mudpyr8 wrote:
With the iPad coming out, how awesome would it be to be able to just pop that down on the table for everyone to see?
Not a big enough display on the iPad or any other tablet. However, the price on mini-projectors has come way down. Heck, there's a cell phone with a projector in it now, although it's only about 1200 lumens IIRC so you'll need perfect lighting conditions for continued use (or eye strain will start to prevail).
I think the Samsung material is the way to go. It's basically a piece of mylar of just about any size that has a flat-connector on the edge that accepts a VGA signal. You plug it in and send an image to it, then unplug it -- no power required to maintain the image!! This means a single encounter area takes only enough power to push the image to the mylar once!
There are a few problems with the hardware, though: not fast enough to do animations (it just
might be quick enough to do MapTool's token movement or measurement tool, but probably not lighting/sight lines), and it can be rolled up but not folded (a 2'x4' sheet can be rolled up like a poster but not as small a roll as the way posters are sold in souvenir shops).
Still, that's some very cool stuff! (Oh, and it's 15-bit color! Although you'd need to have a white, preferably lit surface to put it on or the colors would be too dark.) I'll see if I can find the IEEE article where I read about it ... this was about 10-12 months ago, at least.
There was also a product shown at CES that was made with plastic parts (instead of glass or metal) so it was somewhat flexible. But it required continuous power. They have vendors signed on already though; folks like USA Today...
