Lightvert -- WOW.

Skyscraper sized ads.

Interesting description.




UK start-up Lightvert is taking augmented reality to the skies, set to produce skyscraper-sized ads visible only to individual viewers’ eyes. Made possible by ECHO technology, ads as high as 656 feet could disrupt digital out of home and leverage huge spaces unusable by traditional advertising.

"At its heart, a patent-protected persistence of vision (PoV) display technology prints a temporary image onto the viewers’ retina. “ECHO imagery is generated using only a single vertical line of light and as such the image does not exist in reality, but only in the viewer’s eye.”

Clearly a Raster Scan & Laser

Surface Phone & some Dots to connect...

So, remember the "Surface phone?" 

My best guess is that this is a very real upcoming device. The odds of Microvision inclusion in this product are very high

There has also been mention of Microsoft Continuum -- as a phone feature, that "turns your phone into a big screen projector." [ Continuum here ] I don't think their use of language is accidental.

What happens remains to be seen, but Microsoft has worked with Microvision in the past, and Microvision is working with Microsoft devices. Microsoft is talking about a technology that turns a phone into a "big screen projector." Microsoft is going to release a powerful phone that will be like their surface tablet.... 

... and trial production started last November.



AutoworldNews (more at source)

The Microsoft Surface Phone is also perceived to be the miniature version of Surface tablets. If that's the case, experts consider the Surface Phone as the ultimate mobile device. It may even overtake Surface tablets for being able to make actual phone calls. It is a primarily a mobile device after all, but only on steroids.

*****

As added by Trusted Reviews, the Microsoft Surface Phone may also run on Windows 10 since it is the last version of Windows according to Microsoft. This means Windows 10 Mobile will not be disappearing anytime soon. It is also reported that Continuum, the cross-platform productivity feature will play a bigger role on mobile.

Trial Production has begun

Video From Microvision ---> Key phrase at 0:55 <---



This is a cooperation between Microsoft and Microvision from 2011.

Which also gives a lot of use cases (Microsoft OmniTouch @ Extremetech)



Surface phone Summary from Trusted Reviews

Potential of Augmented Reality Greater than you Think

Interesting article.

No one company will own the space, but many will cooperate and there will be interdependencies.

Near eye displays will be required -- as well as projection for sharing.


Singularityhub

Today, standard market projections focus on how AR will become smaller and faster, or they extrapolate on how existing capabilities could impact the enterprise once implemented. However, past technology disruptions demonstrate that this view is too narrow, and doesn't consider the impact of converging technologies—for example, in the way mobile technology has converged with the internet.

Augmented reality (and to some extent, virtual reality as well) is on a collision course with other emerging exponential technologies—for example, the Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing and machine learning, to name a few. Businesses that prepare themselves to capture the value that can unfold when they converge are more likely to find themselves as industry leaders in the resulting economy. 

Vuzix Development Agreement with Toshiba

From a press release, so I've just copied most of it.

Vuzix claims Microvision as a supplier, so this is an interesting development in the space.



StreetInsider

Under the terms of this agreement, Vuzix and Toshiba have embarked on a rapid development program with milestone payments totaling over one million US dollars. With development efforts well under way, Toshiba, subject to a final manufacturing agreement, expects to place additional purchase orders from Vuzix for production deliveries in the 4th quarter of 2017. Further details on the new smart glasses product will be released soon after public marketing of the product commences.

"We are excited to enter into this partnership with Toshiba and believe it represents a strong vote of confidence in our capabilities and recognition of our leading position within the wearable technology space," said Paul Travers, President and Chief Executive Officer at Vuzix. "Additionally, the agreement demonstrates how we are leveraging and partnering our industry leading technology with top tier global partners. We trust that this will be the first of many ongoing collaborations between the firms."

"We have selected Vuzix as our new smart glasses development and manufacturing partner because we are very impressed with Vuzix' current line of smart glasses and other technology that the Company has in development. We believe that Toshiba can leapfrog other wearable technology products with Vuzix' support and look forward to a very successful collaboration between the companies," said Carl Pinto, vice president of marketing and product development for Toshiba Client Solutions Division, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc.

Sony Interactive Table Top

A friend sent this over recently.

There's a focus thing as the cards are raised and lowered and everything stays in focus.

There's also a feature that looks very similar to something another tech giant is doing...





The Suface "dial"

Dutch Woman sees her home before it's constructed

If it increases productivity and results in less waste -- the demand for AR solutions will be huge.

I wish I understood Dutch.

HololensRealityNews

In the past, to see a pre-constructed state of the house that you would one day live in, you had to be able to read blueprints or hire an artist to sketch it out. Later came the ability to have a 3D rendering of that house on a screen, but you'd still have to work hard to envision it in real life.

Now, thanks to the mixed reality, you'll be able to see your future home in all its glory, standing right where it's supposed to go—in its actual soon-to-be size.

Insight to self-driving cars

Google and Ford aren't really sharing how they design and program their self-driving cars. We can get a little insight here.

For liability reasons, I don't think the full array of sensors will ever not be included. 


AutoWorldNews

BIM - Building Information Management - Augmented Reality

Adoption of this kind of augmented reality technology is going to increase very rapidly, precisely because of this kind of application.

Bringing the information to where it's needed and showing it in three dimensions -- in the space where it will be used, will increase productivity dramatically. When it can save construction companies a lot of money when they use it, they will demand it.



ForConstructionPros.com

AMD

AMD has been climbing for a year.... because people who pay attention knew that things were cooking and that AMD had new products coming out.

For the most part, other than those who have been focused on it, no one has paid much attention.

I held it, at the advice of a friend who is more into it than me... as the stock just existed around the $2 mark.

I was tempted to sell at $5... because I'd made quite a lot on it by then. (more than doubled.) I held on, because I figured things were just getting started.

This chip has just been released by AMD.

I think they'll attract some new investors with this performance - It beats the competition at half the price.

Microvision will look like a similar story... we're about to have a lot of fun.

WCCFtech.com

Core speed 5201 MGhz

MobiTV raising money, doing interesting things

They raised money, and they're going to use it to stream pay TV over mobile networks...

Providing those users looks like a great place to be.

Not all about mobile, but enough about mobile.

TechCrunch

It plans to use the funds for further development and marketing of its MobiTV ConnectTM Platform — a product for pay TV and on-demand TV providers to stream broadcast TV and offer other services, like catch-up and recording, without the need of a set-top box.
(It also can be incorporated into products like the Fire TV stick from Amazon, or Apple TV, to add live TV services to these.)

******

Nooney said that MobiTV anticipated all of these changes and that it would eventually try to shift its own service to other kinds of screens beyond mobile. “But the shift to IPTV has happened slower in the U.S. compared to other markets, so we shifted our focus, too.”

One place where MobiTV has been testing its newer service is in India, where it’s working with Reliance on its 4G service Jio to deliver a TV offering with 350 live channels, catch-up TV for seven days and DVR recording capabilities.

Ming-Chi Kuo, and an interesting relationship and number

The Sony PicoP engine resolution is 720 * 1920 = 1,382,400. 

1.4MP if you do any rounding.

It's interesting -- although I'm still very dubious about it being what they claim it is.



PhoneArena.com

Sensors used in the new camera will be able to perform depth of field calculations using a dedicated Infrared transmitter and receiver. According to Mr. Ming, the camera will be produced by Sony with Foxconn's Sharp supplying the infrared receivers. IR signals are sent out from the phone, and then are bounced off objects and are detected using the 1.4MP IR receiver. The report adds that Apple will add 3D sensing rear-facing cameras in 2018 models and beyond. This would allow Apple to get rid of the large dual-camera system found on the Apple iPhone 7 Plus. With Apple well ahead of Android in 3D camera algorithms, according to the KGI analyst, the new technology could be unique to the iPhone for some time.

Monitorless

Interesting stuff from Samsung. 

This has an interesting parallel to Microsoft's statement that it's about Opacity.... 


Samsung News Room



Monitorless is a remote-control VR/AR solution that enables consumers to use devices such as smartphones and PCs without a monitor. The solution consists of a special pair of glasses that resemble regular sunglasses. They are used to view content from other devices such as smartphones and PCs and can be used for both Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality functionality thanks to the electro chromic glass featured on the glasses. Monitorless addresses the fact that there isn’t enough AR and VR content currently available and also enables users to play high-capacity PC games on a mobile device.

The AMD Chart

AMD is coming out with new stuff. In new places.

One of my investor friends saw this coming a few years ago. Bought in the twos.

We could get a short squeeze.... or we could start the march up like they did.

StockCharts.com

So to what lengths for Augmented Reality?

A different kind of solution here. I'm very dubious this will be widely used.

It's difficult to be bothered with contact lenses when they help you see better all the time.  I'm dubious people will wear them for something that will go on and off your face a lot like Augmented Reality glasses. 

I think they'll appeal to a lot of people, but they're still going on and off a lot, and contact lenses with them -- I don't think that's going to be something that gets popular.

www.geekwire.com

“The consumer’s got an extremely demanding specification, and we took that as something we needed to meet,” Willey said.

In other words, the company asked: how can we develop an AR device with good optics that is also lightweight, comfortable, looks cool, and don’t run out of battery constantly?

Innovega’s answer was a tiny screen and an even smaller lens.

Here’s how it works: a one-square-inch screen is attached to the inside of a pair of glasses, sitting about half an inch from the wearer’s face. At that distance, our eyes can’t naturally focus on the screen.

So Innovega developed a high-powered contact lens that adjusts the wearer’s vision so she can focus on objects extremely close to her face.  This high-powered lens also corrects vision like a normal contact lens and can be worn with or without AR glasses.

The versatility of the system means it could also be used to view media projected directly onto the lenses of glasses, Willey said.

Hololens, Microsoft on AR

This comment about opacity is significant for companies that would be providing a display for the device.

money control.com


Q: And this augmented reality, virtual reality, you think all that is coming together? 

A: To me, it is just a dial of the opacity. Ultimately, you want to be able to have a setting that you can set, whether you want a full 360-degree immersive field of view or you want to be able to see the real world. That is at least how I think about the three platforms.


TheNextWeb

Hololens Version 3: 2019

It’ll be interesting to see if this is indeed the path Microsoft chooses to follow, and if it’ll pay off in the next few years. Deferring the next hardware release to 2019 should give third-party developers and content creators more time to get comfortable with the quirks of mixed reality, so that by the time the company is ready to roll out its headsets en masse – at Computex last June, Microsoft said it hoped to see 80 million VR devices in consumers’ hands by 2020 – there might actually be some reason to buy it.

Hololens Super Cool Program

Hey, Hololens can add windows to places that don't have windows. 

Maybe we will wear smart glasses all the time. 


Hololens.Realty.news

Microvision Midrange LiDAR

Time of flight distance measuring technology.

ADAS
Autonomous Vehicles,
Industrial and warehouse automation
SLAM
Augmented and Virtual Reality
Interactive entertainment
Internet of Things

And many others



So, what is SLAM?

7D Park in Japan

Some kind of Projection, not sure what kind.

Apple "Function Area"

This is intriguing because it seems similar to a feature the Qualper phone had of a button-free area below the screen. When touching the home button area of the Qualper phone, a circle would light up and there was haptic feedback.

Interesting, something to watch. (Could simply be a product provided by some other vendor to manufacturers of phones.)

9to5Mac

According to a new investor note from reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple’s upcoming iPhone 8 will adopt a new “function area” at the bottom the display. This feature is possible due to the near bezel-less design of the iPhone 8 and subsequent bump in screen size to 5.8-inch.

The function area is said to be located in the same area as the current Home button and will thus replace Touch ID. Kuo notes, however, that Apple plans to make up for the lack of Touch ID with new biometric technologies that will be able to securely offer similar functionalities as Touch ID. While Kuo doesn’t dive into specifics, features such as facial recognition have been rumored before.

Continuously Updated Guide to iPhone 8

Apple may Ditch Home Button

Sony Eyeing Second VR?

Gamers are an interesting bunch. If you put them on the hunt for something and provide little rewards for it -- if you can turn your complex problem into a game, they'll do your work for free.

The same goes for promotion -- The public didn't care about or know about augmented reality until Pokemon go...  [ Gamers solve aids puzzle ]

What they have here sounds a lot like Microvision's Lidar.


Hard Core Gamer

Sony is currently attempting to patent some new technology that is VR related according to CGM. The current PlayStation VR, while not necessarily cheap and hard to find, is considered “entry level” in terms of virtual reality equipment. While the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive have better technology and performance, the two setups are more demanding on hardware. Sony, however, has filed a patent to closer mimic this technology. This patent would not be something that could be “updated” on the current PSVR. The patent is for a lighthouse tracking system. This is something the current PSVR does not use and would be a better improvement for tracking.

“A method for determining an orientation of a photosensor of a controller with respect to a projector is described. The method includes generating, by a beam generator of the projector, a beam. The method further includes modifying a direction of travel of the beam using a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) mirror that moves in a pattern, deflecting the beam, calculating a time at which the beam is detected and determining based on the pattern and the time an orientation of the beam to determine the orientation of the photosensor.”

PanArmenian

Another interesting use for MEMS mirrors

Not a consumer electronics use. One of those things most people don't think about, but this could have huge implications for data handling. (especially as the amount handled grows.)

I have no idea if Microvision could be or would want to be involved with this, but its very interesting.

****

Electronics EE Times  -- much more at the source.

Relying on wireless optical links steered via MEMS-mirrors, a team of computer scientists has devised a novel networking architecture for data centres, dynamically reconfigurable to accommodate inter-rack traffic in the best possibly way.

Their paper "Novel architecture for reconfigurable optical wireless networking data centers" published in the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Newsroom highlights the need for flexible and adaptive network fabric in data centres while offering a lightweight and efficient solution without overprovisioning wired links.

Circumventing complex static cabling schemes, the researchers envision a network architecture that uses free-space optics communication links to create an all-wireless inter-rack fabric capable of supporting data rates in the tens of gigabit/s across large computer farms (with distances over 100m). According to the authors, the novel architecture dubbed FireFly would combine the benefits of having a low transmission power and a small interference footprint.

In the FireFly architecture, each top-of-rack (ToR) switch would have steerable free-space optical links able to connect to other ToRs, flexibly, to adapt the network to changing traffic workloads.

SnapChat IPO and the value question

So, SnapChat values itself at somewhere between 19 and 22 billion.

SnapChat let's people "talk" with pictures. 

Yes, it's used very widely. 

But what is worth more? This application (and it's "appurtenances") with its disappearing videos, or something that will allow you to share this and all other visual content, with people around you?

...and that's before we consider, LiDar and touch-enabled projected images.

LA TIMES

Snap Inc. set a starting price range of $14 to $16 per share for its initial public offering, which at the top end could value the Los Angeles technology company at more than $22 billion.
The IPO of the Snapchat mobile app developer is expected to be the largest ever for a Los Angeles firm and the biggest since Alibaba and Facebook.

What is SnapChat?

Sony Module in Qualper Phone

The STM / Microvision Module at 6 cubic centimeters is about 1/3 this size.

TaoBao 

North American International Auto Show

Well, it looks like something is up over at Ford. 

The connection has been apparent for a while.

Thanks Dr. B.


Rolling Out

The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) drives nearly one million attendees to the Motor City yearly. This year will be one of the biggest yet with 750 different cars and trucks on display from nearly 50 exhibitors. Innovation and technology top the list of goals for the automakers as they appeal to global and local markets. Beyond the sleek exteriors and welcoming interiors that entice car buyers, the auto show is an opportunity for collaboration and networking among industry professionals.

With an elaborate floor plan that resembles a puzzle, some industry heavyweights occupy more floor space than others. Ford Motor Company’s 49,106 square feet shows they’re ready to “Go Further” with their Autonomous Vehicle Development. This next level in transportation features cameras and laser projectors that operate the vehicle without any human interaction. Its release is planned for 2021.

TATA, Wellspun, Disney & Augmented Reality Games for kids.

So, I saw this Press Release this morning. 

This is cool stuff. With projection such a project can be even more interesting, and much easier to use. 

The Disney creation we saw with PicoP used invisible and movable markers. This could be a whole new way for kids (and adults) to play.

The Disney link about Augmented Reality Games below is really why I think this is relevant to Microvision.

It's also noteworthy that this is cooperation with a division of TATA -- which is a huge company that is involved in almost everything. (TATA Companies)

Press Release Wellspun, Tata-Elxsi



By scanning the specified markers on the rug or duvet (using a tablet or smartphone), children can view characters in Augmented Reality. It feels like you are part of their world and you learn a bit more about the world they live in. SpinTales is the first of many experiences that will be introduced and launched by TILT.

Tata Elxsi

Disney 1

Disney and Augmented Reality Games

Small but Mighty Lidar

Microvision Google +

Waymo -- Payed Waymo than they should have

Disruptive technologies, end up - disrupted. 

The economy of new technologies is an interesting mix of incentives. 

Secrecy, pay, talent, prices, focus, patents, etc. are all in that mix of incentives.

That they paid these people so much money that they didn't feel like they wanted to work any more is interesting.

That some of those people started their enterprises is part of that mix of incentives.

CNBC  -- More at the source

The car project at Google-parent Alphabet paid some workers so much that they built a nest egg and ditched the company, according to a Bloomberg report. 

Some long-time staffers were paid so much that eventually they "didn't need the job security anymore," people familiar with the situation told Bloomberg in a report published Monday. The sometimes multimillion-dollar paychecks were part of an "unusual compensation system" that started in 2010 and included performance-based compensation, bonuses and equity, Bloomberg reported. 

Some even called the payouts "F-you money," Bloomberg reported. Google declined to comment on the report to CNBC.

Magic Leap Picture

This picture.....

1) they have a heat problem
2) they have a size problem
3) Microsoft is WAY ahead of them 
4) we still don't know what they're using for a display.

Still interesting... looks like we'll get more from them soon.

Fortune

Business Insider

This early prototype was described to Business Insider as "PEQ0" and "the real wearable." PEQ is a term that Magic Leap uses to describe its current prototype. The photo is what the device looked like as of early January, and the source said there have been improvements to the prototype since then.

The board will see a carefully planned demo of the "PEQ" by CEO Rony Abovitz next week, using equipment that looks more finished, with belt packs instead of a backpack, the person said.

WhatsApp & Monetization

Facebook bought WhatsApp for 20 Billion dollars.

The service sends billions of messages each day, and they're still not making money from it. 

FoxBusiness

When Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) acquired WhatsApp in 2014, CEO Mark Zuckerberg set a threshold for when the social network would begin seriously thinking about monetizing the popular messaging platform: 1 billion users. That was more than double the 450 million monthly active users (MAUs) that WhatsApp had at the time of acquisition. It's now been just over a year since WhatsApp hit the 10-digit threshold, but investors still have yet to see any semblance of financial results from the acquisition.

Apple Sell Side - Possible Acquisitions

There are a lot of moving parts in the economy. Something very large just changed, and that is the repatriation of cash to the US from overseas is going to get much easier.

That will make it easier for Apple to bring $250 Billion dollars back home and start throwing it around. Or returning it to shareholders.

Not necessarily directly relevant to Microvision, but definitely relevant to the ecosystem Microvision is a part of.


Forbes

This past Friday, not one but two sellside firms talked about the possibility of Apple making an acquisition of Tesla, Netflix and even Disney.

One firm based their analysis on a survey that showed that 22% of respondents would like Apple to develop a car over the next five years and thus the Tesla acquisition. Following that 22%, the second highest response was for Apple to develop a streaming service ala Netflix.

The analyst concluded that he does not definitively think that Apple will make a big splash with an acquisition of Netflix, Disney or Tesla but once the repatriation of cash from overseas is made less onerous by President Trump's administration, Apple will bring that cash back and increase the size of their share buybacks was his most likely scenario.

Expect a round of Tech Acquisitions at premium prices

This may not relate directly to Microvision, but it will have a very significant effect on the landscape of smaller tech companies. 

Things are about to get really interesting, and the things to watch more numerous.



Gulf Times


The initial investments will likely include $45bn from Saudi Arabia and $25bn from SoftBank, as well as $1bn each from Apple Inc, Qualcomm Inc and Oracle Corp, the people said, asking not to be identified because the matter is private. Abu Dhabi investor Mubadala Development Co may join the first round, though it could also wait until a later time, they said. The initial round is likely to exceed $80bn and the timing of the closing may still change, said one of the people. It’s not yet clear when the remainder of the planned financing would be raised.

Son announced plans for the Vision Fund in October, vowing to become the biggest investor in the technology industry over the next decade. He has already been among the most acquisitive, buying Sprint Corp for $22bn and ARM Holdings plc for $32bn along with stakes in hundreds of startups. The new fund will give him cash to cut even larger deals as he aims to capitalise on emerging trends like artificial intelligence and the so-called Internet of Things.
“When I first founded this company, all I could think about is how to stretch the finances until the end of the month,” Son said Wednesday after his company’s earnings announcement. “Recently, the span shifted to 10 and 30 years ahead. I’m now seriously thinking about how to make sure that SoftBank group can grow for the next 300 years.”

***

SoftBank may announce deals within days of the fund’s first closing, one of the people said. The company has had preliminary discussions to make an investment in WeWork Cos., a New York-based startup for sharing office space, said the people, cautioning a deal may not be finalised. WeWork, with more than 140 locations around the world, was most recently valued at $16bn.
SoftBank has also agreed to invest $1bn into OneWeb Ltd, a startup based in Exploration Park, Florida that aims to provide Internet connectivity from satellites. Son said Wednesday that the deal would go into the new fund.

Board Positions adding Bob Carlile

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MicroVision, Inc. (NASDAQ: MVIS), a leader in innovative ultra-miniature projection display and sensing technology, today announced that it has elected Robert (Bob) Carlile to its board of directors and that Jeanette Horan has stepped down as a Director. With the addition of Mr. Carlile and the retirement of Ms. Horan, the MicroVision board numbers eight members.

Mr. Carlile brings over 39 years of public accounting experience to MicroVision’s board. He served as a partner for a combined 29 years at KPMG LLP and Arthur Andersen LLP supervising audits of public companies and working with boards as the lead audit partner for numerous large corporations based in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to his role servicing clients, Mr. Carlile held a number of leadership positions within his firms including managing partner for the Seattle office of KPMG.

“We are fortunate to add Bob Carlile to our board of directors and look forward to benefiting from his significant experience working with public companies and technology companies as well as having his management expertise gained from his long career in leadership roles,” said Brian Turner, Chairman and Independent Director at MicroVision. “We also want to thank Jeannette Horan for over a decade of service as a board member. She provided valuable insights and counsel during her tenure, and she will be missed.”

“I am honored to be joining the MicroVision board of directors. The technology the company has developed is awe inspiring and there are so many possibilities ahead for the scanning engines the company is introducing this year and next,” said Robert Carlile, newly elected Independent Director of MicroVision. “I am looking forward to working with Brian, Alex and the rest of the board and management team to pursue the company’s growth strategy including expansion into new markets and product categories such as 3D sensing.”

“I have been privileged to serve on MicroVision’s board through an extraordinary ten year span during which the company has advanced its technology to address emerging markets and product types,” said Jeanette Horan, retiring Director of MicroVision. “I am retiring and leaving the company’s Board of Directors, but I look forward to watching MicroVision’s progress this year and into the future.”

LinkedIn
Relationship Science

Change in Board 8K

Macworld review of MPCL1A

MPCL1A got some attention from Macworld. Positive attention is good.

Macworld -- much more at source.

In my opinion, the best personal technology to travel with has a lot in common with a mullet—business in front, party out back. Take my iPad Pro, for example. Its portability and long battery life allow me to crank out articles, plan upcoming projects, talk to my editors, and invoice for my work while I’m on the road. But I can also use it to goof off when I’ve got free time…and sometimes even when I don’t.

After spending a month using it for work and play, I feel that Sony’s MP-CL1A Mobile Projector is just as deep into mullet country as my tablet is. It’s a short-throw pico projector that’s equally adept at pitching presentations in a boardroom as it as at throwing episodes of Better Call Saul up on your cottage wall to watch with friends.
Portable design

...the MP-CL1A put on a pleasurable show in the dim light of a hotel room during the day with the curtains drawn, and in my living room before bed. And, on a particularly dark night in countryside near Victoria, British Columbia, I was able to watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens on the side of a friend’s house with it.

Thanks for the tour

Microvision LiDAR Demonstration Video

Washington State Working on 5G Infrastructure

Implementation of 5G will be a boon to the use of mobile video. Make it much easier, cheaper, and more common. Of course, larger screens will be really good news for the consumption of mobile data.


KIRO7 News  -- Video at the Source

As the wireless industry is preparing to move to faster internet in the next few years, Washington State is facing a variety of problems.

State senator and chairman of the state Senate Energy, Environment & Telecommunications Committee, Doug Ericksen, will introduce a bill to address those problems -- including safety, costs and permitting -- that would move the state from 4G to 5G, according to GeekWire.

The committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 5711 Wednesday and passed it.

 5G is the fifth generation of wireless phones and technology that promises to speed downloads by up to 10 gigabits per second, which would be enough to download a full HD movie in “a matter of seconds,”according to Gizmodo.com.

Nationally, 5G is expected to appear between 2018 and 2020. About 30 states are deciding whether to introduce legislation on upgrading to 5G.

A key to a 5G system would be “small cells” which are basically wireless transmitters, that would most likely be mounted on power and telephone poles.

That causes some problems. First, lots of equipment would be clustered together on a power pole, many utility lines are underground -- meaning no poles are available to mount the small cells -- and permits need to be obtained.

Victoria London, representing the Association of Washington Cities, told GeekWire that Spokane, Kirkland, Kenmore and Sammamish have already updated their local laws to deal with upgrading to a 5G system.

New Video From MicroVision - Interactive Projection

Do people want an interactive touch screen on a wall or table that's focus free? That supports gesture controls?

This is a 3D "Time of flight sensing" -- in an engine that is going to be made by ST Microelectronics. 

Time of Flight sensing - Apple, STM.

I suspect the answer is yes.

"Here's a quick tutorial on how our interactive display engine with time of flight 3D sensing works."

Fusion -- found on Reddit

This seems to support the notion that Qualper was a smokescreen for some other company. What exactly is going on, I have no idea. 

This has the trademark 1920 x 720 Sony module resolution.

I'm dubious that this is anything more than someone floating a trial balloon, or hunting ad clicks.

LeMonde Numérique ( Source )  
Author/owner Twitter
LemondNumerique WhoIS information

Listed on Website - we'll see if it exists soon enough. (I checked about 10 different and common products -- top listed, and no product posted is available.)

Reddit MVIS Discussion

Techniquement, le smartphone Fusion s’appuie sur un processeur MediaTek MTK6753 octo-core cadencé à 1,5 GHz associé à 2 Go de mémoire vive et 32 Go d’espace de stockage interne extensibles via une carte mémoire micro SD. Il a un écran de 5 pouces affichant une définition Full HD. L’image projetée adopte une définition de 1920x720 pixels.

Le smartphone Fusion dispose d’un appareil photo numérique de 8 MP avec flash LED au dos et d’un autre capteur de 5 MP en façade. Il embarque une batterie d’une capacité de 4000 mAh. Le fabricant ne précise pas l’autonomie en mode vidéoprojection. Un test complet pourrait nous en dire plus…


Technically, the Fusion smartphone is based on a 1.5 GHz MTK6753 October-core MediaTek processor coupled with 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage space expandable via a micro SD memory card. It has a 5-inch screen displaying a Full HD definition. The projected image adopts a resolution of 1920x720 pixels.  (Sony Original Release)

The Fusion smartphone features an 8MP digital camera with LED flash on the back and another 5MP sensor on the front. It has a battery with a capacity of 4000 mAh. The manufacturer does not specify the autonomy in video projection mode. A full test could tell us more ...

Projected Reality -- Cool Prototype

Microvision had a game gun a few years ago, that did something similar, and described this kind of use.

But someone apparently made their own prototype. Cool Stuff.

Kopin, MicroVision and Vuzx

Comparing these two Vuzix suppliers... 

So, Kopin's chip on the top, MicroVision's entire display engine below. Both featuring $0.25 US. 

So, from Today's Report (The Street/Morgan Stanley)

"DLP generally has the disadvantage of bigger form factor vs. LCoS, yet our read from Vuzix’s press release suggests that this has been overcome. In addition, MicroVision, the solutions provider for laser MEMS micro display technology, became one of Vuzix's key suppliers starting from 2015."

Below is a picture of Kopin's LCOS chip....(the equivalent of the 1mm mems in the MVIS engine) and another picture of Microvision's entire projector engine. (And in some applications it's my understanding that the EPM can be moved or handled with software of the computing platform.) **

Kopin: Capabilities

Kopin has just issued a press release that states their intention to enter the OLED microdisplay market, offering panels that will serve augmented and virtual reality applications. At CES 2017, they will announce more detail on the first panel and demonstrate it in novel optical solutions as well. I will get a sneak peak at these devices before CES, but you will have to wait until January 2017 before I can say more.

Now, Kopin has added OLED to it repertoire of microdisplay technologies. According to Fan, “Kopin is pioneering a new business model for OLED fabrication which we think is the future for expanding availability of OLED microdisplay devices.”

After two years of development, Kopin is now ready to start showing their new OLED-on-Silicon microdisplays. Such a device consists of two key elements: the silicon backplane that contains circuitry to drive the OLED pixels, and the OLED emissive frontplane layer. What is unique about Kopin’s business model is that both of these operations are outsourced to dedicated foundries. All of the design expertise resides within Kopin, but all of the capital investments and infrastructure are external, with manufacturing expertise on both sides. It is the first fully fabless OLED microdisplay business model.

**
The PSE-0403-101/2 display engine is an all-in-one unit combining an integrated photonics module (IPM) containing MEMS and lasers and an electronics platform module (EPM) containing MicroVision’s proprietary ASICS and system control software. Some customers prefer a flexible solution of the IPM and standalone MicroVision ASICS that they can combine with the electronics of the device into which the engine is embedded. The form factor of the IPM, which measures only 4.66 cubic centimeters, is a critical attribute for OEMS considering incorporating pico projectors inside their consumer products. We plan to be ready for mass production in early Q2 2017.   MICROVISION DISPLAYGROUND