Curtain rises for handheld 'Pico Projector'

(Credit: Optoma)

We'd almost forgotten about the "Pico Projector" as more than a year had passed since we'd heard of it making any significant progress. But when our colleagues at Crave Asia spotted a working demo using the technology earlier this month, we were reminded of its promises to project photos and video from mobile phones and other portable devices.

Now Taiwan-based projector company Optoma is partnering with Texas Instruments to bring its own version of the micro-projector to market. Its technology requires a separate companion product, rather than projecting directly from a phone or media player, but it's a start: The "micro-portable" device weighs only 4 ounces.

The Optoma Pico Projector, which uses TI's DLP chipset and LED technology, casts images that are up to 100 times larger than the originals displayed on a handheld device, whether it be a media player, smartphone, or digital camera. It's scheduled to launch in Europe and Asia this year, with plans to arrive on the U.S. market in 2009.