Pocket-sized smartphone projector turns any surface into a touchscreen

Currently seeking funding on Indiegogo, TouchPico is a device that can wirelessly project an 80″ display from Android smartphones, with a touch interface.

Spotted by Katharina Kieck, written by Springwise

 

This is part of a series of articles that looks at entrepreneurs hoping to get their ideas off the ground through crowdfunding. At the time of writing, each of these innovations is currently seeking funding.

When it comes to showing something on your phone to friends or co-workers, it’s not always ideal to have them crowd round the small screen size of typical mobile devices. While it’s possible to push the display to larger screens such as connected TVs, the element of touch control is still limited to the smartphone. Currently seeking funding on Indiegogo, TouchPico is a device that can wirelessly project an 80″ display from Android smartphones, with a touch interface.

The device is a highly-portable projector around the same size as the Samsung Galaxy S4. When connected to an Android phone over wifi, the projector is able to display its contents on any suitable surface up to 80 inches in size. Using the Touchpaper stylus, users can interact with their phone using the projected display, meaning they don’t need to carry out tasks on one screen while everyone else is looking at the larger display. Businesses can present their meetings in a more interactive way and educators can let kids use apps and games collaboratively on a large screen. On top of this, TouchPico can simply be used as a basic handheld projector for laptops and other computers.

Watch the video below to learn more about TouchPico:

TouchPico is available to pre-order via Indiegogo for the special price of USD 329, or can be reserved for that price for a USD 99 deposit. The crowdfunding campaign will run until 26 August, after which the device is set to have a full retail price tag of USD 499. Are there other ways to attach digital interactivity to any type of surface?

Indiegogo: www.igg.me/at/touch-pico
Website: www.touchpico.com
Contact: info@atouchjet.com

The Asus PadFone X 'Family'

Phone + Tablet In One

The Good With it's fast quad-core processor, the AT&T's Asus PadFone X's camera has a huge capable 13-megapixel camera, and can also dock safely into a 9-inch tablet that also  doubles as a charger.

The Bad The PadFone X, When combined has a clunky design but unfortunately its rear-camera loses a few some features. The device also comes with a non removable battery and a lot of bloatware

The Bottom Line Although it has last year's specification, the PadFone X combines two mobile devices into one easy convenient form at a very affordable price tag.

ASUS PadFone 'phablet'

The ASUS PadFone is a smartphone manufactured by ASUS.  The phone is marketed with companion tablet dock and keyboard dock accessories intended to improve battery life and overall functionality.

Released in April 2012, the ASUS PadFone It fits into a 7-inch tablet dock. Although it's not the same as the ASUS PadFone mini 4.3, revealed in December 2013 by ASUS.  Since that operates on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and is skinned with the ASUS' ZenUI.

The ASUS PadFone has a 4-inch WVGA (480 x 800 pixel) IPS+ LED-backlite display, the ASUS PadFone mini has a8-megapixel 'PixelMaster' rear f/2.0 BSI camera, 2-megapixel front-facing camera, 8GB of built-in storage, and a 4.5Wh 1170mAh non-removable polymer battery.

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•            The successor to this phone is the PadFone 2, which was released in October 2012. It featured a 4.7 inch Super IPS+ screen with HD (1280×720) resolution.

• ·         The successor to the PadFone 2 is the PadFone Infinity, which was released in April 2013. It featured a 5 inch Super IPS+ screen with Super HD display, (1920 x 1200) resolution with 441 ppi.

• ·         The successor to the PadFone Infinity is the PadFone X, to be released in June 2014.

• ·         A new ASUS PadFone S was launched in July 2014 with a 13 Megapixel camera.

 

 

Asus Padfone X with Android 4.4 KitKat

The PadFone X runs Android 4.2.2 KitKat and comes loaded with the usual array of Google services like the Chrome browser, Drive, Gmail, Search (including voice), Plus, and Photos. There's also Hangouts,

Other than its predecessors, there's nothing quite like the Asus PadFone X. As a smartphone/tablet (and sometimes even laptop!) hybrid, it is an amalgamation of two devices aiming to give users the most seamless and efficient mobile experience.

Measuring 5.67 inches tall and 2.85 inches wide, the handset is comfortable to hold, and easy maneuverable with one hand.With it's brushed-aluminum design it sports tapered edges  that adds just a dash of style to the otherwise bland-looking device. However, at 0.39 inch thick and weighing 5.29 ounces, it's a bit heftier than most high-end 5-inch phones.

With a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top edge , and  a sleep/power button and a volume rocker to the right . It has a Micro-USB port flanked by two circular ports at the bottom , which are used for plugging into the tablet dock. Located on the back is a 13-megapixel lens with accompanying flash, and a barely there speaker grille right below it.