After teasing us with a first look at the proprietary software for its Xperia projector at the Mobile World Congress, Sony finally unveiled the portable product in all its glory at the IFA show in Berlin.
According to Sony, the projector can beam touchable projection of up to 21-in onto tabletops and walls, which could
obviously have huge potential for visitor attraction and education sectors, amongst others. It also handily features a built-in camera for
video conferencing.
An infrared sensor in the device tracks fingers to work out where they are pressing on the projected
screen.
Powered by Android, Sony showed how it can also project apps onto surfaces, giving attendees a chance to get
hands-on with likes of Angry Birds or Google Earth and test out its pinch and zoom and multi-touch (marketed as
10-touch) capability first-hand, as well as watching YouTube videos and browsing the internet.
The projectors can also be flipped on
one side and vertically positioned for projections onto walls.
Reports coming out of the show are fairly positive regarding the
projector’s responsiveness, although the shadows of fingers reportedly do affect how touches register in these darker areas. As with most
concept products like this one, only will time will tell if the product will come to market, and in what form.