Samsung Galaxy Beam: World’s first smartphone projector

When pocket projectors began to leak out of hardware heaven, it was only a matter of time before smartphones married the idea into their unibody shells. The Samsung Galaxy Beam, a 4-inch mobile phone rocking an “ultra-bright” 15-lumen projector is that dream made palpable reality.

Yesterday, Samsung announced the Galaxy Beam, just in time for the Mobile World Congress which today opens its doors to the public. Available globally come the second quarter, we take a quick peek at the world’s first projector phone, the Samsung Galaxy Beam.

Stock-standard Samsung Smartphone

The phone has a dual-core 1Ghz CPU, 8GB of memory, 6GB (really?) of RAM, a 4-inch screen running an 800×480 screen, a 5MP camera and sadly, Android Gingerbread. In other words, nothing new to report. The phone breaks free of the mundane courtesy of its built-in projector located on the top of the device, which apparently projects a 50-inch image onto a clear surface.

The 640×360 pixel display is apparently “clear, with vivid colours and a sharp looking picture,” according to websites lucky enough to preview the Galaxy Beam. The projector uses the phone’s built-in gyroscope to automatically change the image to either portrait or landscape mode depending on the position of the device. Currently, pico projectors use a 10 to 12 lumen bright lamp for its needs. A 15-lumen projector may be the game-changer Samsung is looking for.

RAM, so much RAM

What puzzles us is the reported 6GB of RAM. Will Samsung bite the bullet and sink this ludicrous level of RAM into a smartphone? If so, then it’s clear that future projector-infused mobile phones will require more than a gig of RAM to operate, and possibly drive up hardware production costs.

UPDATE: sadly, the beam ain’t equipped with 6GB RAM. Sources report that the device packs a “mere” 768MB RAM, which happens to be 6 gigabits, not bytes.

In terms of projecting time, Samsung has promised up to three hours of pixel-infused goodness before the phone requires a recharge. Personally, I think it’s an ugly looking phone but it’s first of its breed so, function over form chaps. View the video and decide if the Samsung Galaxy Beam is a revolutionary, or waste of your hard earned dosh.