ODIN Android-Powered Portable Micro Projector Reaches Its $250,000 Kickstarter Goal

If you can put Android into a watch, or a car, or a stove, you can cram it in just about anywhere. And given that last option, placing it into a micro or "pico" projector seems like a pretty good idea. ODIN is a Kickstarter project aiming to do just that, expanding an already flexible gadget by throwing in a little extra electronics and Android for media-focused apps. The Kickstarter campaign passed its $250,000 goal this weekend, and it's got a day and a half left to go.

ODIN combines a lot of easily-accessible mobile hardware to make the most of the small projector. In addition to KitKat running on a quad-core 1.6Ghz processor, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage, the housing includes Wi-Fi network access and Bluetooth (for connecting a keyboard or streaming from a phone to built-in stereo speakers), an HDMI-in port, USB for access to external storage, and the usual headphone port. As a projector, it's fairly typical of the pico product segment, with a 115 lumen bulb, 1000:1 contrast ratio, and a somewhat disappointing resolution of 854x480. According to the Kickstarter page, the removable(!) 3000mAh battery will last a little over an hour at full brightness, two hours in "portable mode," or 8 hours when the ODIN is used as a Bluetooth speaker alone. The projector and its hinged base are 4.3 by 6 by 1.8 inches, about the size of a paperback book, though it'll be heavy at 1.7 pounds.

 

Even for a Kickstarter project, ODIN will be expensive, with the lowest hardware tier starting at $500. That kind of money could buy you a standard pico projector (or even one of the cheaper full-sized models) and a Chromecast, which would probably handle all the media you could throw at it, albeit without quite so much style. There's also the question of apps: while the ODIN Kickstarter page mentions crowd-pleasers like Chrome, Google Docs, Netflix, and Dropbox, there's no mention of Google Play Store certification (though one mock-up does show a Play Store icon).

The creators hope to ship ODIN to backers in December of this year, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that it seems like every hardware Kickstarter campaign is late these days. Expect at least a month or two of delays, if only out of general skepticism.

Source: ODIN Android 'Smart Projector on Kickstarter

Michael Crider

Michael is a native Texan and a former graphic designer. He's been covering technology in general and Android in particular since 2011. His interests include folk music, football, science fiction, and salsa verde, in no particular order.

source: androidpolice