A new device on the market, Beam casts the
idea of a projector in a new light. Resembling a
large, odd-looking lightbulb, it was actually
designed to screw into any standard light
fixture, and can project an 854x480 resolution
image up to 120 inches in size (that’s twice as
big as a 60-inch plasma TV) under optimal
conditions. No unsightly power cables needed
(it ships with one in case you don’t want to
install it) — you just screw it in .
Don Molenaar and his L.A.-based team of
Dutch inventors created Beam as an alternative
to the “big and bulky, ugly” projectors on the
market. The device can be connected to the
Internet and left plugged in all the time, and
because it doesn’t look like a projector, it can
actually be “part of your interior,” Molenaar
suggests. Of course, the quality of projection —
whether for movies, games, presentations — is
dependent upon the surface you’re projecting
on: a kitchen counter, a bedroom ceiling, a
dining room table, an office wall.
But Beam’s secret sauce is its event-based
functionality, using if this, then that logic.
Essentially, for every detectable event — it’s 6
a.m., you added a photo to Instagram, you
came home — Beam can take an action: For
example, it can start streaming Spotify or
Netflix, show today’s weather forecast or stock
quotes or turn on the light. (Yes, it functions as
a lightbulb, too.) It works via a free app for
iOS or Android, or via Bluetooth keyboard and
mouse.
However, as with all connected products,
security should be top-of-mind. Casey Ellis,
CEO and co-founder of Bugcrowd, says that
malicious apps are always a potential threat.
“Automatic updates and a fast-release update
cycle from the Beam maintainers will minimize
this risk,” Ellis notes. That could be a problem.
Molenaar says his company will be issuing
updates to its custom version of Android, but
not every update that Google puts out will be
used. “If the next update from Google takes too
much processing power away from Beam,
we’re not going to do it.” Should you be
concerned? Probably not. Bigger companies
are often slower to respond to issues than small
teams with products still in development.
Beams just closed a Kickstarter campaign that
raised more than $750,000 — but if you’re
interested in trying out this bright idea, you
can still order them. The company says that it’s
on-track to deliver by November.
The device can be connected to the
Internet and left plugged in all the
time, and doesn’t look like a
projector.
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