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.

New Sony Flagship Phones

This is interesting, Sony is going to announce a couple of new phones and a new "flagship" 

I also find the presence of MediaTek chips interesting.

MWC should be interesting this year.


Droid Review -- More at the source

According to one report, Sony is currently working on two new smartphones, to be powered by MediaTek processors. Even though these were just recently spotted, many are suggesting there’s a high probability we might see them in a vivid picture at MWC 2017.

Sanbots.

HD Projector in this thing -- apparently they've been selling these things -- 70,000? I'm not sure I trust that number yet.

And has the Sony Signature.

According to QIHAN, more than 70,000 Sanbots are currently being used in the market, and 5000 Sanbots will be commercially available in the US for a base price of $12,000.

Engineering.com -- Sanbot

When it's in your pocket - Sony Android Projector

This is best review I've seen of this yet. 

This is the reaction for something that's portable around the house --- imagine this guys reaction when it can go in your pocket. (Or what he'd think of the PicoBit. -- which is this that goes in your pocket.)


XDA Developers

Mixed and Augmented Reality at CES 2017

Not heading to CES this year.

I hope I'll be able to see the CES offerings of Microvision sometime shortly after CES.

From the linked report -- most of what we're really curious about doesn't look like it will be at CES - No Hololens, no MagicLeap. Osterhout's offering is apparently a significant improvement over last years, but reports said that it now has a significant weight issue. (It was heavy last year too.)

Vuzix should be very interesting -- it's a known customer of Microvision.



NextRealityNews  - More at the source

• Microsoft - Probably no hardware event, but probably hardware partners
• Occipital - Has a booth in AR Marketplace
• Osterhout R9 Smartglasses -- Will make an appearance
• Magic Leap -- not registered 
• Vuzix -- Has a booth.. M300, Blade 3000 -- known to be a Microvision customer
• Sony - Smart Eyeglasses (monochrome, not designed for consumer use)
• Stereolab Lina -- Not on the vendor list

So Sony, Osterhout and Vuzix... 

Project Field

This is an interesting kind of use for AR, that would be (As Disney illustrated) very compatible with PicoProjection. 

They are apparently connecting this with Forward Works -- which is their mobile gaming platform.

Rethink Research

Engadget

The company is showing off dedicated smart pads that pair with a phone or tablet to bring card games to life. Imagine a game like Hearthstone, for instance, but with physical cards that you buy in store. Or the physical and digital versions of Pokémon Trading Card Game fused together.

When a user places a card on one of the pads, it's identified using an NFC-like wireless technology. The pad then sends the card's exact position to the phone or tablet using Bluetooth. Once the card is in the game, the pad is able to detect movement -- if you slide a card to another position, for example. The cards will be both readable and writable, meaning in-game status changes can be saved. Depending on the game, players will also be able to "grow" a character, with stats stored on the card.


Disney's Augmented Reality -- interacting with Cards

How well known is the market?

This is about how many people are aware of Virtual Reality. (Sony Gear VR - Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard) All the attention these things have gotten in various media -- including Sony's advertising, and most people don't know about it.

Even fewer know about Augmented reality. 

Eventually people will figure it out. NDAs are out there so that it's a surprise that results in a frenzy of buying someday soon.

Maybe they need to talk to whoever is writing and producing ads for Micromax.


Power Gaming UK

Despite 2016 seeing virtual reality break into the mainstream market, headset manufacturers such as Sony, Oculus and HTC still have a lot of work to do in order to educate the masses, according to a new study.

In the Consumer Strategies and Use Cases for Virtual and Augmented Reality white paper, released by market research firm Parks Associates, research found that 63 percent of all Americans were unfamiliar or knew nothing whatsoever about virtual reality.

STMicroelectronics Customers and Market Position

AppliedMaterials.com

ST already has the leading customers: Apple, Bosch, Cisco, Continental, HP, Samsung, Sony and Western Digital, among others. But the company also sells more and more to diversified markets and smaller customers, especially through its distribution channel.

The company has six front-end manufacturing sites serving two main product blocks: Sense & Power and Automotive (SP&A), located primarily in Italy (around Milan and Catania) and Singapore, and Embedded Processing Solutions (EPS), located mainly in and around Grenoble and Rousset. ST also manages its own back end and packaging, primarily at sites in China, Malaysia, Malta, Morocco, the Philippines and Singapore.

The main technologies ST will focus on are: MEMS and sensors; smart power; set-top box/home gateway and ASICs; microcontrollers; and automotive.

More progress in Projection Mapping

This is very interesting.

Taken in isolation, it might not mean much, but if you look back to Microvision and their work with Disney, it seems to connect in a very interesting way.





In the Disney Hideout video below they talk about marking the surfaces that are projected onto, and how it can affect the projection. This is very much a Microvision project. You can see that the projector they use in the ShowWx.

First appeared here in a Project Hideout video from 2013



Good Find Fuzzie

What we know -- what we don't.

We know nothing about what is going on behind the scenes at Microvision. We don't know what's going on at Sony either, or at Sharp/Foxconn, or wherever else Microvision may be working.

I wouldn't mind the stock price being higher right now, but looking at the big picture I still have all the confidence I had before.

What do we know?

We know that 1.4 billion smart phones were sold last year. (Almost everyone carries a little computer with them.) 

We know that everyone who carries a smart phone wants a bigger screen for that smart phone.

We know that large telecoms are focused on video delivery and acquiring and creating assets to do so better, monetize it with advertising, and deliver their video content free to users.

We know that it's great to use PicoP powered projectors. 

We know that standalone projectors aren't an optimal use case - Embedded, or with an operating system included will be much better. PicoBit, Qualper and Viewsmart are this category. 

There is enthusiasm for the Motorola MotoMod projector. PicoP is far better. 

We also know that Augmented Reality is the talk of the tech world and Microvision has a fantastic patent portfolio in this realm. (I was very impressed with Microvision's AR display vs other AR displays featured at CES)

People are pouring money into technology companies like Meta, where everything is still in the prototype stage. Microvision is well beyond that.

Do you invest in a company that can put a six foot screen on every cell phone -- when clearly it works and production has begun? 

Put after that a solid and large portfolio of patents in the realm of the latest real buzz in tech? That's what you get with Microvision shares. This is a very undervalued asset. Some people like to say the market knows all, and that among investors, secrets can't be kept. 

They're wrong, and the market proves it all the time. 

We're

Price Action

China's Richest Man Buying Hollywood a piece at a time

There is a very large and tangled web of media production and delivery -- and Microvision can take all the small screens and make them big ones. 

Do not doubt the power of that ability.


Wall Street Journal   Much More at Source


Wang Jianlin is buying Hollywood, one piece at a time.

China’s richest man has gone on a shopping spree aimed at positioning his Dalian Wanda Group in every stage of the entertainment life cycle: cinemas, movie production, TV, marketing and more.
Other Chinese tycoons have invested in Hollywood, but Mr. Wang’s interests go far beyond buying access to glitzy premieres and lavish after-parties. After making a fortune in property development, Mr. Wang has publicly stated that he is on a mission to make China a dominant global force in entertainment.

The aggressive deal making is starting to draw attention from U.S. government officials and industry executives, who see both Mr. Wang and China as threats to Hollywood’s dominance in entertainment as a business and a cultural force.

Producers and writers say studios are already nixing plot points in their big-budget films that might offend Chinese sensibilities, by, for example, avoiding topics such as homosexuality or the undead. They are increasingly looking to cast Chinese actors in supporting roles to broaden appeal—and win one of the 34 slots China’s government keeps open for foreign theatrical releases.

In September, Sony Pictures Entertainment struck a marketing pact with Wanda’s film subsidiary that gives Wanda the opportunity to take equity stakes in some Sony films. The move was widely seen as Sony’s play to win better access to Chinese consumers and Wanda’s chance to use its big real-estate footprint to have a stronger hand in marketing movies playing in its Chinese theaters. The companies called the deal a “strategic alliance.”

Nintendo NX -- more interesting language.

Those of you who follow this know that I've been watching Nintendo NX  for a long time. Much of the time the links about it end up on the digging page.

There's a lot of the language surrounding this upcoming device that makes me think it could possibly contain a projector - things particularly about it being a hybrid device and a "totally new way to play games." That it sticks to 720P resolution is very interesting as well.

So now this: The performance module for it is a portable device with its own power supply.

If you've been paying close enough attention -- you know that the MPCL1 -- Sony's stand-alone projector -- is actually a product of the former battery division of Sony. (Sony spun-off the battery division, but retained the projectors.) -- Look Here 

I'm not depending on Nintendo having us, but in the short term it is something I am watching closely. I think the odds are pretty decent. 

If you find this because you're looking for the Nintendo NX, Here is a link to the Sony MPCL1. 

Source - Express.co.uk

According to a recent report, the Nintendo NX will be a handheld hybrid which will include three components.

A Foxconn employee - the company reportedly manufacturing the device - released a sketch of the device.

The first component is a “dock” that includes a cartridge slot, HDD and a TV output. The second component is a “performance module” that is a portable device that has its own power supply.

The third and final component is the handheld device itself, which comprises a 6 inch 720p screen and has a low-TDP SoC.

Another interesting article about Nintendo NX and Pokemon. 

Pokemon NX

MPCL1A PR starting

SOURCE -- STUFF PICKS

Sony MP-CL1A Mobile Projector (price TBC)

This sleek device weighs merely 210g but projects high quality and contrast images in HD resolution with Laser Beam Scanning. It can display a screen size of up to 120 inches at a distance of 3.45 metres, and a 40 inch screen size from 1.15 metres, making it handy in almost any setup or scenario.

You can hook it up via HDMI or MHL (mobile high-definition link) for smartphones and tablets, or Screen Mirroring through built-in Wi-Fi connectivity. The projector also includes Bluetooth audio out connectivity and a kickstand that doubles as a lens cover. With a 3400mAh battery and a USB port, it also doubles up as a powerbank for mobile devices.

Read more at http://www.stuff.tv/sg/features/stuff-picks-watch-movies-any-surface-sonys-portable-hd-pico-projector#gul8Mhu6H1t5GwSi.99

Chinese Conglomerate Wanda & Sony

Looking for more about this... might be really interesting, may be nothing. 



Wanda - Sony - YahooNews

Beijing (AFP) - Chinese conglomerate Wanda announced plans Friday to invest in movies produced by Sony Pictures under an agreement that moves the company closer to its goal of becoming a major Hollywood player.

Owned by one of the country's richest men, billionaire Wang Jianlin, Wanda is seeking to shift its focus from property to services and entertainment as profits wane in China's real estate sector.

The movie deal, Wanda's first with one of Hollywood's so-called "Big Six" studios, is a major milestone for the conglomerate as it attempts to transform itself into a heavy-hitter in the global entertainment industry.

"The alliance will help strengthen Wanda's power to influence the global film industry, and set a good precedent for Chinese film producers in their international investment," the company said in a statement.

Wanda Studios