Motorola signs on with PicoP

[Trias]

it just happened...mini projector phones incomming!

[Winnow]

Hell yes : )

You'll be seeing Microvisions' PicoP as a stand alone mini projector first I think (like an accessory to portable media players, etc) 2008!

Shame the market is down -210 today. Been a horrible few days to be releasing news.

[Neost]

That looks really cool. I think that could be a "killer app" for a work device, say an ultra-portable. Instant whiteboard. Be nice for a PSP or such too if the resolution is there.

[Winnow]

Are you guys messing with me or have you not read my lengthy posts about Microvision and the PicoP on other threads?

Here's one from back in January. Scroll a few posts down past the iPhone BS : )

http://www.veeshanvault.org/forums/view ... 25&t=19386

Post from May 30th:

Apple may end up using Picop in the video iPods down the road but I hope another company beats them to it. Motorola is the rumored first cell phone partner. I would like to see Microsoft, who shares the same home city with Microvision, come out with a PicoP powered Zune!

[Boogahz]

Maybe if you started/kept to threads related to stuff like that, people would have noticed! (I noticed btw)

[Winnow]

Oh man...

I don't know where this image came from but in Microvision's earnings conference call today they mentioned Apple as one of the companies they were talking to.



Microvision gets both MOT and AAPL to put PicoP projectors into their products, it's off to the races!

Another nice slide:



Would be nice for MOT to share the product they develop using Microvision's PicoP with AAPL!

Don't know exactly when the move will be, but MVIS will be looking pretty in 1-2 years. Anything below $5 still good deal. Price can dip slightly after CCs as some daytraders look for the home run announcements and sell when they don't get one. (don't buy on my advice! Market's been ugly this past week!)

[Winnow]

Here's the latest "rumors' for the Microvision faithful while the stock bounces around waiting for news:

Microvision is on track to release the stand alone nano-projector before the end of this year... under its own brand name.

1) Microvision will bring to market a stand alone nano-projector under its own brand name before the end of this year.
2) It will be called “PicoP Projector” and priced at $299 wholesale… at over 60% margin. Remember that 80% of a stand alone nano-projector consists of “PicoP Display Engine”. The rest is low cost electronics, housing and power supply.
3) PicoP Projector will be the first to market and Motrola will offer it [for Microvision] to its cell phone customers.
4) Motorola will not bring a stand alone projector to the market and focus on the embedded unit only.
5) Microvision has not given anyone the right to market a stand alone nano-projector based on its PicoP Display Engine. That is why you have not heard a OEM relationship to this day, even though the standalone is so close to being ready.

This is a great opportunity for Microvision to go first to market and address a multi-billion unit market [laptops, cellphones, PDA, iPods, iPhones].

Embedded nano-projector is a more complex product and involves several participants… and is better handled by the likes of Motorola and other cell phone manufacturers.

[Aslanna]

They have PSP in that slide a few posts up. I don't see how that works as there is no video out ability on the PSP!

PSP Slim will have that though. But still.. False marketing. 50 million units my eye!

[Winnow]

They have PSP in that slide a few posts up. I don't see how that works as there is no video out ability on the PSP!

PSP Slim will have that though. But still.. False marketing. 50 million units my eye!

The slide is meant to show the various markets and not the particular brand or model. The PicoP engine is so small that it can be embedded into a cell phone, which is what Motorola is working on. It can also be embedded into any other electronics device as it takes very little power.

Having worked for Motorola for five years, I know the good and the bad of the company. The good is their cell phone division. If they've decided to go all out and try and recapture the Razr hype that was lost to the iPhone, I see good things happening for Microvision:



There's no way that guy's hair is that perfect with no waves. It was cropped!

Kids will love the thing!



The best part of PicoP (besides being patented) is it's cheap to make:




and tiny:



Wii people will buy the stand alone PicoP!



Spaz out and lose control of your Wii controller and you'll only dent your wall and not break a plasma or LCD screen!

You know kids will be projecting pr0n on their bedroom ceilings with these PicoP devices!

If you can associate pr0n in any way with a product, you know you have a winner.

[Trias]

New PSP out toward the end of september will be slimmer by like 15% and have video output. It will be silver in color. Also, there will be a limited edition Darth Vader version in white coming out in October sometime that is also thinner with video output.

[Aslanna]

I said it would!

[Winnow]

Microvision presented at a conference today. Here's the important info:

Power requirement from OEMs is 1.5W.

Run-time has to be 2.5 hours without recharging.

The OEM cost, for the PicoP, will be $100 for the first release and targeting around $50 for high volume manufacturing.

The OEM will probably resell the stand-alone between $199 and $399. My take is that there will be diferent versions with options for power consumption(AC vs batteries), lumens(10-20+), connectivity(RCA, USB, Firewire, composite, HDMI, iPod, docking stations, ...).

They did market tests with the 13-30 age group, in the US and Europe, and polled for run-time, form factor and cost.

$50.00 for the OEM PicoP in high volume sounds awesome to me. An extra 50.00 or so for a phone with a PicoP sounds reasonable to me. The 199-399 sales price for the stand alone sounds like a high profit margin and a higher stock price when this product hits the shelves.

Here's a better illustration of what the size of the standalone might be with the battery taking up most of the bulk:



So that little tiny part is what Motorolla is working on integrating into their cell phone (with the cell phone battery powering it, while the stand alone is restricted in size pretty much by how small they can get a battery that lasts 2.5 hours before recharge.

[Somali]

Looks pretty sweet indeed, but I want to know what resolutions it supports before I start thinking about how sweet it is.
gimme even 720p and I'll be happy as hell

[Winnow]

Looks pretty sweet indeed, but I want to know what resolutions it supports before I start thinking about how sweet it is.
gimme even 720p and I'll be happy as hell

Won't have that yet. The first generation will be DVD quality (854 x 480). If they manage to squeeze HD into a 50.00 OEM product and stick it in a phone, I'll have more $$ than I currently have Rupees.

Edit:

Speculation is that Cannon might add Picop to some of their cameras so people can take pics and then display them right away without need of a monitor. Sounds logical to me if it can be added for $50.00 to a camera. If given a choice between two cameras with one having Picop, I'd take that option if the price was within 100.00 of the non Picop model.

[Aslanna]

Looks like Optoma is the first to come out with one. $400! And only works over composite.

Connects to:
a) iPod, iPhone, and iTouch with included bundled connection kit
b) Camcorders, DV-Cams, and Digital Cameras enabled with standard composite AV Out with included composite cable
c) DVD Players and other video players enable with standard composite AV Out with included composite cable

Note: This configuration does not connect to notebook computers, PCs PDAs, cell phones, or other devices unless the device has composite output. Please make sure to consult your device's owner manual.

[Winnow]

There are several competing Picop type projectors. The main issues with them that make Microvision's better:

-need to focus picture (MVIS PicoP always in focus)
-power consumption (MVIS requires least amount of power)
-size: MVIS has smallest size, able to be integrated with cell phone.

679 point drops in the market suck. MVIS is cheap! Problem is, it could get even cheaper. Who knows with this crazy market.

Expect a slow climb in stock price leading up to January's CES.