Samsung has unveiled a smartphone that doubles as a worthy projector. Called the Samsung Galaxy Beam, its feature set consists of everything a normal smartphone would, but with the addition of a 15 lumen projector capable of 640×360 resolution.
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The Beam’s 12.5mm waist is still on the slender side. It has a 4 inch screen with WVGA resolution, a 1GHz dual core processor, 768MB of RAM and a 2,000 mAh battery. When sold, it will come with Android 2.3 and will be upgradable to Android 4.0.
The great thing about the Beam is that it doesn’t need a TV or cabling to share your photos and videos with a crowd. What it does need is a dim environment with a flat surface at hand, whether it be a wall or a ceiling.
Despite its visual versatility, PCMag claims its on board speakers aren’t nearly capable enough to belt cinema-grade audio, but Samsung do intend on releasing a custom dock to aid this and make projecting easier.
Although it’s not the first projector phone to be revealed, Samsung’s Product Manage, Will Bin, believes it is the first practical iteration.
“Projector phones used to be 20mm thick,” he said. “We handle the size factor. The brightness used to be below 10 lumens, and this one is 15 lumens.”
“You can’t take your TV and put it on the ceiling to see it when you’re lying in bed. You can take this phone outside, go to a camping site, and share your favourite YouTube clips.”
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So far there’s no word on Australia pricing or availability, but watch this space for more info.
