On CE - For Dealers, Distributors and OEMs of Consumer Electronics throughout EMEA

ViewSonic launches the Pro9000-- a laser-LED hybrid 1080p DLP projector ideal for home entertainment, education and commercial applications, first seen at ISE 2012.

Using LED hybrid technology (combining LED light and lasers to create a single light source) the project provides vibrant display colours the company claims exceed those from normal mercury light projectors. Image brightness is 1600 lumens with a 100000:1 contrast ratio.

Light source life is up to 20000 hours.

TI DLP DarkChip technology powers the 1080p images. Inputs include dual-HDMI, component, composite and S-video, and the projector also carries integrated speakers and RS232 capabilities.

Instant on/off prevents overheating risks and the lamp-free, filter-free design needs little to no maintenance.

The Pro9000 projector is available now.

Go ViewSonic Pro9000 Projector

The smaller iPad will "turbocharge" the 7-inch tablet market IHS iSuppli reports, pushing the device category to nearly 100% growth as shipments reach 34 million in 2012 and 67m in 2013.

According to the analyst 2011 7-inch tablet shipments total 17m.

“Just as Apple has dominated the market for 9.7-inch tablets the company is poised to rule the market for 7-inch products, driving rapid growth of the segment in 2012 and 2013,” iSuppli remarks. "Apple will successfully position the smaller iPad as a device that will be attractive and easy to adopt for both new and returning customers. This will spur rapid sales growth and provide tough competition for other companies contending in this size range.”

Through an Apple entry the 7-inch category will also gain bigger tablet market share-- from 24% in 2011 to 28% in 2012 and 33% in 2013.

Android tablet vendors (such as Google) have found a competitive niche with the 7-inch category. A smaller iPad will demand a move towards more exotic form factors, namely 8-inch. iSuppli also predicts Windows 8 and RT will find a home in devices with 10-inch-and-larger displays.

Go Smaller iPad to Contribute to Doubling of 7-inch Tablet Market

A Swedish company has plans for a wearable camera-app combination allowing customers to automatically capture "every moment" of their lives-- the Memoto, a lifelogging device the size of a postage stamp.

The little device carries a 5MP camera, a GPS and an accelerometer. It clips onto clothing and automatically takes a photo (complete with timestamp and GPS position log) every 30 seconds.

A micro USB port allows recharging and connection to PC.

Once connected to PC the camera uploads photos to the Memoto Web Service and Android/iOS app. The web service and app organise photos into "moments" based on GPS, time, accelerometer and light levels in order to create an easily searchable "photographic memory."

The late Steve Jobs used to mock 7-inch tablets, describing them as "tweeners." Is he spinning in his grave now that Apple just revealed the 8-inch iPad mini?

It has a 1024 x 768 display (not Retina, but same resolution as the iPad 2), is 7.2mm thick and, thanks to curving metal back, looks just like an overgrown iPod Touch. Construction remains in aluminium, unlike the majority of other 7-inch tablets.

The insides include a dual-core A5 processor, dual-band wifi/LTE wireless radios, 5MP rear-facing iSight camera and (of course) Lightning connector.

"It is every bit an iPad" Apple senior VP Phil Schiller remarks.

Still, we wonder-- is the iPad mini "too big to compete with a smartphone and too small to compete with the iPad”? Or is the 7-inch segment, as represented by Amazon's Kindle Fire and Google's Nexus 7, taking over too much of a chunk from the lower end tablet market for Apple's comfort?