There is a huge electronic niche that seems yet to be tapped. Light projection for mobile phones and tablets. This much needed feature can be a huge selling point if implemented in a new device effectively. The benefits of having the new hardware are endless. So how come the idea has yet to take off?
For one thing, only a few companies have tried to include the feature in their phones. Nokia and Samsung have both meddled with the concept. But Samsung seemed to have a bit of a better success. I say “a bit”, because they didn’t promote the Galaxy Beam smartphone properly. Which gives the sense that they were not fully fond of it. Nor had full confidence that it will properly function without glitches. Battery life might play an issue in this dilemma as well. I know that battery life seems to be running low as is for most current smartphones and adding a light projector to the handheld device will further diminish its daily life span. It doesn’t take a hardware guru to figure that battery is an issue. But I still argue that its an addition that can prove massively appealing to consumers. If its not ready for mobile phones, it must be ready to implement into tablets. Only Apple has a proven successful record of perfecting such new features. For example, Microsoft was the first to meddle with handheld digital audio devices. And one of the first to try its hand with tablets. But failed to perfect them and failed to prove to the consumers that there is a huge need for their existence. But look what Apple was able to do with the iPod and iPad. Apple fine tuned these concepts, developed a beautiful user friendly software and designed a beautiful hardware that captured the salivating eyes of its users. With that said, I believe only Apple has the vision and creative history to accomplish such a task.
Hand held light projection devices are essential, beneficial and can be of great use in our daily lives. People of all ages will be in need of this feature. Artists will use light to project their artwork on walls and canvases to easily trace and expand the size without losing much quality and time. Teachers can go to class with only their phone or tablet in hand and are able to present slides and lectures on any flat surface with ease and clarity. Families can watch any video they wish outdoors with their loved ones for an intimate and memorable experience. Individuals can finally have many devices in one. They will no longer need to pay an extra $2000 dollars for a tv set. Movies can be projected up to 70 inches wide with high clarity. They can even watch video as they lay flat on their bed with the phone or tablet projecting video to the ceiling. Photographers can use it to give their models depth, set a scene or manipulate the background. These are only a few of the tasks light projection can provide. The possibilities are endless.
Every year Apple comes out with a unique feature to help sell its new iPhone or iPad. Whether its a new A7 chip with 64-bit architecture, Siri – a voice based command software, Touch ID – a fingerprint identity sensor, iSight camera or retina display to improve the picture quality. Light projection can be the next big thing. It will create a huge demand for its up and coming devices. But battery life, video clarity and consistency issues do need to be ironed out before releasing such a massive addition. I don’t know about you but I will be the first one in line to buy a handheld device that offers light projection as a part of its hardware.
– Majd Nazo
