Touchjet Pond Projector turns any surface into an interactive touchscreen

Last night I was treated to the launch of the Touchjet Pond, a tiny projector that’s big on surprises.

Today, on the back of one of the most successful Indiegogo crowd-funding campaigns of all time, Touchjet has now officially launched the Touchjet Pond Projector.

It may look like just any other pico projector, but it is so much more.

The Pond is the first consumer device that can turn any flat surface into a super-sized touchscreen. Amazingly this device manages to fit in the palm of your hand which obviously makes it ultra-portable. At only 9.4 ounces and 1.1 x 3.9 x 4.5-inches, the Touchjet Pond can be easily slipped in to a briefcase, backpack, or even a suit pocket. With the projector, you can interact directly with their photos, videos, games, apps and presentations on a large touch display (up to 80-inches) anywhere you go.

The Pond runs on a 1.6Ghz CPU/ARM DUAL processor powered by Android 4.4 KitKat. This means you have access to the hundreds of thousands of apps that can be downloaded directly to the device via Google Play on to its 16GB of on-board storage. As well as that, you can directly project from almost any smartphone or tablet using a third party app. The unique design and infrared (IR) technology brings any Android app to life with an interactive screen that users control with a stylus.

The unique technology that powers the Touchjet Pond Projector starts with the light processing unit (LPU). This is positioned near the lens of the projector. The LPU picks up an infrared signal which then runs through an image-processing algorithm. That process translates the location of the user’s gesture into a standard touch point signal. The Touchjet algorithm has to process thousands of points and dozens of projected frames per second in order to deliver the seamless interactive experience.

The Pond packs internal speakers but it does have an audio out as well as Bluetooth smarts to add more punch.

After a few moments using the Touchjet Pond it soon became second-nature to scroll through app menus, run through and annotate presentations as well as playing a quick round of Fruit Ninja.

The projected image was sharp enough to play videos which could make late-night alfresco movie parties a possibility.

The internal battery will last for up to 2 hours but it does shine brighter when plugged in to a power source.

As well as the obvious business and domestic uses the Pond has great scope in an educational environment. This tiny device can suddenly create an interactive classroom.

With access to hundreds of educational apps covering an array of topics from learning how to read to recognizing colours and shapes, Touchjet brings an interactive lesson plan to groups of students that counter balances individual tablets and Chromebooks that are taking over the classroom.

Helen Thomas, CEO of Touchjet and former SVP of Worldwide Sales at Livescribe and GM of APAC International Business at LeapFrog said:

Mobile devices do a great job of keeping people connected, except when they are in the same room… We’re creating devices that take the interactivity of mobile apps and project it so everyone can share the experience, be it in the living room, classroom or a board room.”

The Touchjet Pond Projector can be set up in moments and is easy to use. Just turn on the projector, download the apps and start to interact with the content on the surface. Users can instantly play games, edit documents in real time or watch videos, all in one place.

The Touchjet Pond Projector’s price starts at £599.99 and includes:

• Touchjet Pond Projector with a built-in computer pre-loaded with Android apps, the Android operating system and 18 GB of user-addressable memory
• 1 Power Supply (5vdc, 3A)
• 1 Battery
• 2 Styli
• 1 Airmouse
• 1 USB (OTG) cable for PC hookup or accessories
• 1 User Guide
• 6 AAA Batteries (for the two styli and Airmouse)
• 1 Carrying Case

The Touchjet Pond Projector can be purchased via www.touchjet.eu.

I should be getting a review sample in the next few weeks so stay tuned for a full review.

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