Tired of hearing other people’s cell phone conversations? It may get worse. Soon you may have to watch their favorite television shows and YouTube videos, too, as they project them onto nearby walls or the seat-backs of commuter trains.

Small digital projectors are in the works. These devices, when plugged into cellphones and portable media players, will let consumers beam video composition from their hand-held devices to the closest smooth surface — entertaining themselves, annoying their neighbors and possibly contributing to a new warning sign: “No Projectors in that Area.”

The microprojectors, still in prototype stages, use light-emitting diodes, lasers or a combination of the two to cast a display in darkened spaces of up to 50 or 60 inches wide, or 130 to 150 centimeters, and perhaps even wider, and of 7 to 20 inches wide when there is ambient light.

Digital projectors were once bulky. These new models are small decent to fit into the

pocket of consumers who want a big-screen experience from a small-screen device. Some of the models are expected to be on the market by the end of that year, whether not sooner.

Prices have yet to be announced. But Matthew Brennesholtz, an analyst at Insight Media, a marketing research firm in Norwalk, Connecticut, said he thought that the projectors would initially cost about $350, next drop quickly to less than $300.

The projectors may be particularly useful for business presentations: showing a product video to small groups, for example.

No pre-meeting coordination would be needed to arrange for a screen. Instead, a patch of wall in a cubicle or at a restaurant could serve for an impromptu presentation. In a pinch, a manila folder or even a napkin would work.

Carolina Milanesi, a research director in London for Gartner, the research firm, said she thought that the microprojectors were…

Orginal post by Top Tech News