By Texas Instruments, a new, 6mm-square Bluetooth system-on-a-chip can operate for “more than a year” on a small button-cell battery (like you see in watches or very tiny remotes). Everything from mobile phones to laptops could get a battery boost from the technology, but low power, low cost Bluetooth also opens to door to sticking the technology in more places, too (imagine an RF remote or console controller that you don’t need to recharge).

It’ll be interesting to see how many companies adopt the new tech when it’s available next year, along with how many side with the latest developments in Wi-Fi instead. [Texas Instruments and Press Release]

TI’s PR person told GigaOm that her husband, a realtor, uses the real live calculator at the office, but would use the iPhone app in the field, so he doesn’t have to carry extra stuff. I’d think sooner or later, the app, with its ability to relabel buttons clearly and instantly, would eventually win out. At least until a totally organic touch version that can do the same calculations comes out. (Why stick so religiously to these old forms?)

The cheating argument, however, is valid: TI suggests that people still buy actual calculators because test givers prohibit students from whipping out their iPhones. So there’s at least one strike against well-executed convergence. [GigaOm; iTunes Store link]

The three 3D capable projectors, PJD6381, PJD6211 and PJD6221, are all compatible with both the Texas Instruments DLP Link 3D technology and NVIDIA’s 3D-Vision tech. The latter two will hit shelves in August, with the PJD6381 going on sale in September.

Announcing the first 3D projectors available in A/NZ from ViewSonic
New offerings include three new 120Hz 3D enabled DLP projectors

Sydney, Australia, July 22, 2009 – ViewSonic, worldwide leader in visual display products, is excited to announce the first 3D projectors to hit the Australian and New Zealand markets. The all new PJD6381, PJD6211 and PJD6221 flexible, eco-friendly projectors provide enhanced 3D display capabilities ideal for a variety of environments including classroom, corporate and gaming. The projectors come equipped with advanced network management capabilities, multiple inputs and 120Hz refresh compatibility for a truly immersive 3D experience.

PJD6381– 3D ultra short-throw DLP projector
The PJD6381 has one of the shortest throw ratios currently available for a DLP projector with a ratio of .68, helping to reduce shadowing effects and works well with a wide range of interactive whiteboard options. The projector has a 1024 x 768 XGA resolution, 2,500 ANSI lumens and a 2,400:1 contrast ratio to display detailed, brilliant images. Media can also be viewed in 3D with a 120Hz refresh rate as the projector is compatible with the two leading stereoscopic 3D technologies from Texas Instruments (DLP Link) and NVIDIA (3D-Vision), allowing users to see the most genuine, lifelike graphics. The PJD6381 also has RJ45 network management software allowing users to manage all networked projectors, schedule on / off times and send email alerts to administrators notifying timing for required maintenance, including scheduled lamp replacements.

PJD6211 and PJD6221 – 120Hz 3D Ready DLP projectors
ViewSonic’s new DLP projectors are equipped with a 1024 x 768 XGA resolution, up to 2,700 lumens and a 2,800:1 contrast ratio to display bright, crisp images onto various surfaces. The PJD6221 includes RJ45 network management scheduling software that allows for control configuration and control remotely when connected to a centralised network. This network management tool is perfect for use in meeting rooms or classrooms. The projectors are equipped with two VGA input composite, S-Video and VGA inputs for increased connectivity with multiple devices, as well as a VGA output port for connecting an external display or secondary projector for multiple screen viewing.

The projectors are compatible with the two leading stereoscopic 3D technologies from Texas Instruments (DLP Link) and NVIDIA (3D-Vision) allowing users to interact with amazing 3D content. Gamers in 2D mode can also take advantage of the blazing fast 120Hz refresh rate to eliminate shadowing and distortion of screen images.

William Tse, Country Manager at ViewSonic Australia, said, “With these three new additions to ViewSonic’s already extensive line of projectors we are able to give administrators, businesses and gamers even more options through visual display technology. Our new offerings allow alternative, energy efficient ways for users to view and enjoy various forms of media.”

All ViewSonic DLP projectors are Energy Star® certified and feature ECO Mode configuration options saving up to 40% in energy consumption and extending the lamp life up to 6,000 hours, in turn decreasing the total cost of ownership.

The ViewSonic PJD6211 and PJD6221 projectors will be available in August 2009 and the PJD6381 projector will be available in September 2009 in Australia and New Zealand.

RRPs below:
PJD6381 – AU$1,599 inc GST, NZ$1,999
PJD6211 – AU$1,099 inc GST, NZ$1,299
PJD6221 – AU$1,199 inc GST, NZ$1,499

On its own, it’s a stretch: the invite is green and vaguely Android-y, and there’s a faint rectangular device in the background, therefore Archos must be working on an Android MID! Right? Well, they are.

Or, at least that’s what Texas Instruments, the guys who are apparently making a good portion of the device’s guts, told everyone back in February. A recap of the MID, which is said to have voice capabilities:

What is known is that the device will have a five-inch screen, support HD playback, have a 10mm thickness and support Flash

Flash support stands out as a bit curious, but recent rumours about flash support in leaked builds of Android could explain that away. In any case, we don’t have long to wait: the event is scheduled for June 11th. [Slashgear via Pocketables via Android Community]

I can’t think of a more old school, geeky tribute to Queen than a band comprised of an Atari 800XL, 8-inch floppy disk, 3.5-in hard drive and HP Scanjet 3C. If only it sounded better.

The composer, YouTube user bd594, says what you hear is 100% pure, straight from the machines themselves—no effects or sampling were used. In the case of the Scanjet, the “vocals” were recorded in four separate parts using the one machine.

The aforementioned Atari 800XL is tickling the ivory on lead piano/organ, while a plucky Texas Instruments Ti-99/4a shreds on lead guitar. Rounding out the bunch are the floppy drive on bass and the hard drive clanging cymbals. As many have suggested already, the “instruments” could use a good tuning or ten.

On a related note, Scanjet symphonies seem to be in the air right now. Must be spring. [YouTube via Matrxisynth - Thanks, Matrix]

Guess which version is the second gen DLP Pico projector. (Hint: It’s the smaller one on the right that’s better in every way.)

There’s really nothing exciting about micro projectors now other than where they can go. And TI’s second generation projector is a promising step to mobile media “is that HD in your pocket?” nirvana. 20% smaller than the first Pico (and, maybe more importantly, 20% thinner as well), the new Pico projects an 854×480 (DVD quality) image with a contrast ratio of 1000:1. The missing spec is, of course, probably the most important one—brightness.

Still, how cool is that picture? Really cool. OK? Really cool.

AU: Obviously the US has a different view on what DVD quality is with their NTSC standard. PAL regions have 576 lines, which this doesn’t quite manage.

[TI via bbGadgets]

The LCD is 2.2 inches across and 320×240 pixels, and the player itself is compatible with images, office docs and video codecs like DivX, Xvid, WMV9 and flavours of MPEG. It uses the Texas Instrument DLP for its projection.

Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) today announced a new mobile phone accessory, the award-winning* MBP200 Pico Projector. The Samsung MBP200 is the ultimate wireless accessory, offering advanced features designed to enhance the mobile experience.
Compact and lightweight, the portable MBP200 can connect to mobile phones and laptops and by utilizing the DLP(R) pico chip from Texas Instruments it allows users to transform their traditional two inch screen to a 50-inch viewing screen allowing others to share in the video experience. In addition, users can easily transfer files and project content independent of an attached source via the microSD card slot. The MBP200 has a simple shape and design with touchpad controls on the right side of the device for easy navigation and a 2.2-inch QVGA LCD screen which allow users to view content privately.
Samsung’s MBP200 offers the latest entertainment features and independently supports standard Microsoft Office and PDF formats for display. With the MBP200, users can listen to music and create playlists, as well as view video, pictures or PDF, PowerPoint, Word or Excel files.
The Samsung pico projector delivers a superior picture from a mobile device and is powered by a miniaturized version of the same imaging technology found in DLP HDTVs, home theatre projectors and large-scale cinema houses. The unit can accommodate a range of projected image sizes – from an 8 1/2 x 11 standard sheet of paper to a large 50-inch screen. For added convenience, the MBP200 comes with a small screen holder with a telescoping pole hidden inside, which can instantly turn a standard sheet of paper into a screen to view movies, document files or pictures. The 3.5mm standard jack allows users to enjoy their own headphones or speakers, or the built-in external speaker allows the MBP200 to play audio directly from the device.
Samsung MBP200 Pico Projector Specifications

Features File viewer, picture viewer, music player, video player
Projection Panel HVGA (480*320)
LCD 2.2″ QVGA(320*240)
Audio Output 3.5 mm Standard Stereo Earphone Jack
Storage microSD slot (up to 16 GB)
Picture Viewer JPEG, GIF, Animated GIF, MBP
Music Player MP3, WMA, OGG, AAC, WAV
Video Player Video CODEC: DivX, Xvid, WMV9 Simple Profile, MPEG-2, MPEG-4; Audio
CODEC: MP3, AAC, WMA
File Viewer Adobe PDF (.pdf)
MS PowerPoint (.ppt)
MS Word (.doc)
MS Excel (.xls)
Text (.txt)
Size/Weight 107.3 x 48.8 x 19 mm / 160 g

The MBP200 will be available later this year. For more information about the MBP200 and Samsung’s entire line of mobile phone accessories, please visit www.samsung.com/newsroom.