring in at about the size of a cigarette lighter. The company has no plans to produce it, due to its limited applications. The prototype relies on an external device such as a cellphone for operation. [via Tech-on]

Filed under: digital imaging
Other story tags: Toshiba, projector