Samsung launches the Galaxy Beam projector smartphone

[Ben]

This makes me groan. But then perhaps there are Talk3Gers in our midst for who this niche handset will be a prized possession? ;)


Samsung has launched the Galaxy Beam projector phone at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2012 in Barcelona.

The mid- to high-end device brings the ability to project photos and videos from a smartphone – a technology previously restricted to a few high-end phones – to a broader audience.

The device comes with a 15-lumens projector, which Samsung says can be used to project photos and videos onto any flat surface, either indoors or outside. The Galaxy Beam can project high definition images up to 50 inches wide.

The 12.5mm thick Galaxy Beam features a four-inch touch-screen, a five-megapixel camera and a 720p video camera. It runs on Google’s Android 2.3 software with a 1GHz dual-core processor. It also comes with 8GB of internal memory and a 2000mAh battery.

Simon Stanford, head of Samsung UK & Ireland telecommunications and networks division said: ‘The Samsung Galaxy Beam gives people freedom to share what’s important to them instantly with friends and family.

'With the Galaxy Beam, people can share content from their smartphone with people around them, using it like a pocket projector to create shared experiences – whether that’s watching movies, sharing holiday snaps or a spontaneous presentation.’

Home cinema projectors are typically a couple of thousand lumens...

http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/News/14162/Samsung_launches_the_Galaxy_Beam_projector_smartph one.aspx

[Hands0n]

I am really disappointed with this. For several years the http://www.microvision.com/showwxplus/ ShowWX Pico Laser projector has been in the making. Eventually it came out and a right stunner it is too. The early publicity on this device suggested that mobile phone manufacturers would be able to incorporate the pico laser into their smartphones. So you can imagine what my first thought was as I read the Samsung announcement! But no, they went for something completely inferior by comparison.

I would like to have something like a pico projector and smartphone in one, but it is going to have to be based on laser and nothing else.

[Ben]

It's odd, really. I mean, Samsung are going for such an incredibly small niche with this product. Why not actually 'do a job' on it and sell something that's truly amazing?

I think this product demonstrates limited vision. Which, for me, sums up Samsung pretty nicely.