Mother's Day

The InfoComm audio/video trade show is in full swing, and Texas Instruments DLP Products has pounced out of the gate with a couple of intriguing prototypes that look to push projector technology to the next level.

First up is TI’s revolutionary lamp-free projector that utilizes a PhlatLight LED light source and a BrilliantColor chipset for delivering a 1080p picture, while eliminating maintenance costs such as lamp replacements and filter changes (and seeing a 30% lower power usage).  Initially, the technology will be included in home theater projectors (a first for that category) that are set to hit the market later this year, but should trickle to the corporate side of things sometime afterward. Expect Optoma to be one of the first companies to adopt this new technology.

On the topic of Optoma, the company has announced plans to build a miniature stand-alone projector using the TI’s DLP Pico chipset. If you’re not hip to pico projectors here’s a mini-crash course: They’re super-small projectors, typically the size of a cell phone or smaller, designed to be hooked up to a cell phone, handheld gaming console, digital camera, PMP, etc, for sharing content with others (they can also be embedded directly into those devices). Optoma’s pico will be available in Asian and European markets later this year, with the U.S. getting some pico love sometime in 2009. Look for more information as we shimmy our way to Texas Instruments’ booth.

With Mother’s Day just four weeks away, it isn’t too early to start culling gift ideas. ViewSonic announced the availability of ten digital picture frames in 7, 8, and 10-inch sizes, starting at $139, $149, and $179, respectively. Spec-wise, the frames in each size category are identical; the difference is that each comes with a different combination of interchangeable frames, including wood, black, silver, or black-and-white. If you’re dead-set on Wi-Fi, look elsewhere. But as standard frames, they’re not bad for the price: the 8-inch models play MP3s and one of the two 10-inch models plays video. If you’re really short on cash, you can buy her a 2.4-inch digital picture frame magnet for the fridge (but that doesn’t mean you should).