What sets the 3M MP220 apart from the rest isn’t that its fully portable and battery powered, or that it offers 2 hours of battery life. What’s important is they’ve managed to offer an impressive 50 lumens of brightness AND 2 hours of battery life in one compact and portable package. We recently reviewed the AAXA P4 that offered 80 lumens of brightness, and it was impressive but only lasts 70 minutes if you’re lucky.

The 3M MP220 has all the features we’ve come to expect from our pico projectors too. Offering 2GB of internal storage with option micro-SD for expanded storage, micro-USB, and plenty of AV and VGA inputs. Projecting all that across a 65″ screen and a WSVGA (1024 x 600) native resolution. The MP220 also comes equipped with stereo speakers, and a 50 lumen engine that lasts up to 20,000 hours all weighing under a pound.

Like we said above, it might not be the brightest or the smallest — but offering portability, quality, brightness, and that all important battery life all-in-one is the key difference here. The LED-lit navigation buttons were a nice edition as I’ve used a few in the past and trying to find the right button in the dark can be a challenge. The only con from my initial impressions is the lack of HDMI options — a feature many pico’s have been missing.

The 3M MP220 Mobile Pico Projector is slated for a late April launch and will come to market priced around the $479 mark. Expect a full SlashGear review soon!

We’ve seen similar offerings hit mass production from the likes of Samsung and now everyone else seems to be rushing to get their own out. Today at CES that is exactly what 3M Touch Systems had on display for our team at SlashGear to enjoy.

3M took things a step further than the competition and showcased their 46″ Projected Capacitive Technology display that is capable of multiple simultaneous users with a 60 touch point capacitive screen. 3M’s device will allow 4 split screens for users to multi-task, multi-touch, and anything else you can think up at the same exact time.

We quickly gave this tablet-like table a run to see how well it would fair and while it’s only a prototype — the results were more than pleasing. The capacitive touch was extremely responsive although pressure sensitivity could use some adjustment. In the video demonstration below you can see near the end I can swivel, rotate, and resize all without a stutter or delay in video playback. Impressive right?

Now I just need one in my coffee table, bathroom mirror, and anywhere else that would be unnecessarily awesome.

Pixel Qi screens are also already in use around the world in products like the OLPC notebook and more. The funding was led by 3M New Ventures and will help Pixel Qi to develop product offerings into volume consumer markets. Those markets will include digital signage and touch applications. Pixel Qi also notes that the 3M investment wraps up its second investment round.

The money raised will be used for multiple things including strengthening the sales and engineering capability at Pixel Qi. The company was showing off a new 10.1-inch sunlight readable screen back in May that looked very promising.

“Pixel Qi’s full-function color screen technology, for the first time, gives consumers an outdoor-readable video display with exceptional battery life, usable anywhere, anytime. It’s a first in the industry. In our collaboration with 3M, we have the ability to accelerate this into mass adoption,” said Mary Lou Jepsen, co-founder and CEO of Pixel Qi.

[via ARMdevices]

The Camcorder Projector is a small HD camcorder that has a projector built-in and can throw a 65-inch image onto a wall at the press of a button and is branded with the 3M name. As you might guess from the handheld nature of the camcorder, the projector inside is not bright at all.

The little thing can only muster 12 lumens and you will need a very dark room to really enjoy the video you recorded using the device. The projector resolution is 640 x 480 and video is recoded in 720p resolution. Storage is to microSD cards up to 32GB. The Camcorder Projector sells for $299.95 and is shipping right now.

Now although the definition of innovation can include invention, or the creation of something new, I don’t think it depends on it. Something can be innovative and not necessarily be new. A fresh approach to something old or past failure can be considered innovative.

Innovation is not dead

It would be silly to say innovation is dead. A more relevant observation is that innovation is difficult and not everyone can do it. Too often in the business realm complacency is not what kills innovation itself but instead what dies is the spirit of innovation.

One of the other problems facing the industry is that too often the market rewards a lack of innovation. I’m not saying this is all together bad but it can be distracting when non-innovative products are successful simply because they are low cost. The culture of a corporation at an institutional level is what needs to change if we are to expect more innovation from those who drive the industry forward.

3M is the poster child for the model we see today, where companies like Google and many others technical employees are encouraged to take a percentage of paid time working on side entrepreneurial projects. This is creating a culture of innovation and the companies that do it are rewarded. 3M can pin a number of the companies huge successes like Scotch Tape and the Post It to that model. Google even says that 50% of the companies products come from their employees entrepreneurial time spent.

Innovation Can Come From Anywhere

It should however not just be up to companies or institutions to innovate. I think we may be on the cusp of one of the most innovative periods the technology industry has ever seen. The continual drop of component costs will mean the cost to be innovative will decline. As it becomes less expensive for anyone to get their hands on the components they need to innovate and even invent we should expect new innovations popping up from even the most unlikely of places.

As long as innovation is rewarded it will live on. Hopefully the spirit of innovation will again become commonplace in today’s companies as it was during the industrial age. As I said before, it is not easy and not everyone can innovate, but innovation can come from anywhere.

What are your thoughts on innovation?

As far as pocket projectors go, the new MP180 and MP160 are brighter than the norm with 30 lumens of light output each. That is almost twice the brightness of some pocket projectors. Both projectors also have two hours of battery life per charge and support SVGA resolution.

The MP180 allows the user to show videos, photos, and presentations at the touch of a button and supports both Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity. It also has 4GB of internal memory. Along with a micro SD card slot and more. The MP160 has the same brightness, resolution and portability as the MP180 and 3M isn’t exactly clear on the specific differences of the two products. The MP160 will sell for $349 and the MP180 will sell for $399.

The 22-inch monitor is capable of detecting upwards of 20 points simultaneously. It comes manufactured with a projected capacitive touch panel, and there’s a trio of capacitive chips tucked away in the thin frame of the monitor. The resolution is 1,680 x 1,050, and 3M boasts that the response time of you touching the monitor and a reaction happening is no longer than 6ms.

Suggested retail price of the M2256PW is $1,500, and it doesn’t look like 3M is positioning the multi-touch monitor for home usage, but rather the enterprise market. Of course, we imagine that a few people out there would prefer this in their living room, and would probably make it happen. No word on when exactly the monitor will be released and available, though.

[via TechOn!]

3M have gone ahead and pulled the curtain from their first USB 3.0-powered monitor. The demo unit is an 18.5-inch model, with a resolution of 1366×768. Pocket-Lint points out that this demo isn’t demonstrating the full potential of USB 3.0; not by a long-shot, actually. The next step in USB is capable of 5Gbit on the bandwidth front, while the current version is “only” capable of 480Mbit. Basically, there doesn’t seem to be many limitations to the next standard.

And while there are many other companies out there currently working on USB 3.0 solutions, other than storage needs, it looks like 3M is the first on the market to showcase a product that’s actually powered by the upcoming standard. Now, for a bit of bad news. 3M did say that you have to plug the USB 3.0 monitor into two USB 3.0 ports, due to the fact that a single USB 3.0 port only delivers 7W of power, while the monitor itself needs 8W to function. Such is the price of advancement, we imagine.

[via Pocket-Lint]

DST (dispersive signal technology) will be used in products by the end of the year according to Quanta. DST tech uses an extra layer of glass on a screen that has sensors and is able to locate a pen or finger by calculating the location of the shock caused by the motion of touching the screen.

The tech will allow the use of both fingers and pen input. DST also allows device makers to make thinner tablets and gadgets with touch capability integrated. Quanta would not offer pricing information on the new DTS screen and would only say that price isn’t out of line with its other offerings.

Apparently clinically proven to reduce muscle strain, the 3M Ergonomic Mouse is a wireless optical model with the regular keys placed along an upright joystick and topped by a scroll control.  Two sizes are available, to suit different hands, with the larger model standing a full 19cm high.

As this happy model lady shows, it’s now not only possible to use a mouse for extended periods without incurring carpal tunnel syndrome or repetitive strain injury, but to do so smiling.  The 3M Ergonomic Mouse is available now, priced at £81.73 ($131) for both the small and large versions; 3M also make a wired USB version for £39.99 ($64).

Press Release:

3M Ergonomic Mouse – Helping to Reduce RSI

Clinically proven* to reduce muscle strain, the 3M Ergonomic Wireless Optical Mouse can help reduce the discomfort associated with carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive strain injury.

Working with computers, particularly for long periods without breaks, is a prime cause of Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI). A poorly set up workstation or the use of inferior equipment can result in strain on muscles throughout the body. Aches, numbness and tingling in muscles, while working at a computer, could be a sign of RSI. If allowed to become chronic, RSI can cause permanent disability. However, RSI is 100 per cent preventable.

Available to buy online at 3Mselect.co.uk, the 3M Ergonomic Mouse looks just like a joystick. The vertical ergonomic grip, which is unique to the 3M design, encourages the wrist to remain locked, reducing the pressure on the delicate median nerve.

It is held like an old fashioned gaming control but is moved just like a conventional mouse, tracking movement optically. Directed in this fashion means the arm rather than the wrist is used, which helps to prevent RSI and carpal tunnel syndrome. It also enhances comfort by keeping arms and shoulders in a more relaxed, neutral position.

Left click, right click and the scroll button are all included. Positioned on top of the stick, next to the finger rest, they fall naturally to hand after a short while of using.

Visit the website for exercises to ease comfort and advice on desk positioning for optimal comfort http://www.3mselect.co.uk/.

* Clinically proven by: Centre for Ergonomic Research, Miami University and University of Oslo

Technical Details:

· 3M Ergonomic Wireless Optical Mouse is compatible for use with PCs, Laptops and Apple Macs: Microsoft – Windows XP, Vista and later / Apple – MAC OS 10 X v10.4.X, v10.5.X and later

· Optical mouse for smoother, more accurate usage

· Optical mouse with USB/PS2 compatible plug and play

· USB wireless compatible

· For right hand use; available in small/ medium for palms measuring 8.8cm wide or less. Also available in large for a palm width of 8.9cm or more

· Product Dimensions: 14.2 x 15 x 17.3cm ; 341g (small)

· Product Dimensions: 15.9 x 15.9 x 19cm ; 885g (large)
Includes 2 AAA batteries

Price:
RRP from £143.92

Repetitive Strain Injury:

· RSI is a group of injuries affecting the muscles, tendons or nerves

· Symptoms include: pain, swelling, numbness, tingling, burning or cramps

· RSI often occurs in the hands, arms, neck, shoulders and back

· RSI is often caused or aggravated by frequently repeated movements or awkward and static postures, insufficient recovery time and stress

· The repetitive action of typing on a computer can cause painful symptoms in fingers and hands, such as a throbbing pain.
(Source: RSI: rsi.org.uk)

RSI Facts & Figures:

· In 2006 nearly half a million people in the UK suffered from some form of RSI

· The problem is increasing principally through the intensive use of computers and other technology that involves large amounts of keyboarding

· The number of cases of RSI and upper limb musculoskeletal diseases is growing due to increased computer usage in the work environment and the lack of education around ways to prevent these problems

· RSI is by no means confined to keyboard workers but there can be no doubt that the increased prevalence of these painful and sometimes disabling conditions is related to the huge rise in computer use
(Source: RSI: rsi.org.uk)

Economic cost:

· 450,000+ UK workers have upper limb RSI (Source: Chartered Society of Physiotherapy)

· 1 in 50 (half a million) of all workers in the UK have reported an RSI condition (Source: TUC)

· 5.4 million working days were lost in sick leave due to RSI last year (Source: TUC)

· Every day, six people in the UK leave their jobs due to an RSI condition (Source: TUC)

· The cost to UK industry is likely to be between £5 billion and £20 billion annually (Source: estimate based on Buckle and Devereux, 1999)

· Organisations that employ strategies to improve work-place ergonomics have found that musculoskeletal-disorders (resulting in lost work time) were 3 times less likely to occur (Source: Schneider 1998)

· It is estimated that 12.3 million days are lost each year to workplace absence caused by back and upper limb problems (Source: Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 2002)

The new projector has 1GB of internal memory for loading presentations and can read microSD cards. A USB port is also built-in that allows the direct transfer of files from computers. The projector can throw an image up to 50-inches and has 15 lumens of brightness.

The device has a built-in MP3 player and a headphone jack and it is a bit over 5-inches long and only weighs 5.6 ounces. It can be preordered now for $395 and will ship in February. 3M also has a very similar MPro120 projector selling for $325.

The coolest part about the screen is that it integrates 3M’s new 10-finger multitouch technology that can accept input from both hands or multiple users and supports advanced gesture control. The screen is a 19-inch unit with a resolution of 1680 x 1050.

The device supports 720p HD video and has both DVI and VGA connectivity. The device also has audio input and USB connectivity. The front of the screen has anti-glare properties and the screen is compatible with Windows 7 and needs no drivers.

Connectivity includes VGA and NTSC/PAL TV inputs, though unlike many pico’s on the market there’s no integrated mediaplayer or onboard storage.  You do get 0.5W stereo speakers, however, and the RPJ-2000 is Apple-certified for use with iPods and iPhones; you’ll have to add a €30 ($43) adapter kit on top of its €219 ($315) sticker price.

RoyalTek will apparently launch five new pico-projectors in 2010, including a model with an integrated digital TV tuner.  No word on specific release schedules for those devices, though the TV tuner model is expected to hit the market in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in June.

[via PicoProjector-Info]

The 3M film has various prisms that – when paired with a display that has independent control over its left and right edge LED backlighting – direct the light to one eye or the other.  The left backlight, for instance, goes to the right eye; the right backlight, thus, goes to the left eye.  By changing the on-screen image between the slightly offset left/right pictures required for 3D, and flicking between the two backlighting sides, the viewer sees a combined 3D view.

Even better, when both backlighting elements are lit, straightforward 2D content can be shown with no optical interference.  3M have been demonstrating a compact 2.8-inch panel – ideal, dare we say it, for PMPs and cellphones – as well as a larger 9-inch display that uses the same system; the company claims to have begun mass production for small and medium sized displays.

[via 3D-Display-Info]

Compared to the MPro110, its first-gen predecessor, the MPro120 is larger and better put together. It also gains a voice – in the shape of integrated stereo speakers – and a chunkier battery, promising around four hours of runtime versus the 110′s measly single hour. In terms of design, the 120 is far more visually appealing, too, with a matte-finish plastic case bisected by a glossy button strip. Hardware controls include power, brightness, battery status and volume, together with a firm but not too tricky focus dial up front by the lens.

Underneath there’s a standard tripod bush for use with either the included bendy-legged mini-tripod or your own, together with a neat flip-down stand that can be used for more impromptu setups where you just want to angle the MPro120 up slightly. On the back there’s the DC power input – the Li-Poly battery can be charged and the MPro120 used simultaneously – and the A/V port. 3M supply various adapters for the AC plug, suitable for travelling, together with both a composite video cable for use with a standard source (plus RCA converters so you can plug, say, an iPod A/V output cable directly into the MPro120) and a VGA adapter cable for plugging in a notebook or netbook.

Setup is straightforward, and instantly benefits from both the better quality build and the new optics. The focus dial is less prone to drift than on other pico projectors we’ve used, but doesn’t go so far to the other extreme that it’s impossible to tweak without jerking the MPro120 all around the table. Meanwhile the new LCoS (liquid-crystal on silicon) optics require less space in order to create a bigger picture, so you’ll see a larger 640 x 480 VGA-sized projection than the MPro110 at the same distance. You might lack the resolution of a 32-inch HDTV, but you can readily achieve the scale in a smallish room, making the MPro120 ideal for hotel rooms and the like.

With a mere 0.5W from each stereo channel, the MPro120′s speakers aren’t exactly setting out to knock you off your feet. There’s no 3.5mm headphone socket, but given 3M haven’t granted the pico an onboard media player, as on some of the rival projectors we’ve seen, that’s not likely to be too much of an issue. Sound quality, though, is pretty loud all things considered, and while at the top end there’s increasing amounts of distortion, the MPro120 does a decent job keeping up with film soundtracks.

Also keeping up is the new battery, which offers two power settings. If you want to get close to 3M’s four hour prediction you’ll need to leave the MPro120 in “normal brightness” and play it cool with the speaker volume; “high brightness” mode, meanwhile, will drain the pico in half the time. Still, we came close to 3M’s suggested times in both settings, either of which is enough for a good few episodes of your favorite TV show download or even a feature film. Since you can run the MPro120 while recharging it – something sadly lacking in some rivals – battery life needn’t be an issue if you’re near an AC point.

Sample shot:

Despite a mere 12 lumens of brightness and its limited resolution, the MPro120 puts up a decent fight. Presentations lack some clarity around smaller text, but faster moving scenes and bright colors are both handled well. Darker colors and areas of strong shadow continue to be a problem, with murky greys more likely than true inky blackness, but it’s certainly ahead of many other picos.

At $350, though, it’s still priced as a luxury, and one we reckon few will be able to justify. What’s hopeful is the fact that the MPro120 is light-years ahead of its predecessor, and yet the pico manufacturers are still telling us that technologies like LCoS – as well as other systems – are still in their infancy. We won’t see 1080p any time soon, but it’s not beyond the realms of possibility to expect twice the resolution offered by the MPro120 in devices arriving next year. Still, if you want a pico projector that’s capable of both notebook content and A/V, with impressive battery performance and build quality to the point where you’re happy to dump it in your laptop bag and not worry it will have fallen apart, the 3M MPro120 projector ticks all our boxes.

3M MPro120 Unboxing and walkthrough video:

3M MPro120 Sample videos:

Dubbed “CV-MP02” and sold under the company Castrade, but my guess on this pocket projector is nothing but a 3M MPro 1100’s clone. They are not distinct from physical appearance to technical detail. That can’t be coincidence right?

Presuming only available for Japanese market, the CV-MP02 measures 2×4.5×0.9 inches and weighs 5.6 ounces. It can throw up to 50-inch of picture in VGA resolution at 4:3 aspect ratio. Luminance brightness is rated at 10 nits, and graphic supports D-sub VGA output. In continue use, the built-in battery that can last up to 1 hour of operation, however, there’s no sound output to accommodate the audio. The unit is slated to launch in Japan later this month for 35000 Yen (~$400) or you can get the 3M’s version for $359 retail.

The ID Readers looks very much like a credit card scanner. But this reader is used to scan your Visa card or passport in order to compare it against a watch list, of sorts.

This watch list would contain those that pose a security threat of some sort. The scanner is pretty typical besides its role in security. It runs on Windows Mobile 6 and features WiFi, GSM/GPRS EDGE and a fingerprint sensor. With 8GB of storage for keeping track of all those scanned, this device is the ultimate portable security device. Let’s just hope it’s thoroughly encrypted. We wouldn’t want all that scanned info slipping out.

[via OhGizmo!]

And while it’s not all that practical, the technology that went into this projector may eventually end up in cell phones and other portable devices someday. Unfortunately, initial reviews seem to indicate this particular device doesn’t quite live up to quality standards.

The projected images are blurry and super small. Not even a dim room can help this one. And the $359 asking price adds insult to injury. Even though the idea here is noteworthy and innovative, it’s not quite “there” yet. Until this pocket projector can display bright images that you can make out clearly, it’s probably not worth it.

[via DVICE]