MWC 2012: Samsung Galaxy Beam Can Project 50-Inch HD Image

Steve McCaskill,

An Android smartphone that uses a 15 lumens projector to beam movies and games onto handy flat surfaces

Samsung has unveiled the Samsung Galaxy Beam, a smartphone that has an in-built projector capable of displaying a 50-inch high definition image.

The company claims that the Android 2.3-powered device, which was revealed at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, will enable users to create “shared experiences” with friends and family.

Project this

The Galaxy Beam uses a 15 lumens projector to share media such as video, maps and games onto flat surfaces such as walls, ceilings and even outdoor environments. More than 1,000 games can be downloaded from Samsung’s Game Hub, while the process of selecting content and activating the projector takes just a few steps.

Samsung says that, despite the inclusion of the projector, it has taken measures to ensure that the device does not compromise portability. The phone is just 12.5mm thick, has a four-inch display and is powered by a 1GHz processor, with 6GB of RAM and a powerful 2000 mAh battery, which should result in greater display power.

Content, including photos taken using the phone’s five megapixel camera, is stored in 8GB of internal memory, although the addition of MicroSD slot means that this can be expanded by a further 32GB.

“The Samsung Galaxy Beam gives people freedom to share what’s important to them instantly with friends and family,” commented Simon Stanford of Samsung’s UK and Ireland Telecommunications and Networks Division. “With the Galaxy Beam, people can share content from their smartphone with people around them, using it like a pocket projector to create shared experiences – whether that’s watching movies, sharing holiday snaps or a spontaneous presentation.”

Earlier this month, Samsung announced the Galaxy Tab 2, the first tablet to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, while its Series 9 notebooks hit UK shelves last Saturday. The Korean manufacturer is also set to unveil a direct rival to Apple’s iTunes U educational service at MWC, the Samsung Learning Hub, which will offer 6,000 textbooks from 30 different education providers.

No matter how many products it announces, Samsung is unlikely to win many fans at Apple, with which it is engaged in a number of worldwide legal disputes.

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