Interesting... any idea who the actual provider of the projector technology is? I know 3M, TI, and others were working on it. Of everyone, it looked like a company called Microvision had the superior tech. Their pico projector tech was very very slick when they demonstrated it, but the proofs in the product.

Swiftor

The OS looks exactly like OS X on the iPhone - even down to the shutter on the camera.

Could they have found a way to put OS X onto third-party hardware, as well?

This could be a very desirable phone.

permissionmag

This is going to end up being the laser pointer from hell/gift from heaven. Depending on whether you are the victim or the one who is projecting obscene photos or videos on someone in public when they least expect it. A lot of funny ideas are running through my head...

jiveabillion

Chinese people DO think for themselves. It takes skills to rip off so many trinkets in such rapid fashion.

Buford T. Justice

Honestly, i think it sucks.
Asmentioned the interfae is a blatant Iphone ripoff, the video looks crappy quality/small, the phone itself looks so thick.

Even if this device had the nicest features for the nicest price, i wouldnt buy it out of principle that everything from the phone is a ripoff.
Chinese people have to start to thin for themselves, its frustrating.

desostros

I'm far from an apple fanboy, i dont own any apple product at all, nor am i considering to buy any.
I'm a fanboy of good products in eery aspect of the word.
That also means aesthetically(which is actually a important part for me).

Chinese designers dont think for themselves. I'm a product designer myself and have recently had the chance to go to China, a big furniture fair in Ghuangzhou.
There me and my colleage gave a lecture about design and we saw a lot of interest for it. Mind you that i graduated just a year ago, and i was asked to give a lecture about design.
Many many questions came and as you speak to them, you slowly realise that 50 years ago big foreign companies came to china and said "Because of the low wages we've decided to start production here, and we're going to give you the designs and you just make them."

You have to imagine that after 50 years of that, chinese people know how to produce products very well, but they've stopped thinking about how to design a product.

Thats why all they ever do is copy, copy, copy. It is starting to change, with 300 new design schools made just last year...but it will take time.

desostros

@Buford T. Justice: What he was trying to say was that he's an apple fanboy and he won't buy anything that isn't apple even if it's the greatest thing ever made.

I for one find this exciting and can't wait to use such a phone for projecting porn onto other people's backs and similar malicious acts :D

shinchan

I think it could be useful for students and business people. They always have a presentations. If they use this device , their presentations would be more effective and interactive.Someone can ask me why do they need this device? In my opinion, First It's more litte than other regular projectors.Second Its more portable.... I think it has very bed quality but Iam sure It will very useful for many people

hakin83

It's over!!

wetworker

@desostros: I'm sorry, I guess it's the overflow of Iphone related posts and comments that made me call fanboy as soon as I read the word iphone in your post :p

Anyway, the design not being the main aspect of this product, I didn't look at the phone as a GUI ripoff but as a great innovation that will be included in future phones by other makers in the years to come.

And yes, the Chinese are well known to release copies of popular products, not only in the electronics world. But the main topic of this post was about the projector, not the phone itself (which is only a prototype/concept as far as I can see)

Now maybe if they could integrate a small white background something that pops out and stretches to make the cinema experience on the move complete... ;p

shinchan

I think it is awesome idea. I took few pictures from othe day accident. This can be helpful to used to prove it at the court or something. Just a thought... For me, I am not fan of chinese anyway. But I like the Idea very much.

dc67021

The Chinese putting out knock-offs of known products is a repeat of the development of the Japanese economy. Back in the 70's and 80's, we complained about all the Japanese knock-offs flooding our (U.S., maybe Europe??) market and being of poor quality. But, quality improved. Then, innovation improved... and took off. I think the Chinese could be faster at this process due to the centralized control of the economy, if that very control doesn't kill the economy first. I hope they take full advantage of this centralized control to mandate better environmental reforms as well.

As for this product, it's still too clunky for me, but it is progress. I'd love to see this in a phone with a motion sensor so the image is always upright, even as you accidentally turn the phone on its side. That could be fun in a game played that way, too.

hnkelley

@hnkelley: "Back in the 70's and 80's, we complained about all the Japanese knock-offs"

Try the 50s and 60s. By the 70s, Sony and other companies were starting to kick ass. Not that you still might not have been complaining right on up to 1990.

"I think the Chinese could be faster at this process due to the centralized control of the economy,"

That's exactly why there's little or no innovation now. They don't trust the free market, but they've got a capitalistic tiger by the tail and it's getting away from them, which is good.

gadgetplay

@gadgetplay: Ya know, I hit 'submit' and decided to check the dates... you're so right. I wasn't around yet back then, and in the 70's, I was surrounded by... um, how to put this politely... back woods rednecks in the middle of nowhere Texas, so they hadn't caught on yet. It's amazing what i had to unlearn when I moved to a more educated area. (And I am not 'dissing' that side of my family. They're smart, they just had no education or exposure.)

You're also correct about China. I know many are afraid of China becoming too powerful and worried about a war because of differing ideologies. What I expect, however, is the growing middle class will demand more and more rights such that over the next 100 years or so (conservatively, I actually think it'll be closer to 50), they'll become a social democracy. Failing that, the capitalistic tiger will bite their collective hand off and China will succumb to the other major stress (we never hear about): ethnic divisiveness and local 'nationalism'.

hnkelley