Heading Down to Las Vegas!
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Hi everyone,
Just a brief note to say hi and that I'm flying down to Las Vegas tonight for this year's CES show. We're excited to show off our newest projectors (the SHOW WX) and we'll have a bunch of cool stuff to show off in our booth.
Four days in Las Vegas, plenty to talk about and thousands of people to talk with! Should be a great time. If you're planning to drop by our booth at CES, please hit me up via comment or email and let me know when to expect your visit. Look forward to meeting you there.
Best regards,
Ben
posted by Ben @ 10:54 AM,
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Microvision Unveils Pre-Production Pico Projector, SHOW WX, at Macworld
Monday, January 05, 2009
Microvision Unveils Pre-Production Pico Projector, SHOW WX, at Macworld
Ultra-Small Laser Projector Boasts Simple Focus-Free Use, Bright Wide-Angle Projection, Vibrant Colors and Contrast, and a Pocket-Sized Slim Design
REDMOND, Wash.--(Business Wire)-- Microvision (NASDAQ:MVIS), a leader in innovative ultra-miniature projection display products for mobile devices, today announced plans to unveil the pre-production version of its laser display solution for mobile devices at Macworld Conference and Expo 2009 in San Francisco. Providing an even more brilliant display experience and a 25% package-size reduction over Microvision`s SHOW prototype, SHOW WX, the code name for the new device, combines ultra-thin pocket-sized convenience with the power to project DVD-resolution images up to 100 inches across.
The production version of SHOW WX is planned to be a simple plug-n-play pico projector for people on-the-go who want to spontaneously view mobile TV, movies, photos, presentations and more. Users could take the pocket-sized projector anywhere, plug it into their portable media players, mobile phones, notebooks and other mobile media devices with TV-Out or VGA functionality and share a big screen experience with friends, family or business associates.
SHOW WX uses Microvision`s PicoP display engine technology to deliver stunningly colorful, bright, vivid and detailed images. The patented display engine technology requires no projection lenses or focus adjustment. As a result, SHOW WX images are always in focus, regardless of projection distance, producing widescreen images as small as 6 inches to as large as 100 inches across.
SHOW WX Features
* Easy setup: Simply plug and play.
* Small and sleek: Sits comfortably in the user`s hand and easily slips into a
pocket or purse; just 118 mm long by 60 mm wide and just 14 mm thick,
approximately the size of a personal media player or mobile phone.
* Always in focus: No focus adjustment is required, ever!
* Image of any size: Ideal for controlled lighting environments, images are
projected as small as 6 inches to 100 inches, or more.
* Wide projection angle: Brings the "big screen" closer to the user.
* High-resolution (WVGA) and 16:9 format: Serves both consumer (e.g., video) and
business (e.g., presentations) applications.
* Vivid images: Stunning laser colors combined with exceptional contrast.
* Long battery life: Expected for the production version, up to 2 hours,
provides plenty of time to view a movie on a single charge.
Initial commercial production is expected to begin in the second quarter of
2009, followed by larger commercial quantities in the second half of the year.
Consumers interested in receiving more information about the availability of the
production version of SHOW WX are invited to join the VIP Club,
http://www.microvision.com/showwx/.
See Microvision at Macworld Conference & Expo:
Microvision is providing public demonstrations of SHOW WX at booth number 4427,
The Moscone Center, San Francisco, CA from January 6 - 9.
About Microvision (www.microvision.com)
Microvision provides the PicoP display technology platform designed to enable
next-generation display and imaging products for pico projectors, vehicles
displays, and wearable displays that interface to mobile devices. The company
also manufactures and sells its bar code scanner product line, which features
the company`s proprietary microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology.
Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer
Certain statements contained in this release, including those relating to the
introduction, timing and quantity of future products and words such as
"planned," "could," and "expected," are forward-looking statements that involve
a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those projected in the Company's forward-looking
statements include the following: our ability to raise additional capital when
needed; our financial and technical resources relative to those of our
competitors; our ability to keep up with rapid technological change; government
regulation of our technologies; our ability to enforce our intellectual property
rights and protect our proprietary technologies; the ability to obtain
additional contract awards; the timing of commercial product launches and delays
in product development; the ability to achieve key technical milestones in key
products; dependence on third parties to develop, manufacture, sell and market
our products; and potential product liability claims and other risk factors
identified from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including the
Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC. Except as expressly
required by the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly
update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events, changes in circumstances or any other reason.
posted by Ben @ 10:08 AM,
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Microvision Announces $750,000 Contract for High-Definition Eyewear Display Solution Development
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Microvision Announces $750,000 Contract for High-Definition Eyewear Display Solution Development
REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Microvision, Inc. (NASDAQ: MVIS - News), a global leader in innovative ultra-miniature projection display and imaging products today announced that it has been awarded a $750,000 contract to perform initial engineering tasks that support development of a High-Definition (HD), full-color, see-through eyewear display. The name of the customer was not released for confidentiality reasons.
The development effort includes demonstration of a unique design approach of a HD system based upon Microvision’s PicoP display engine technology. The work under the contract is consistent with Microvision’s continued development of a lightweight see-through optical system and could lead to a variety of eyewear display applications.
Microvision’s eyewear display platform is being designed to combine its miniature PicoP display engine technology with clear eyewear optics that channel light and direct it to the viewer’s eye creating a bright, full color, see-through image while maintaining a transparent view of the surroundings. In addition to the see-through capability, this platform is expected to be differentiated from competitive offerings by its attractive ergonomics and ease-of-use.
“Customers are seeking new ways to deliver real-time, mission critical information,” stated Ian Brown, Microvision VP of Marketing and Sales. “We believe Microvision’s PicoP-enabled eyewear technology could provide competitive advantages for these customers due to its inherent qualities of high-brightness, compact form-factor, full-color and see-through clarity.”
About Microvision
Microvision provides the PicoP display technology platform designed to enable next-generation display and imaging products for Pico projectors, vehicle displays, and wearable displays that interface with mobile devices. The company also manufactures and sells its bar code scanner product line which features the company's proprietary MEMS technology.
Forward Looking Statement
Certain statements contained in this release, including those relating to product development, potential product benefits, and statements using words such as “expect”, “could” and "believe," are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the company's forward-looking statements include the following: capital market risks, our ability to raise additional capital when needed; market acceptance of our technologies and products; our financial and technical resources relative to those of our competitors; our ability to keep up with rapid technological change; our dependence on the defense industry and a limited number of government development contracts; government regulation of our technologies; our ability to enforce our intellectual property rights and protect our proprietary technologies; the ability to obtain additional contract awards; the timing of commercial product launches and delays in product development; the ability to achieve key technical milestones in key products; dependence on third parties to develop, manufacture, sell and market our products; potential product liability claims, risks related to Lumera's business and the market for its equity and other risk factors identified from time to time in the company's SEC reports and other filings, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC. Except as expressly required by the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in circumstances or any other reason.
posted by Ben @ 3:36 PM,
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heya
Friday, December 05, 2008
Hi guys,I'm still here -- just been travelling a lot (wait for pictures) and super busy working on stuff I can't talk about yet and hence unable to post. Sorry to miss getting the blog updated -- I hope to be able to describe some of the cool stuff we're working on soon. It's just kind of the nature of a lot of the work that we're doing, that we're limited in what we can communicate. So, please don't mistake lack of blog updates with a lack of activity. The stuff I'm doing should see the light of day before too long.
In the meantime, pls check out the 'MVIS Wiki Blog' by Sven, it's updated a lot and pretty informative.
Thanks for sticking with me,
Ben
posted by Ben @ 4:16 PM,
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Uneducated Investor: MVIS Q3 2008 Conference Call
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Uneducated Investor: MVIS Q3 2008 Conference Call
Thanks to TIGRE for transcribing our recent conference call!
posted by Ben @ 2:55 PM,
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Project Video, Photos from a Phone | The Businessweek Video Library
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Project Video, Photos from a Phone | The Businessweek Video Library
posted by Ben @ 9:39 AM,
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Microvision To Show PicoP Format
Monday, November 03, 2008
Microvision To Show PicoP Format
By Greg Tarr -- TWICE,11/03/2008
REDMOND, WASH. — Microvision will be exhibiting at the 2009 International CES to give attendees a glance at its new ultra-miniature scanned-beam display engine technology that is intended to give mobile devices projection display capability, including standalone Pico projectors planned for market in 2009.
Eventually, the company plans to supply the engines to manufacturers of mobile devices, such as cellphones, to give everyone from business professionals to photo-happy teenagers the ability to present instant big-screen videos and slideshows on the go.
For now, the company is deciding how to best go to market with a standalone battery-operated Pico projector as an "accessory device" to iPods, digital cameras, camcorders etc.
By CES, Microvision said it expects to either be ready to announce plans to market the product under its own Microvision brand or to offer the technology through a marketing partner, said Matt Nichols, Microvision communications director.
After that, the company expects the technology to start being integrated into other devices. Since July 2007, the company has been operating under a non-exclusive joint development agreement with Motorola, Nichols said, as "one of our first partners in the handset space. Ultimately, they will define the timing of when that goes to market."
Unlike other miniature Pico projectors based on DLP or LCoS light-engines, Microvision's technology, called "PicoP," uses a display chip comprised of a single mirror (instead of millions of mirrors like a DLP chip) that is driven both horizontally and vertically on one axis, Nichols explained.
Lighting for the system comes from three miniature lasers (red, green and blue) that are said to produce both a brighter image and more color intensity than the LEDs used in competitive units. Microvision has developed a control system to combine the three lasers to produce natural colors and constantly sharp focus.
Microvision's first product will produce 10 lumens of brightness compared with 5 lumens produced by other competitive approaches, Nichols said.
Currently in its second generation, the display engine offers WVGA (848 by 480 lines) resolution.
Initially, Microvision said the standalone projectors will come to market at about $400, but economies of scale will enable the price for subsequent generations of the technology "to come down pretty quickly," he said. For integration into other products, like cellphones, the technology will have to be below $100 for the component, according to Nichols.
By around 2011, he said the company expects to have applications developed especially for use in automobiles.
posted by Ben @ 4:00 PM,
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Inside the "World's Smallest" Projector - Gearlog
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Inside the "World's Smallest" Projector - Gearlog
OK, Microvision's SHOW pico projector may not necessarily be the world's smallest projector. There are tiny competitors from 3M, Toshiba, and Explay, using technologies as varied as DLP, LCOS and, as in the SHOW, lasers. Yet none are as thin as the SHOW. In fact, most of these competitors appear no thinner than an inch (at least from images we've found on the Web, since none of these companies have yet shown us these products in person). The latest Microvision SHOW projector is just 14 mm thick and is primed to get even thinner.
I last saw this iPod-size marvel at CES 2008. Back then, company reps were all but certain that commercial Microvision mobile projectors would be out before the end of this year. Now, however, the company tells us that we won't see these devices on the market until spring of next year.
The good news is that in the intervening months, Microvision has refined its technology, making the custom ASIC chip even smaller and rewriting algorithms to better control the 60-Hz refresh rate (getting rid of an up-to 4-Hz variance), remove some of the banding and shimmer I saw in the first prototype, and add a new, extended color mode that makes the image more vibrant and appear brighter.
When I met with Microvision late last year and at CES in January, I got a high-level primer on how the SHOW produces infinite-focus color images up to 3 meters wide--and on almost any surface-- without a lens. However, on recent visit, company executives went deeper, showing me the chip that drives the image and explaining, in some detail, how this tiny projector works.
At the heart of the SHOW is a tiny ASIC (or Application Specific Integrated Circuit). [Editor's Note: The following describes the Integrated Photonics Module (IPM), which is the optomechanical component of the PicoP -- the IPM is controlled by ASIC chips but is not itself an ASIC.] This 7-mm-thick, 5cc chip is a silicon MEMS (micro electro-mechanical system). At the center of the chip is a tiny mirror. The three color (RGB) lasers hit the mirror, which uses magnets, coils, and harmonics to oscillate from side to side and up and down. In this way it draws a 60-Hz raster pattern or image that is roughly 480p (WVGA 848 by 480 pixels). (See photos below).
Microvision execs told me that the technology offers their company some benefits over competitors. One of the biggest might be the unbelievably short "throw"--this is the amount of distance the projector needs from the screen to display a reasonably sized picture. A Microvision projector held a foot away from the projection surface will display a 1-foot-diagonal image. When I projected it onto my office ceiling from a distance of about 8 feet, I got a roughly 8-foot diagonal image. According to Microvision, competing mini-projectors have about half the throw ability. At virtually any distance, the SHOW image remains in focus.
Even though Microvision has been promising projector-equipped mobile phones since last year (and has managed to build a functioning prototype), the first Microvision products will be two standalone projectors, One will work with mobile media devices such as iPods, and the other will be a mobile media device that can play photos and videos on its own. The products will be officially unveiled at CES 2009 in Las Vegas and could retail for around $400.
Microvision partner Motorola reportedly is still working on an in-phone projector based on Microvision's technology; and Microvision is still working on making the projector even smaller. In fact, execs said that future SHOW devices could support higher resolutions without getting any bigger.
Here's a close-up of the tiny, 5CCs MEMS.
The Microvision MEMS with the magnets split open.
A side view of the Microvision MEMS.
The prototype case for the Microvision SHOW sits under an iPod.
posted by Ben @ 8:49 PM,
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Microdisplays: Coming Soon to an Eye Near You?
Monday, October 13, 2008
Microdisplays: Coming Soon to an Eye Near You?
Feature Articles | September 2008
Microdisplays: Coming Soon to an Eye Near You?
Texting, global positioning and streaming video on your portable device’s tiny screen could soon seem very old school compared with having that information projected directly onto your eye.
by Melinda Rose, Web Editor, photonics.com
Imagine strolling past a restaurant and having its menu hover translucently in your field of vision, or getting a call from friends and having a GPS-like map appear in front of you as a guide to their exact location. These types of “augmented reality” scenarios could be closer than you might think, because the basic technology is already being developed for handheld devices, and specialized optics needed to guide the images to your eye is in the works right now at Microvision Inc. of Redmond, Wash.
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Figure 1. Microvision is working to incorporate its PicoP display engine into eyewear that would project directly onto the eye the GPS and other images that normally are viewed on tiny mobile device screens. Model ©2007 Patrick Bennett, composition ©2008 Microvision.
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The company’s pico projector display engine, called the PicoP, comprises a microelectromechanical systems scanner; red, green and blue laser light sources; optics to guide the laser beams; and drive electronics to process data signals and to synchronize the color mix and placement of individual pixels.
The tiny scanning mirror is about the size of the head of a pin, with the entire device being “about the size of an Andes thin-mint chocolate,” said Ben Averch, product manager of eyewear display. “Our focus as a business is to take this engine and embed it into iPod-size devices or as a projector into a cell phone.”
The single scanning mirror is designed to scan both horizontally and vertically so that a single beam of light can be precisely steered side to side and up and down at very high speeds – 30 million pixels a second – to project a complete video image. Because the brain can’t follow something moving that fast, the projected video being rendered line by line appears to move as smoothly as video on a traditional screen, Averch said.
Rather than the LEDs favored by some of its competitors, the company uses lasers as its light source because they provide a brighter image, Averch said. Brightness is important if the projected image is to be seen on a sunny day.
Microvision and other companies developing mobile projectors, such as 3M and Texas Instruments, are counting on consumers to be tired of watching videos, especially full-length movies, on tiny cell phone or iPod screens and to appreciate the ability to project – and share with friends – large still or video images from such portable media players onto a wall, a ceiling, a school locker or even an item of clothing.
The company has been exhibiting its PicoP handheld accessory device, dubbed the SHOW, at display conferences such as the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show and this month’s Society for Information Display (SID) mobile displays conference in San Diego. The palm-size, battery-operated SHOW connects to mobile devices via video-out ports, where it can be used to project vivid, full-color, high-resolution images that can range in size from 12 to 100 in. The projected image has an infinite focus, so “whether it’s 12 inches or 6 feet away, it self-focuses,” Averch said. The SHOW is designed to have at least two hours of play time per charge, and Microvision expects it to enter the marketplace by the end of the third or in the fourth quarter, said Matt Nichols, director of communications.
The company is currently working with partners such as Motorola to embed the PicoP into handheld devices such as cell phones; volume production of such embedded devices is expected in 2009, Nichols said. [Editor's Note: Please see this PR for the official word on timelines, etc.]
The wearable pico projector
In addition to creating the handheld SHOW projector and embedding the PicoP into other devices, the company is also working to create eyewear that incorporates the technology. Instead of being projected onto a surface, the image would be projected onto the wearer’s eye.
The eyewear would connect either via wire or wirelessly to the user’s mobile device for social networking, entertainment and other applications. Text of a keynote address could be streamed in real time to a public speaker, for example – like having a personal, invisible teleprompter. Or blueprints could appear for firefighters trying to search a burning building.
The main challenge to adapting the projector for eyewear is the specialized optics required to trap the laser beam and direct it to the wearer’s eye, Averch said. The beam travels inside the optical material, which steers it directly onto the eye, creating the illusion that the image the wearer is seeing is hovering in space in front of him and that it is visible only to himself.
The PicoP optics was redesigned over the past year to create the much larger field of view required in a wearable device. Averch said that one of the design challenges was making sure that each viewing angle is delivered with uniform brightness.
Microvision introduced its wide-angle PicoP at the SID conference in 2007, where it presented a tabletop version of the technology that proved its optical feasibility. The company has been working since to create a handheld device featuring the technology and to incorporate the projector into a wearable prototype, such as a helmet-mounted display, under two contracts from the US Air Force.
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Figure 2. Shown is a prototype of the palm-size, battery-powered SHOW projector, which connects to devices such as iPods to project bright, full-color, always-in-focus, high-resolution images that can range in size from 12 to 100 in. Image courtesy of Microvision.
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The Air Force requires a high-brightness, lightweight, wearable device with a large field of view for use by advance forces, or scouts, who often spend a long time in hostile conditions carrying a lot of heavy gear. The Air Force is looking to replace with the wearable PicoP some of the items troops carry that contain display screens.
Concept demonstrators will be sent to the military by the end of the year. The design of the optics must be simplified before it can be manufactured at high volumes or head into the retail market, Averch said.
While the military is concerned primarily with the device’s performance, the consumer marketplace demands something else entirely.
For mobile device eyewear marketed to the public, “We’re primarily concerned with fashion and ergonomics,” Averch said. “People aren’t going to wear these things unless they look cool and are comfortable.” He envisions partnerships with style trendsetters such as Dolce & Gabbana to make the eyewear itself attractive and fashionable.
Because the PicoP engine is only 7 mm thick and weighs only a few grams, “We don’t expect it to be dramatically heavier than a regular pair of frames.”
The eyewear’s power consumption also will be very efficient, he said, because “We only need to draw the image where it needs to augment your view.” Lasers that turn on to draw “Incoming call from Gramma,” for example, won’t take up the same viewing space or use the same amount of power as when drawing moving video.
With Bluetooth technology and speech-to-text functions, it could be possible someday to both receive and send text messages without even touching your phone.
“Over 2 trillion text messages were sent last year. We’re positioning the eyewear as a new way to deliver text messages so you don’t have to pull your phone out to interact,” Averch said.
posted by Ben @ 9:58 AM,
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Asia Optical to Deploy Microvision's PicoP Display Technology
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Asia Optical to Deploy Microvision's PicoP Display Technology
By Arvind Arora
TMCnet Contributing Editor
Microvision (News - Alert), Inc., a company that provides ultra-miniature projection display and image capture products, reportedly has announced an agreement with Asia Optical Co., Inc., a manufacturer of electro-optical components.
Under the agreement, Asia Optical will deploy Microvision’s proprietary PicoP technology to manufacture PicoP display engines and Microvision’s first stand-alone accessory Pico projector products.
The first units manufactured under the agreement are expected to be completed later this year, and the design for manufacturing collaboration between the two companies for high-volume production has already begun.
Microvision’s ultra-miniature, low-power PicoP display engine produces bright, large-size, high-resolution, color-rich images that are always in focus. Potential applications for the display engine include embedded or accessory projectors for mobile phones, personal media players, laptops and hand-held gaming devices. Various original equipment manufacturers and distributors have shown strong interest in the technology.
The PicoP display technology by Microvision is a platform designed to enable next-generation display and imaging products for Pico projectors, vehicle displays, and wearable displays that interface with mobile devices. Featuring its proprietary MEMS technology, the company also manufactures and sells its bar code scanner product line.
Alexander Tokman, president and chief executive officer of Microvision, said that the company’s PicoP go-to-market strategy leverages strategic supply chain partnerships, and that Microvision is excited to formally announce its partnership with Asia Optical.
Tokman said that this agreement represents a milestone in company’s PicoP commercialization plan, as Asia Optical’s production capabilities are outstanding and they are one of the world’s largest high-volume and vertically integrated manufacturers of digital cameras, DVD engines and electronics assemblies etc.
Robert Lai, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Asia Optical, said that Microvision has an outstanding display technology that will revolutionize the mobile handset marketplace.
Lai said that Asia Optical believes Microvision’s PicoP display will provide the consumers with new and exciting mobile projection display functionality that can not be achieved through traditional display technologies.
posted by Ben @ 8:57 AM,
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