Innovative device uses projector to create a portable monitor

Gamer laptops often come with 17in screens since that is generally the upper limit of what people want to carry around with them. Even so, these machines are not known for being especially portable. Apple does not even make 17in MacBook Pros anymore, as the latest announcement included only 13 and 15in laptops. Carrying around large monitors is also not a great solution and often is not possible at all depending on how mobile someone needs to be. A company called Arovia believes it has solved this problem with the Spontaneous Pop-up Display (SPUD), which is now available through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. It has already blown past its $33,000 goal with more than three times as much pledged and several weeks left to go.

The SPUD is a 24in, foldable polymer screen with a miniature projector attached. To display the image onto the screen, the projector is inserted into an enclosed area that pops out like a tent. By preventing light leakage in this way, it helps keep the image sharp in various settings. Arovia also said this is made possible through its proprietary projector technology that can display images over short distances.

This kind of solution is not perfect. A demonstration video posted to YouTube shows the image is more washed out than what someone could expect on a traditional monitor in well-lit rooms. There is no other solution for a portable monitor, however, so the design is clever and probably looks better in darker settings.

Arovia said the SPUD weighs less than two pounds. Since it folds up to the size of a notebook, the product's light frame undoubtedly makes it more portable than a 17in laptop. The projector uses a regular HDMI input, so it is compatible with many different devices, not just computers. It is ideal for streaming media dongles such as Roku or Chromecast and Miracast dongles that allow for mirroring smartphone and PC displays.

Arovia said the SPUD gets up to 785 nits of brightness, during which the battery can last for three hours. When brightness is turned down to 350 nits, the battery gets six hours. The projector gives the SPUD a 1280x720p resolution and it has a 120Hz refresh rate. The projector has USB power output but charges using a 12VDC wall adapter.

The specifications on this screen will not blow anyone away, especially for the asking price of $374 during the Kickstarter campaign and a retail price of $499. The SPUD is clearly designed for those who need a portable 24in monitor above other concerns. This makes the device ideal for campers and maybe businesses who want a quick pop-up monitor for boardrooms. Serious gamers might prefer to stick with their large laptop screens since portability has always seemed to be a secondary concern for that market.

Thanks to smartphones and China makers, pocket projectors are becoming increasingly common and affordable. They even generate quite a bit of interest at the Global Sources Mobile Electronics shows. The portable pop-up screen concept might not stay exclusive to Arovia for long.