While not something that's likely to be used every day, portable projectors are great for easy set up movie nights at a friend's house, impromptu presentations in the boardroom or quick photo sharing while out and about. But if you want to catch up with the latest episode of Luke Cage on Netflix while at the campsite, most portable picture throwers just won't do. The FuntaSee over on Kickstarter is being billed as the first one with 4G capabilities, making streaming on the go a real possibility.
"The FuntaSee is the first-ever 4G portable projector that runs on Android OS," is the proud boast at the beginning of the project's Kickstarter campaign page. Well, not quite. ZTE's Spro2 Smart Projector from a few years back is certainly one model that came before the FuntaSee, there may be more. But, aside from that minor quibble, this latest mobile movie machine looks to be a decent enough offering.
Mobile connectivity comes in the shape of a 4G LTE mobile card slot that will work with providers such as AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint. The FuntaSee will also connect to home or office Wi-Fi networks, and has Bluetooth for wirelessly connecting I/O peripherals.
It has 6.69 x 3.93 x 0.9 inch (170 x 100 x 23 mm) dimensions, which is a tad big and bulky to be used as a mobile internet hotspot – though it certainly can be – unless you happen to have the 13 oz (375 g) unit in your backpack anyway.
Elsewhere, it has 180 ANSI lumens DLP optics, can support 1080p content and is reported capable of throwing up a 120 diagonal inch image from just 60 inches away, or 40 inches from 20 inches away. Short throw setup ease is provided by auto +/- 40° keystone correction and autofocus, and the projector features HMDI and USB for cabled connection.
It runs Android 5.1 and inside there's ARM Cortex-A7 processing supported by 8 GB of built-in eMMC storage and 1 GB of RAM. An 8,000 mAh Li-Pol battery should offer 3 hours of viewing per charge.
The FuntaSee projector project is currently raising production funds on Kickstarter, where pledges start at US$399. As with any crowdfunding campaign, there are risks involved for backers, but if all goes to plan, shipping is expected to start in October. The video below has more.
Source: Kickstarter