Skip to main content

This tiny projector packs an 80-inch punch (and did we mention the infrared stylus?)

TouchJet
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Pico introduced a new crowd-funding campaign on Indiegogo for an Android-based pocket projector and stylus combo, called the TouchPico. The mini projector can display up to an 80-inch image on any surface. Users can then draw on the projection using the stylus to illustrate their point.

The projector displays a 854 x 480 pixel resolution image up to 80 inches, diagonally. Although the TouchPico is not terribly bright at just 150 lumens, it looks like it’s easy to see in a dark room and mostly visible in half light. The projector also has an infrared camera on the front, so that it can track the movements of the stylus. That way, you can draw on articles, highlight specific areas, and more during business presentations, or draw images in the classroom.

The stylus is the main selling point for the TouchPico projector, but the campaign also highlights its many other functions, too. The projector can be used for Skype calls, video games, watching movies, and drawing.

The TouchPico is powered by a low-end Rocketchip 1GHz dual-core processor, features Wi-Fi, a MicroSD card slot, HDMI input, AV input, USB OTG port, and audio output. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have Bluetooth connectivity, and although it runs an open source version of Android 4.2, it doesn’t have access to the official Google Play Store or Google’s apps. The company hopes to strike a deal with Google on that front, but for now, users will have to connect the projector to their smartphones via Wi-Fi direct or side load their apps onto the projector for now.

The projector’s battery life is also somewhat limited when it’s connected to your smartphone, at just 45 minutes. While the TouchPico’s battery should get you through your PowerPoint presentation or a single episode of The Office, it won’t let you finish a full-length movie. Regardless, teachers, students, and business people will undoubtedly find a use for this new projector and stylus combo.

Pico hopes to ship the TouchPico projectors by October, assuming the company reaches its $55,000 goal. Currently, you can grab one of the mobile projectors for $270 on Indiegogo, but as soon as they hit stores, the price will jump to $500.

Malarie Gokey
Former Digital Trends Contributor
As DT's Mobile Editor, Malarie runs the Mobile and Wearables sections, which cover smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and…
AT&T just made it a lot easier to upgrade your phone
AT&T Storefront with logo.

Do you want to upgrade your phone more than once a year? What about three times a year? Are you on AT&T? If you answered yes to those questions, then AT&T’s new “Next Up Anytime” early upgrade program is made for you. With this add-on, you’ll be able to upgrade your phone three times a year for just $10 extra every month. It will be available starting July 16.

Currently, AT&T has its “Next Up” add-on, which has been available for the past several years. This program costs $6 extra per month and lets you upgrade by trading in your existing phone after at least half of it is paid off. But the new Next Up Anytime option gives you some more flexibility.

Read more
Motorola is selling unlocked smartphones for just $150 today
Someone holding the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024).

Have you been looking for phone deals but don’t want to spend a ton of money on flagship devices from Apple and Samsung? Have you ever considered investing in an unlocked Motorola? For a limited time, the company is offering a $100 markdown on the Motorola Moto G 5G. It can be yours for just $150, and your days and nights of phone-shopping will finally be over!

Why you should buy the Motorola Moto G 5G
Powered by the Snapdragon 480+ 5G CPU and 4GB of RAM, the Moto G delivers exceptional performance across the board. From UI navigation to apps, games, and camera functions, you can expect fast load times, next to no buffering, and smooth animations. You’ll also get up to 128GB of internal storage that you’ll be able to use for photos, videos, music, and any other mobile content you can store locally. 

Read more
The Nokia 3210 is the worst phone I’ve used in 2024
A person holding the Nokia 3210, showing the screen.

Where do I even start with the Nokia 3210? Not the original, which was one of the coolest phones to own back in a time when Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace wasn’t even a thing, but the latest 2024 reissue that has come along to save us all from digital overload, the horror of social media, and the endless distraction that is the modern smartphone.

Except behind this facade of marketing-friendly do-goodery hides a weapon of torture, a device so foul that I’d rather sit through multiple showings of Jar Jar Binks and the gang hopelessly trying to bring back the magic of A New Hope than use it.
The Nokia 3210 really is that bad

Read more