Samsung reveals smartphone with built-in projector

Samsung has used the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona to unveil a smartphone with a built-in projector (an update of a previous stab at a projector phone in 2010).

The Samsung Galaxy Beam can project a high definition image up to 50 inches wide (the company did not specifiy exact resolution).

There's no word on quality yet, but with a modest 15 lumens brightness, the Beam does not seem positioned to threatened standalone data projectors (which usually top 500 lumens) or home theatre projectors (which typically top 1000 and can run to 3000 lumens or more).

But if you want to share, say, a presentation, photo or a YouTube clip with a small group, this projector phone looks like it has potential.

The projector function has a dedicated power button, and app for managing slideshows. 

The Beam's predecessor, the i8520, was labelled clunky for general phone use, but got an okay review for its projection capability when held at arm's length from a wall.

Long term, pundits pick that laser-based projectors will appear in a wide range of hand-held gadgets.

First release will be in the UK and Germany, with the rest of the world to follow from March. There was no immediate word if or when it would be released in NZ.

Aside from the projector, the Beam features a 4-inch, 800 x 480 resolution display, Android 2.3, a 1GHz dual-core processor, 5MP back camera with flash and 1.3MP front-facing camera, HSPA+ and 8GB of storage (expandable via MiniSD).

It measures 64.2 x 124 x 12.5mm, and weighs 145.3g.

Galaxy Tab 2
Samsung also used the Congress to preview its new Galaxy Tab 2, which will be available in 10.1-inch and 7-inch versions (currently 8.9-inch and 10.1-inch versions of the first-generation Tab are available in NZ).

The 7-inch model has a 1024×600 pixel display, a 1GHz dual-core CPU, 1 GB of RAM, a 3-megapixel camera on the back and a VGA one on the front, and wi-fi-only or wi-fi plus 3G.

The Tab has been the most successful of the various Android-based contenders taking on the iPad - although the Google mobile platform has yet to achieve the dominance it's enjoyed in the smartphone space. Apple continues to enjoy majority share in the tablet market.

Galaxy Note 10.1
The Korean company also demo'd a 10.1 inch version of its pen stylus packing Galaxy Note. The 5.3-inch version of the Note was launched in NZ last week.