Among the fundamental problems with ever-shrinking mobile phones, personal digital assistants, digital cameras, and other portable devices is the trend of increasing storage capacity with decreasing device size, allowing little space to accommodate an attached display screen. Handheld projectors are intended as an alternative display method to alleviate this problem. Research teams have developed miniature hardware and software that can project digital images onto any nearby viewing surface, such as a wall or bookshelf. An important design characteristic of a handheld projector is the ability to project a clear image, regardless of the physical characteristics of the viewing surface.

This type of technology may be implemented on future handheld game consoles. However, it may pose drawbacks compared to traditional flatscreens on handheld devices.

First devices are expected in H2 2008.

See also

• Eyetap

External links

• Technology Review Article about the emerging handheld projectors
• Microvision PicoP
• Video of Microvision's cell phone embedded PicoP
• Mitsubishi Electric Handheld Projector Research
• New York Times article about pocket projectors
• DLP Projection Technology Goes Even More Mobile, ,
• Oerlikon
• Texas Instruments Pico Projector Video
• Delft University of Technology research on Using hand projectors to augmented prototypes (includes video)