From design company Frank Etc. comes the concept of the Spider, a mobile solution for connecting to the Web. The Spider Computer is an ultraportable device with a built-in projector and laser keyboard that you can easily carry with you. When folded the Spider can also be used as a mobile phone.
“Its three legs can easily be folded out, allowing it to be placed on a flat surface. The mirror head opens, and the projection is directed towards the table surface or a wall. Digital correction compensates for angular differences in projection versus surface. Working prototype was made for technology, user studies and research. When legs are folded into the body, it becomes a mobile device, used as a phone, for messages etc. Circular LCD display with graphic interface. It can be carried in your pocket and brought anywhere.”
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currently, there’s no problem to produce such device. all components exists: laser keyboards, pico projectors and android platform… but all of them far from being ideal products with a very short battery life.
but who wants such uncomfortable supergeeky thing with 2 hours at max battery lifetime, ugly lowcontrast screen and very slow input method?
Wait… Didn’t we see this concept a while back just before the first projected keyboard came out? Wasn’t it Motorola or Nokia (or some other cell phone company)? I seem to remember it being a two part unit, one was a pen-like unit for the keyboard and another to do the projection.
poqeteer
yeah! you are right
the pico projector was so good that nobody uses it to date. as the previous posters said, I can’t see any practical use of this concept on a cafeteria table on a bright, sunny day (the whole point of having such a portable device). and if the tablecloth is a plaid pattern, hilarity ensues.
(EDIT) by pico projector I meant that tiny laser projected keyboard sold by think geek a while ago.