In 2014-2015, in the development environment of smartphones based on the Android OS, an interesting idea appeared on transferring device control to interactive rails. Even the largest display is not able to convey the fullness of the picture, especially if we are talking about a visually impaired user.
Phones with a projector appeared earlier, in the form of sketches, drawings, and even primary models. So, for example, a gadget with a functioning projector appeared in 2012 under the name Samsung Galaxy Beam. But the device offered a very limited color rendering, because of which the picture turned out dull and poorly readable. In 2014, the successor of the Korean concern appeared, but did the conceptualization change? Does a smartphone need a projector at all?
Root cause of occurrence
Phones with projectors - this is by no means a commonplace thing. Do I need such a gadget? Hard to say. Specific features of use - this is largely the only difference between a smartphone and analogues. At the same time, the overpayment for that “highlight” is quite significant. A phone with a projector will come in handy for those who hold several working meetings a week. Then the ability to quickly present a presentation in any dark room, using only a smartphone, is hard to overestimate.
However, the average user hardly needs a projector in a smartphone. Perhaps this is why the devices did not take root with the mass consumer and quickly left the charts.
From "grandfather" to "grandson"
One of the first commercial projects to implement a phone with a projector was the Samsung Galaxy Beam.
The manufacturer assured that 12 lumens of the projector’s light transmission is enough to view photo and video materials on the wall. The diagonal of the frame was 50 inches. In practice, a completely dark room was required for a perfect show. On a fine day and with the curtains open, the picture did not appear at all.
At the same time, the device turned out to be quite demanding on the battery. A phone with a projector did not just require an additional battery, but PowerBank in 2012 was either in the project or seemed to be a conceptual and therefore unattainable novelty. With all the disadvantages, the device quickly dispersed.
If the prototype with the same name from 2010 cost $ 900, then in the case of a new projector phone, the company made concessions. However, some user comments were left without reaction. So, for example, Samsung did not bother with the stand for the playback mode in projector mode.
Triumphant return
The phone with the Lenovo projector, code-named Smart Cast, made a big impression on the public.
The company brought a number of innovations to the original design and technological implementation, including the ability to turn the projector. The gadget can be installed at an angle, rotated, which allows you to solve the issue of long-term playback without a stand. Moreover, the projector is equipped with an infrared sensor that monitors the movement of the fingers of the owner. This allows you to turn, for example, a table into an interactive whiteboard and print with convenience. The novelty has a much more extensive list of functions and a capacious battery, so the gadget is still in demand and can be found on the regular market.
And again to old ideas
If Lenovo became the most accurate practical embodiment of the idea, albeit with flaws in the accuracy of the sensor, as well as the picture itself, then Motorola Z-Play chose the path beaten by competitors, slightly modernizing the original.
A phone with a Motorola projector is a somewhat incorrect name, since the original gadget does not have the function of playing back a picture in a projector format. This can be achieved using a removable module. The novelty came out with a small battery, only 1100 mAh, and mediocre characteristics. At the same time, the manufacturer requested an amount of almost $ 400, which is why the device was not a bestseller.
Is there room for a phone with a projector in the modern gadget market? Perhaps each of the smartphones found its target consumer. For business people, such a phone can be a universal assistant, but for an ordinary user it will become a toy for several days.