If you travel around with a smartphone and/or laptop and watch a lot of movies or give presentations, then the emerging pico projector technology should be fascinating to follow. Though the technology has appeared in phones and cameras, it hasn’t really gotten much mainstream traction. We really are hoping that’s going to change with 3M’s introduction of the MPro120 pico projector, the company’s second generation diminutive projector model for consumer use.

The MPro120 aims to deliver a lot for its size, with stereo speakers, an LED lightsource for long life that is rated for 20,000 hours of use and 12 lumens of brightness on September 1st through e-tailers and will hit retail stores during the fourth quarter. The theatrical experience will be coming to a smartphone near you for a retail price of $350.

Here are some of the key product features:

• VGA image and 100% color gamut gives the user one of the highest quality images of any portable projector currently available.

• Two integrated, half-watt stereo speakers help transform the MPro120 into a self-contained presentation device for entertainment or business applications.

• Projects eight to 50-inch still or moving image stored on a video capable pass-through device (e.g. MP3 player, laptop computer, etc.).

• Uses Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS) technology for superb image quality and minimization of component size.

• LED light source with 20,000 hour life means the unit is environmentally friendly and there is no need for a replacement bulb.

• Featuring an integrated flip stand, tripod and variety of input cables, the MPro120 is ready to use “out-of-the-box.”

If you have a Windows Mobile Touch Pro or Touch Pro2 with TV-out capabilities, you may want to give the MPro120 a shot when it is released this September, especially for videos, presentations, and photo slideshows.

Hit the link to read the press release.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMING SOON TO A POCKET NEAR YOU: THE MPRO120

3M’s New Handheld Projector Set for September Launch

ST. PAUL, MINN. (August 26, 2009) – This fall, Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters are coming to a pocket near you! Less than a year after launching the MPro110 – the handheld digital projector that won the “Grand Award” in the gadget category of the Popular Science 2008 Best of What’s New Awards – 3M announced today the September debut of the MPro120, the newest member of the MPro family. The MPro120 provides improved functionality, increased portability and an expanded feature set.

The MPro120 is the first projector to incorporate 3M’s MM200 projection engine, the next generation of the MPro family. As announced at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show, the MM200 engine uses an advanced liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) electronic imager and boasts enhanced image quality with a full color gamut. The MPro120 provides users with a robust battery life of two to four hours (depending on brightness setting) – enough to watch a full-length film – and, in full brightness mode, achieves a brightness of 12 lumens. Featuring an integrated flip stand, tripod, stereo speakers and a variety of input cables, the MPro120 is ready to use “out-of-the-box” with a wide range of today’s most popular video output gadgets. And, as with its predecessor – the MPro110 – the MPro120 will be the ideal projection solution for laptops and netbooks. Available optional accessories include an adapter cable for Apple® products, component video cable and car charger.

“Following the success of the MPro110, the MPro120 will further reinforce 3M’s leadership position in the development and implementation of advanced projection technologies,” said Mark Colin, general manager, 3M Projection Systems Department. “The functionality of the MPro120 represents technical achievements that were manageable only by the long-term commitment to research and development that is 3M’s hallmark.”

The MPro120 will be on-sale September 1 with an estimated price of $349. Optional accessories are sold separately.